[Vision2020] warrant-less wiretapping

[Paul Rumelhart]

On Wednesday, the House reauthorized the FISA Amendments Act, lovingly 
known and the warrant-less wiretapping law.  111 Democrats voted against 
it, as did 7 Republicans.  One of them, unsurprisingly, was Ron Paul.  
If you don't remember, this was one of those abuses of civil liberties 
that Sunil and I prattle on about upon occasion that was a nice gift to 
this nation by the Bush Administration.  I seem to remember lots of us 
up in arms about it (for good reason), when it first went into effect to 
legalise what was already happening.

This can be used as a test to see what President Obama does with it.  
Will he veto the bill?  Will he sign it without protest?  Is he in favor 
of it?  Is he against it?  Currently, according to the article, Senator 
Wyden has put a hold on a similar bill in the Senate, so I don't know if 
he it will end up coming up for a veto before the election comes 
around.  If it does, we can use it as a test of our President's 
commitment to civil liberties and the Constitution.

Why do I think this is a law that is a blow to our civil liberties? 
Because they have been using this law to store and search a huge store 
of domestic communications, without warrants, and almost without 
oversight, for years.  Because getting a warrant was too much trouble 
and would let the terrorists win, or some such crap.

For those that don't recall, the text of the Fourth Amendment:

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, 
and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be 
violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, 
supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place 
to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

Let's see what happens.

Paul