LIVE BLOG: Sunset the so called Patriot Act!
New Link to Senate Proceeding
Rand speaks after procedural mess.
Sunday 5/31/2015
4pm EST – Senate session begins
12am – Patriot Act Expires
LIVE STREAM
http://www.c-span.org/video/?326227-…a-surveillance
Who could have predicted that we might regain (at least in theory) some of our Constitutional rights tonight? It’s still a long-shot, but there is a decent chance (I’d say 30%) that some of the most heinous elements of the badly named ‘Patriot Act’ may expire tonight at midnight if Rand Paul and a few liberty-minded senators hold their ground. Below you’ll find two focused Twitter feeds for watching the unfolding story. Stay tuned for live video tonight and other updates.
TIME op-ed: Sen. Rand Paul: Tomorrow I Will Stop the Illegal NSA Spying
#StandWithRand Tweets
#PatriotAct Tweets
ACTIVISM ALERT: Even if the ‘Patriot Act’ survives Sunday evening (when it is set to expire), this is an important time and opportunity to galvanize opposition against these illegal and unethical programs. Will you make a donation right now to help us bring the fight to the establishment? Click here to learn more.
ACTIVISM: Don’t send an email, make his (your senator’s) phone ring. (ACLU tells me you can get your senator from any phone via 1-920-END-4-215) Supporters of mass surveillance say it keeps us safe. The problem is that that’s an allegation, not a fact, and there’s no evidence at all to support the claim. In fact, a White House review with unrestricted access to classified information found that not only is mass surveillance illegal, it has never made a concrete difference in even one terrorism investigation.
Some claim the Senate should keep Section 215 of the Patriot Act (which will be voted on in two days) because we need “more time for debate,” but even in the US, the public has already decided: 60% oppose reauthorization. This unconstitutional mass surveillance program was revealed in June 2013 and has been struck down by courts twice since then. If two years and two courts aren’t enough to satisfy them, what is? More with comments from Snowden.