Topic: Senator Rand Paul Filibustering NSA Surveillance Parts of The Patriot Act (Read 1123 times)

NSA programme: Bush-era powers expire as US prepares to roll back surveillance

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/may/31/nsa-reform-senate-deal-as-patriot-act

<< Sweeping US surveillance powers, enjoyed by the National Security Agency since the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks, are to shut down at midnight on Monday after a dramatic Senate showdown in which even the NSA’s biggest supporters conceded that substantial reforms were inevitable. >>

Success for Rand Paul seeing how the Patriot Act has expired
Patriot Act Surveillance Provisions Expire After Senate Showdown

The National Security Agency's authority to collect troves of bulk telephone metadata under the post-Sept. 11 USA Patriot Act expired at midnight Monday after Republican senators were unable to make a deal.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell sought a two-week extension Sunday of two less controversial provisions of the Patriot Act, but that effort was blocked by Sen. Rand Paul, his fellow Kentucky Republican who is running for president partly on his strong objections to the surveillance programs.

"Tonight we stopped the illegal NSA bulk data collection," Rand said in a statement. "This is a victory no matter how you look at it. It might be short lived, but I hope that it provides a road for a robust debate, which will strengthen our intelligence community, while also respecting our Constitution."

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/nsa-snooping/deal-renew-patriot-act-surveillance-powers-stalls-senate-n367431

NY Times Opinion
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/29/opinion/let-patriot-act-provisions-expire.html?_r=1

Rand Paul vows to end NSA's bulk collection of phone call data

Pushing the government toward a shutdown of its bulk collection of surveillance data, Republican Sen. Rand Paul all but promised to tie the Senate in procedural knots Sunday during a special session to keep the National Security Agency system running past an end-of-the-weekend deadline.

Paul, who has made ending the program a centerpiece of his presidential campaign, announced his intentions Saturday, defying party leaders and a broad coalition of lawmakers who prefer reforming the program.

"There has to be another way," Paul said in a statement. "So tomorrow, I will force the expiration of the NSA illegal spy program. I am ready and willing to start the debate on how we fight terrorism without giving up our liberty."

The program's authorization expires at midnight Sunday, but the NSA has already said its complicated shutdown will get underway hours earlier as the Senate convenes Sunday afternoon for a rare session that cuts short its Memorial Day recess week.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-rand-paul-nsa-surveillance-20150530-story.html

Judge Andrew Napolitano: Mass Surveillance Will Continue Even Without PATRIOT Act Section 215

Judge Andrew Napolitano: Mass Surveillance Will Continue Even Without PATRIOT Act Section 215

Privacy advocates looking forward to an end of the Unites States government’s mass surveillance program due to the looming sunset of PATRIOT Act section 215 may do well to shelve their Champagne bottles. Judge Andrew Napolitano, in a Fox News interview on Wednesday, presented his grim assessment that the US National Security Agency (NSA) snooping would continue even absent the section 215 authority.

Napolitano, a Ron Paul Institute Advisory Board member, says in the interview that the US government is lying to the American people with the claim that the mass surveillance would be suspended upon the expiration of the PATRIOT Act provision used to justify the mass surveillance program. Instead, Napolitano explains the snooping will continue reliant on two other legal justifications. Napolitano states:

There are two other provisions in the law that the NSA relies on which will cause it to continue to spy on Americans even if section 215 of the PATRIOT Act does expire. One of those is a section of the FISA law called section 702, and one of them is a still-existing executive order signed by President George W. Bush in the fall or 2001, which has not been tinkered with, interfered with, or rescinded.

Watch here Napolitano’s full explanation as well as a passionate concluding commentary by show host Shepard Smith:


Meanwhile, the potential of section 215 of the PATRIOT Act expiring is being used to push through the US Congress the USA FREEDOM Act that will give the mass surveillance program a new legal framework just as the old legal framework provided in the PATRIOT Act is coming under greater judicial scrutiny.

The “reform” USA FREEDOM Act (act two of PATRIOT Act sponsor Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI)) has passed in the House and is available for consideration in the Senate. But, the failure of the new bill to end or even significantly restrict the mass spying program has become increasingly evident. If Congress does not send to President Barack Obama the USA FREEDOM Act in its current form or a simple extension of set to expire PATRIOT Act provisions soon, expect an effort to quickly push through Congress a “new and improved” USA FREEDOM Act.

There will be much bluster about an “improved” USA FREEDOM ACT — a pig with lipstick — striking the right balance to protect both liberty and security. But, as with the PATRIOT Act 14 years ago, national security state special interests will control the tinkering behind the scenes, and the American people will learn what was wrought only after the bill passes.

