The Simple Art of Distraction

While the nation's collective psyche remains paralyzed due to a series of ostensibly random mass murders, draconian bills like the FISA Amendments Act are once again slithering their way through Congress with very little substantial deliberation.  Please read Matt Sledge's 12-20-12 Huffington Post article entitled "FISA Warrantless Wiretapping Bill Poised For Renewal Despite Unanswered Questions."  Here's a brief excerpt:

With Senate poised to act as early as Thursday night to renew the foreign surveillance bill that authorized the Bush administration's secret warrantless wiretapping program, civil liberties advocates are getting deja vu.

With only the Senate's vote standing in the way of renewal, the debate over the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Amendments Act in 2012 is looking strikingly similar over to the debate over the bill in 2008. The White House is pushing for a quick, "clean" reauthorization without any amendments before the bill's Dec. 31 expiration date. Congress seems to be showing little inclination to press for more. And civil liberties advocates, along with a few Senate allies, are criticizing the measure, arguing that basic details of the warrantless wiretapping program remain unknown.

Or, as Michelle Richardson, legislative counsel with the ACLU's Washington office, put it, "I bet [Bush] is laughing his ass off."

Ah, yes, the simple art of distraction continues apace....

Read the rest of Matt Sledge's article HERE.