Wired News is reporting that, in a move reminiscent of Orwell’s 1984, the Senate Judiciary committee has allowed this abortion of a bill to pass out of committee to the floor.
Among the highlights they’re reporting:
- Allows but does not require, an administration to submit a surveillance program to review by the Foreign Intelligence surveillance Court.
- Eliminates a legal a requirement that all surveillance of suspected spies and terrorists be performed in accordance with the Foreign Intelligence surveillance Act.
- Redefines the term “surveillance” so that most acts us
subjectscitizens have objected to as illegal surveillance are no longer surveillance. - Allows blanket warrants for surveillance programs in their entirety, instead of requiring separate warrants for each wiretapping.
- Allows the Attorney General of the US to authorize domestic spying, as long as its on terrorists. If they get information that isn’t from terrorists, they promise to throw it away.
- Repeals a provision in federal law that limits the government’s wartime powers to conduct warrantless wiretapping and physical searches against
subjectscitizens.
There are other goodies; you can look for them yourselves in the .pdf.
The freedom-loving among us have enemies other than Moslem terrorists, it seems.