Video here...http://ronpaulinstitute.org/archives/peace-and-prosperity/2015/may/28/judge-andrew-napolitano-mass-surveillance-will-continue-even-without-patriot-act-section-215/

After Senate Fails to Extend PATRIOT Act, NSA Begins Shutdown of Bulk Spying Program

Due to the fact that the US Senate failed to reauthorize the PATRIOT Act last week, the Obama administration has begun to wind down the National Security Agency's bulk collection of Americans' phone records.

More...http://truthinmedia.com/after-senate-fails-to-extend-patriot-act-nsa-begins-shutdown-of-bulk-spying-program/

Former governor Jeb Bush (R., Fla.) dismissed Senator Rand Paul’s filibuster against the mass collection of phone records authorized by the Patriot Act, saying today that the National Security Agency program is constitutional.

“I think he’s wrong in saying that this is unconstitutional or saying that people’s freedoms have been violated by the Patriot Act,” Bush said in New Hampshire. “I think we need to reauthorize the Patriot Act, and put aside who’s speaking where.

The simple fact is that it’s been an effective tool to keep us free and to keep us from being attacked by Islamic terrorists.” Paul described the legislation allowing the programs as “the most unpatriotic of acts” during a ten-hour speech against the reauthorization of the bill yesterday.

htxp://www.nationalreview.com/article/418737/jeb-bush-rand-paul-wrong-about-patriot-act-joel-gehrke

This guy is a carbon copy of his brother and that's what you'd get if he were elected. Him and all of these other apologists for the surveillance state like to falsely say that this spying program has kept us safe from these terrorists but two separate investigations (one by the president's own picked group) that says point blank that this spying hasn't done jack shit to stop anything. And how could it, when you're looking for everything you can't focus on what you need to be and that is what Rand would be doing as president. Just goes to show that these elitist, establishment insider bastards don't give a flying crap about the peoples' safety (nor liberty for that matter) just about control and protecting the state at all costs. And since this link is a neocon fishwrapper of a site, I'm not linking it.

EXCLUSIVE — RAND PAUL DECLARES VICTORY IN FIRST POST-FILIBUSTER INTERVIEW, FIRES AWAY AT JEB BUSH

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is already back at work after he filibustered on the U.S. Senate floor for about 10 and a half hours on Wednesday. He’s declaring his marathon a smashing success in the quest to get the National Security Agency (NSA) to stop bulk collection of Americans’ records.

In an exclusive interview with Breitbart News on Thursday morning—his first since leaving the Senate floor late Wednesday evening, just before midnight—Paul said his position on the NSA is gaining more and more steam both inside the beltway in Washington and across America.

“I think the main thing is trying to draw attention to a really, really important issue which is that the government shouldn’t be collecting in bulk our phone records. Warrants should name an individual but really the NSA spying on Americans should end,” Paul said.

...

Paul added in his Breitbart News exclusive interview that he believes the widespread bipartisan support for his filibuster on Wednesday—several Democrats and several Republicans joined him on the floor—is a sign that the politicians in Washington are beginning to hear Americans out on their opposition to NSA spying.

...
Paul also fired away at former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who on Thursday seemingly attacked Paul’s filibuster by saying in New Hampshire that there’s “not a shred of evidence” that NSA’s spying on Americans violated their civil liberties.

“Some of the people are sort of mired in the past—and I think there were comments that Jeb Bush made this morning in New Hampshire, saying that he supports the bulk collection of data,” Paul said of his naysayers in the Republican establishment, specifically singling out Bush.

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/05/21/exclusive-rand-paul-declares-victory-in-first-post-filibuster-interview-fires-away-at-jeb-bush/

Hannity (Fox) last night. Karl Rove (neocon architect/big time Bush guy) won't shut up about how great the Patriot Act is. Then Rep. Raul Labrador (who was one of the handful of House members there in support of Rand) comes on for 2 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1xxU9IV87k
10 mins in total

Some coverage on Lawrence O'Donnell's show (MSNBC) last night. Not too bad, I expected worse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVw-V0Ax_0010 min segment

Snowden: Paul filibuster represents ‘sea change’

Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) 10-hour floor speech opposing the Patriot Act represents a “sea change” in Congress, government leaker Edward Snowden said Thursday.

Slightly more than 12 hours after Paul — a presidential candidate in 2016 — finished his marathon lambasting of the post-9/11 security law, Snowden took to Reddit to take questions about Congress’s debate over the National Security Agency (NSA).

“Whatever you think about Rand Paul or his politics, it's important to remember that when he took the floor to say 'No' to any length of reauthorization of the Patriot Act, he was speaking for the majority of Americans — more than 60% of whom want to see this kind of mass surveillance reformed or ended,” Snowden wrote, citing a recent poll released by the American Civil Liberties Union.

