Quote (Goomshill @ 12 May 2020 06:37)
The Patriot Act reauthorization vote is facing three amendments to make it more restrictive and transparent, the complete opposite of the ridiculous daily beast propaganda post you linked.
1. Rand Paul's amendment says that FISA warrants can't be used on American citizens
2. The Lee-Leahy amendment says that any time surveillance is conducted on a domestic religious or political institute or candidate, an attorney gets to challenge it
3. The Daines-Wyden amendment prevents law enforcement from obtaining internet browsing and search data history without a warrant.
McConnell proposed an amendment to renew the Patriot Act without these additional safeguards, but with a watered down version of each one that largely removes the proposed safeguard. The watered down version of the Daine-Wyden amendment would continue to allow warrantless URL and search history term collection without content, a pretty meaningless distinction. The watered down attorney one only allows an amicus for federal officials being the target but not religions.
None of these proposals expands the Patriot Act. They're all restrictions on it of varying degrees.
Do you ever actually read your links and realize what kind of propaganda is being shoveled onto your plate? The Daily Beast article is trying to claim that the McConnell amendment would 'give Barr the ability to see your search histories!', except that under the current Patriot Act Barr already has the power to do that and see page content. They conveniently forgot to mention that Section 215 is already being interpreted that way, hell, they basically say they can spy on anything and everything right now with no restrictions at all. How does it "expand" a law to take a vague term that's already being interpreted to its fullest extent and formalize it with an interpretation that gives it most of those powers but curtails a select few?
I like those amendments, and I would take their watered down versions over nothing, but the Patriot Act really should be repealed all together.
I thought that Americans would never really care about the Patriot Act or other invasions of personal privacy in the name of national security, but I have observed a growing movement against such legislation and policies in recent years. A roll-back of the Patriot Act seems to be an annual conversation now that Congress is forced to half-heartedly address.
I was really proud of Roberts for defending Americans' 4th Amendment rights in Carpenter v. United States. Alito, Gorsuch, Thomas, and Kennedy hate freedom!