Via Disobedient Media

Disobedient Media previously reported on the many issues that establishment press misrepresents or ignores. One of the issues discussed in that report included the overt hypocrisy displayed by allegedly anti-Trump Democrats who nonetheless voted in favor of increased warrantless spying powers.

That trend continued earlier today, when the Senate voted to pass the extremely controversial bill which would reauthorize FISA, and which many claim would result in increased warrantless spying powers for an already grotesquely powerful NSA.

Just Security wrote on the misrepresentation of the bill, relating that despite many lawmaker’s claim that the powers granted to the NSA would not target Americans, in reality, the law would permit exactly that. They also noted that the bill would hardly be used to target only terrorists or enemy combatants: “The NSA’s own slides on Section 702 describe it as collecting on topics such as “energy” and “political affairs.”

This author has also addressed many issues stemming from the monstrous power of the NSA in DecipherYou, an ongoing collaboration with Suzie Dawson. Dawson is a journalist, activist, and current leader of the Internet Party of New Zealand.

Establishment politicians from both sides of the aisle also prevented Rand Paul’s attempt to filibuster the legislation. Press reports related: “Democrat Ron Wyden of Oregon tried to filibuster Tuesday night on the Senate floor during a debate over the government’s massive surveillance powers, but colleagues didn’t let them.”

The bill in question overcame another hurdle when it was passed by the Senate earlier today. CNN reported: “The Senate approved a six-year extension of the controversial Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act on Thursday. The vote was 65-34. The bill now heads to the White House for President Donald Trump’s signature.”

As whistleblower Edward Snowden pointed out via Twitter, President Trump has the power to veto the bill. JustSecurity related: “Last week the House voted to extend Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, a warrantless surveillance authority that is targeted at foreigners but affects a huge number of Americans, a move that will codify some of Section 702’s most controversial practices.”

CBS reported on Trump’s likely support for the bill: “Mr. Trump is expected to sign the bill, although he sent discussions about section 702 into chaos last week when he suggested on Twitter that the program was used by the Obama administration to spy on his campaign.”

With the exception of The Intercept, establishment press reports on the bill have been markedly tepid in their expression of concern regarding the reauthorization of FISA, if not outright supportive. Press reports indicated that “Critics warn the government may incidentally monitor US citizens who are communicating with non-US citizens outside the United States.”

In light of the many instances of massive NSA overreach and outright abuses of power shown in plain language in hundreds of Snowden documents analyzed in DecipherYou, the likelihood of reauthorization is extremely alarming.