...

http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/242826-snowden-paul-filibuster-represents-sea-change

Rand just wrapped it up on his filibuster. He made his points and gathered support for his amendments to the Patriot Act and we'll see if that is good enough. No need to wreck the Senate voting schedule and create more enemies but I think he did so well on this and hope you all enjoyed and did what you could to help the cause. www.randpaul.com is where you can go to help out financially like I did and a few others I helped rally to the cause. A dozen US Senators on both sides, plus a number of House members, came to help Rand's buster for civil liberties in this epic tale ~ 10 and a half+ filibuster. Show your support by donating. Thx yall

I just Twittered Sen. Cruz over this like 15 mins ago and now he just appeared to help Rand! Thx Ted! And, no I'm not responsible it's just that he's been AWOL all day but now is as good a time as ever to show up.

Glad to see Sen. Lee giving Rand a spell so he can continue on into the night. Good times and give some bitcoin to Rand at https:/www.randpaul.com

Hillary deploys pollsters to discover her position on Rand Filibuster

Cancelling a day full of meetings with her new team of email (server) administrators, sources tell us that Hillary Clinton spent much of the day shopping for a new consulting company to poll her eventually to be released position on renewal of the ‘Patriot Act’ and Rand Paul’s filibuster. While Hillary has no plans to take questions from the media on this topic, the campaign has announced it will make a statement available to the media as soon as the will of the American people has been properly projected–withing a manageable margin of error.


More...http://iroots.org/2015/05/20/hillary-deploys-pollsters-to-discover-her-position-on-rand-filibuster/

Peter King: Paul Filibuster 'Putting Our National Security at Risk' Ya

Rep. Peter King slammed Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul for speaking for hours Wednesday on the Senate floor against renewing the Patriot Act and the National Security Agency's metadata programs the law authorizes, charging to Newsmax that he is "doing a disservice to the country and he's putting our national security at risk.

"He's unnecessarily frightening the American people," the New York Republican, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, said in an exclusive interview. "He's making the NSA out to be the enemy.

"In fact, the enemy is al-Qaida, ISIS and Islamist terrorism and the NSA is the key weapon that the United States has in the war against al-Qaida," he added. "The NSA does not listen to anyone's phone calls and does not read anyone's emails. There have been no abuses found against the NSA.

"This is just absolutely terrible. It's so misleading. It's fear mongering — and it's inexcusable," King said.

...

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/peter-king-rand-paul-filibuster-patriot/2015/05/20/id/645872/

Bro, if we stay as a team and check the media when they go astray, keep him funded and help out on the ground, we'll be in good shape. Let it not be said that we did nothing and my hat is off to for helping the cause.

Rand is giving it hos all. I watched a bit and they were discussing encryption. I donated some btc his way however I am doubtful his race will be successful.  We will end up with bush iii or mrs Clinton I'm afraid.

Ted Cruz is AWOL on Rand Paul's Filibuster

Senator Ted Cruz appears to be AWOL during Rand Paul’s historic (and ongoing) filibuster of the badly named ‘Patriot Act’ and illegal NSA spying on American citizens. And his supporters appear to not be pleased. This is Senator Cruz’s only online appearance via Twitter today. Talk about tone deaf–and read the responses. Almost all of them are asking, “Where are you?”

More...http://iroots.org/2015/05/20/ted-cruz-awol-on-nsa-and-rand-paul-filibuster/

10 Great Points in Rand Paul’s Patriot Act Attack

I don't know whether Rand Paul's ongoing Senate talkfest will succeed in running out the clock on the Patriot Act, or (as he is seeking) opening up a debate and amendment process, but I do know that—just like his 2013 exercise—these have been some of the most invigorating hours on C-SPAN in recent memory.

1) Warrants need to be "individualized," because collective law enforcement is the root of much evil.

Paul's root opposition to the Patriot Act is that it is being used as the legal justification for the collection of bulk data against unsuspecting U.S. citizens who no one believes have committed a crime. His opposition to the reforming USA Freedom Act is that it still allows the government to compel third-party companies like Verizon to cough up 100 percent of its customer metadata.

Either way, Paul has stressed all day, this is antithetical to both the Fourth Amendment and the American tradition of individual rights. Collective guilt is what underpinned the segregationist horrors of the Jim Crow south, and of the indefensible internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. The people who really need the Bill of Rights, he has said, are not the prom queens and homecoming kings, but people who are in a disfavored minority, whether ideological, religious, or racial.

2) Internet/telephone/data companies should put up "unified resistance" to federal compulsion to turn over user data.

More...http://reason.com/blog/2015/05/20/10-great-points-in-rand-pauls-patriot-ac

Yep, he's one of the real American Badasses and so is Sen. Wyden on some issues. Wyden Oops, Sen Blumenthal (D-CT) just showed back up and is on live now giving Rand a spell to chill. Join the viewing party and chat - https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=14468&v=zsw5iGFu2rg