http://townhall.com/columnists/bobbarr/2013/01/02/domestic-spy-expansion-bill-sails-through-the-congress-n1477299/page/full/
Townhall – Bob Barr – 1/2/2013
When it comes to expanding
the power of the government to spy on American citizens without warrants, both
the House and the Senate last week fairly tripped over themselves in a rush to
pass legislation doing just that; with President Obama almost gleefully waiting
to sign the bill.
The power to electronically
surveill citizens without so much as asking a judge for leave to do so, stems
from 2008 amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The
rapid action by the Congress last Friday was prompted by fear that this
extraordinary power would lapse at the end of this month – forcing Uncle Sam to
actually justify its surveillance by seeking a warrant in advance of spying on
citizens.
The federal government’s
abject fear it might actually have to meet the constitutional requirement of
having a good reason to eavesdrop on American citizens’ conversations before
doing so, prompted a majority of Republicans and Democrats in the Congress to
come together and make sure our intelligence agencies were not going to be
hamstrung by law or the Bill of Rights.
Senate Majority Leader Harry
Reid led the fight for surveillance absolutely “necessary to protect us from
the evil in this world.” His colleagues on both sides of the aisle quickly fell
in line, saluted, and passed the measure by a lop-sided vote of 73
to 23. The House had offered similarly little opposition.
Thus, even though
warrantless wiretapping of U.S.
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