TYT: Is the Government Spying on You? FISA Continues

[The Northerner]

"The Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday approved the extension of legislation that authorized a sweeping warrantless wiretapping program started under the Bush Administration. The FISA Amendments Act of 2008 gave the government broad powers to monitor international phone calls and emails, and granted legal immunity to telecommunication companies that had participated in the wiretapping program before 2008. The law was set to expire in 2012, but the Senate bill — passed by a 13-2 vote in the committee — would extend the law for another five years...Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Mark Udall (D-CO) both opposed the extension of the law. The two senators had asked James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence, to disclose the number of people whose communications were reviewed by government agents, and whether or not the law had been used to collect communications of law abiding Americans...".* The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.

[think]

1. Kick

[20score]

2. Makes me ill.

That's the vote that tempered my enthusiasm for Obama, in July of 2008. Still voted for him, still celebrated his election and I'm still voting for him this time. But that's when the donations stopped and that's when the volunteering stopped. I knew then that he would be good, but that people would take a back seat to corporations during his presidency. Turned out to be correct.

For some reason I'm still hoping that 'Campaign Obama' will take over in his second term. I won't hold my breathe, so to speak, but nothing would make me happier. Reverse the security/police state of the last ten years, hold the financial and Bush Administration criminals to account, push real financial and campaign reform laws, end the drug war, push fair in lieu of free trade deals, end the Bush tax cuts, replace people like Summers and Geithner with people like Krugman and Reich, fight hard for alternative energy, etc.

[JDPriestly]

3. Well said, Cenk. Well said.