Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
My friends at Downsize DC are working on a campaign to tell Congress to roll back some of the constitutionally dubious provisions of the Patriot Act. Sen. Russ Feingold has submitted a bill called the Judicious Use of Surveillance Tools In Counterterrorism Efforts (JUSTICE) Act that would repeal the worst provisions of both the Patriot Act and the FISA reauthorization bill from last year. Feingold explains what his bill would do:
The JUSTICE Act reforms include more effective checks on government searches of Americans' personal records, the "sneak and peek" search provision of the PATRIOT Act, "John Doe" roving wiretaps and other overbroad authorities. The bill will also reform the FISA Amendments Act, passed last year, by repealing the retroactive immunity provision, preventing "bulk collection" of the contents of Americans' international communications, and prohibiting "reverse targeting" of innocent Americans. And the bill enables better oversight of the use of National Security Letters (NSLs) after the Department of Justice Inspector General issued reports detailing the misuse and abuse of the NSLs. The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on Wednesday, September 23rd, on reauthorization of the USA PATRIOT Act."Every single member of Congress wants to give our law enforcement and intelligence officials the tools they need to keep Americans safe," said Feingold. "But with the PATRIOT Act up for reauthorization, we should take this opportunity to fix the flaws in our surveillance laws once and for all. The JUSTICE Act permits the government to conduct necessary surveillance, but within a framework of accountability and oversight. It ensures both that our government has the tools to keep us safe, and that the privacy and civil liberties of innocent Americans will be protected. When he was in the Senate, President Obama was a strong ally on these issues, and I look forward to working with his administration to find common ground on commonsense reforms."
By clicking on the Downsize DC link above, you can send letters to your representatives to support that bill and urge them to place clear constitutional safeguards on the Patriot Act tools.
Politics
Comments
Obama could repair some of his damaged credibility by backing this bill and promising to sign it. I'm not holding my breath.
Posted by: Taz | September 30, 2009 9:29 AM
Thanks for getting the word out Ed.
Senate Judiciary Committee markup of Leahy's bill, a bill which is not anywhere near as good as the Feingold-Durbin JUSTICE Act, occurs Thursday (tomorrow). We're working with groups all across the country in the hope that enough pressure will be mounted that Feingold's provisions find their way into Leahy's bill, and get reported out to the full Senate.
Posted by: Jim Babka | September 30, 2009 12:04 PM
As I remember, Feingold has cred here. He voted against it, virtually alone.
Posted by: jay | September 30, 2009 12:27 PM
Jay @ #3:
Entirely alone. He was the only member of the US Senate to oppose the PATRIOT Act, which at the time many considered to be a career-ending vote for him.
By the time he came up for re-election in 2004, some of the abuses had become apparent, and he was able to run on that vote for reelection.
Posted by: Arrow Quivershaft | September 30, 2009 2:59 PM
This is more of a general question, but how do they get the acronyms for bill names? Does the legislator or whoever writes the bill start with a word they feel describes the bill, then work backwards to justify it? Do they just spell out what they generally want the bill to accomplish, then fidget with the description a little to get an acronym? It vexes me.
Posted by: Awesome McCool | September 30, 2009 3:51 PM
Oh my!! Not only have the Dems managed to grow a bit of a backbone and try to fix the idiocy of the PATRIOT act - they've also learned from the Republicans that you need a silly contrived acronym for the bill in order to get some votes.
Which do you support? PATRIOTism or JUSTICE?!?!?!?!?
As if the two are incompatible.
Posted by: blurdo | October 1, 2009 1:28 AM
To Awesome McCool:
How are bills named? Congress has a full-time PR (Propaganda Relations) group they use to come up with warm, fuzzy names and acronyms for bills designed to rip the guts out of our Constitution. You know, names like the Food Safety Bill that mandates we eat only industrially-produced genetically modified foods (that kill or sterilize lab rats) while forcing independent ranchers and farmers who produce naturally grown food out of business and off their land, and the Patriot Act that Congress passed without even reading it with tears in their eyes humming the Star Spangled banner that gave our National Security Agency (NSA) the right to spy on all Americans with no warrant or checks or restraints, or the Clean Water Restoration Act--who could oppose that?--filed because the Supreme Court twice ruled the Corps of Engineers did not have jurisdiction over water standing in places like gravel pits, puddles, and stock tanks. Passage of the latter bill would give the government jurisdiction over all, any kind of, any type of; anywhere that water stands or congregates, including rainwater. (The original Clean Water Act gave the government jurisdiction over all NAVIGATBLE waters in the U.S.--anything that could float a boat--and has been in effect for 30 years and has been extremely effective in cleaning up our rivers, lakes, and navigable streams. When the government tried for all water on private property anywhere in the U.S., the Supreme Court said no. The people behind the curtain didn't like the Supreme Court's rulings and are now attempting to nullify those rulings with the self-serving CWRA legislation that the American people [with the exception of property owners and plugged into their agenda] don’t have a clue as to the real content and meaning of the bill because of its title. They want all the power to control all the water all the time anywhere in America. If this legislation passes, it gives them the power to come onto your property, tell you what you can or cannot do with the water on your property, and fine or jail you if you don't do it.)
Have a nice day.
Posted by: RSr. | October 1, 2009 1:27 PM
To Awesome McCool -- as I understand it's a little of both. It's kind of annoying, but given that bill titles are always abbreviated and when they become law they enter the language (at least inside the Beltway) it makes it a little nicer if they are actual words. The JUSTICE Act or the PATRIOT Act fit into actual English better than GPPRA, PRWOA, Cromnibus, HIPPA, and COBRA just to name a few.
Posted by: katydid13 | October 1, 2009 4:55 PM