In Dirty Wars, Senator Ron Wyden warns, It is almost as if there are two laws in America. And the American people would be extraordinarily surprised if they could see the difference between what they believe a law says, and how it has actually been interpreted in secret. Jeremy Scahill responds, Youre not permitted to disclose that difference publicly? Wyden: Thats correct. Today, Wyden joined Mark Udall and Rand Paul in the pages of the Los Angeles Times to call for the end of the NSA dragnet of mass surveillance and warrantless searches. Dragnet surveillance was approved by a secret court that normally hears only the governments side of major cases. It had been debated only in a few secret congressional committee hearings, and many members of Congress were entirely unaware it. When laws like the Patriot Act were reauthorized, a vocal minority of senators and representatives — including the three of us — objected, but the secrecy surrounding these programs made it difficult to mobilize public support, they write. Full op-ed: latimes/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-wyden-nsa-surveillance-20140617-story.html
Posted on: Tue, 17 Jun 2014 22:00:56 +0000