Wired News’ Ryan Singel notes:
Given this Administration’s track record on truthfulness, secrecy and overseas bungling, why is Congress even contemplating giving them more authority to spy on American citizens without even the slightest supervision from the secret and submissive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance court?
Why this country is even contemplating allowing the nation’s intelligence services to transform the internet and the phone networks into the world’s largest bugging device, simply because this Administration’s foreign policy has fed, rather than crushed, a pathetic, religious death cult?
This is happening while the nation’s attention is on one thing: the bridge that collapsed in Minnesota.
Television is staying on the story in mind-boggling detail mainly for one reason. There are great pictures.
Sure, there’s some ancillary coverage of the scandalous way America has let its crucial infrastructure deteriorate. We use taxpayers’ money on sports stadiums and leave bridges to corrode.
Meanwhile, the future of surveillance is being “debated” — with barely a shred of coverage from the media — in Washington. That is a genuine scandal. This story should be front and center in coverage, not an afterthought.
Once again the traditional press is shamelessly negligent. Will it ever wake up?