The Patriot Act Is Now USA Freedom Act 

How many times has the mainstream media mentioned the USA Freedom Act? Well, if you did hear of this legislation, you must have been watching C-SPAN or a foreign press channel. Read a report from NPR, that government funded broadcast, which never fails to present a known editorial viewpoint.

“The USA Freedom Act extends many parts of the 2001 USA Patriot Act, which expires June 1. The measure’s fate in the Senate is less likely.

The surveillance issue has sparked “rare bipartisan unity” in the House, NPR’s David Welna reports for today’s All Things Considered. He notes that the push to change the law comes from Rep. Bob Goodlatte, the Republican chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

“Despite changes to the NSA bulk telephone metadata program announced by President Obama last year,” Goodlatte says, “the bulk collection of the records has not ceased, and will not cease, unless and until Congress acts to shut it down.”

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Constitution 1 – 0 Government: NSA Starts Winding Down Bulk Data Collection 

As we detailed earlier, in a chaotic scene during the wee hours of Saturday, Senate Republicans blocked a bill known as the USA Freedom Act - backed by President Barack Obama, House Republicans and the nation's top law enforcement and intelligence officials – which would have preserved the government's ability to search phone company records for suspected spies and terrorists.

As AP reports, the failure to act means the NSA will immediately begin curtailing its previously-secret bulk data collection programs with The DoJ noting that while it will take time to taper off the collection process, that process began Friday (according to an administration official).

Sen. Rand Paul called the Senate's failure to allow an extension of the surveillance programs a victory for privacy rights, adding “we should never give up our rights for a false sense of security.”

We explained Rand Paul's refusal to play by the Washington script earlier and how the Senate failure to extend the Patriot Act leaves the future of America's “war against terrorists” – but really against “enemies domestic”, i.e., anyone who uses email, has a cell phone or in any other electronic way communicates with others – in limbo.

Now, it appears, as AP reports, the de-esclation of The NSA is escalating rather faster than many had dared to hope for…

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One Critical Transparency Flaw In The New USA Freedom Act

Today, the House introduced an updated USA Freedom Act. Despite its failure to pass last year (a watered-down version did pass the House, but it failed a cloture vote in the Senate), it is still the surveillance bill most likely to pass Congress – though if no bill passes at all, it’s likely Section 215 will simply sunset.

The legislation offers compromise not simply with small steps forward, but by giving a little to each side. For example, in a nod to reformers, the bill would place new restrictions on how the government can use Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which currently permits intelligence agencies to collect virtually all telephone records in America. Section 215 is currently set to sunset on June 1st of 2015, but if the bill passes, Section 215 (among other provisions) would be reauthorized until December 15, 2019.

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