Republicans Seek Wider FBI Surveillance Power After Orlando
Senate Republicans are planning a renewed push in the wake of the Orlando massacre to expand the FBIs warrantless surveillance powers in terrorism investigations.
Senator John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Senate Republican, pointed to a longstanding request by the FBI to expand the scope of electronic records — such as web browsing history — agents could sweep up from companies in terrorism investigations without obtaining a court order.
“They could go and get additional information, like metadata, who hes e-mailing, the websites hes accessing. Not content,” Cornyn told reporters Monday.
The fatal mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, has the potential to shift the battle lines over surveillance. Many Democrats and some conservative Republicans had been leery of granting additional authority to law enforcement to access technology without court involvement, but the rise of “lone-wolf” terrorist attacks in the U.S. could change the political calculus.
But they’re not democrats, so they’ll only use the increased power for good.
The Orlando shooting was a real bonanza for blood dancers. I’m just waiting for someone to discover that the nut listened to popular music and played computer games, so those sets of blood dancers can get in on the action.
I find this particularly concerning:
“Trump has said during the presidential campaign that he backs a gun-buying ban for anyone on a federal watch list. … Trump told ABC News in an interview about allowing firearm purchases: “If somebody is on a watch list and an enemy of state and we know it’s an enemy of state, I would keep them away, absolutely.” ”
Do you know how easy it is to get your name on a “Federal Watch List” or a “No Fly” list? Not only that, the lists themselves are secret, so you’re not even allowed to know if your name is on one! Naturally, there is no administrative or legal procedure to protest or to appeal if your name is mistakenly included.
My son-in-law ( a guy who is as unlikely to be a danger as anyone I can think of) had repeated difficulty passing through airport security a few years ago, it was apparently because his name had somehow been included on some watch list, probably a case of mistaken identity or someone with a similar name.
I’m surely not alone here when I say that I don’t want the government to have this sort of arbitrary power.
I’ve always assumed that I might be on it, depending entirely on whether or not the NSA has noticed my blog.
It occurs to me that the Feds could just modify the NICS so that any name submitted for a background check automatically gets put on the watch list.
That’s consistent with ATF practice, in the late sixties and seventies. Get an FFL so as not to violate new gun laws, and the next year find yourself demonized on the evening news as a law-skirting “Kitchen-table dealer.”
Um, the FBI already talked to and dismissed the Orlando (insert inflammatory descriptor here) twice; what more do they want, to control our thoughts? Oh, wait, nevermind. Dammit, I do NOT want to become disenfranchised, but… Shiite, I probably just put myself on a watch list by coming here. Sigh.
The day is coming when I will unplug my computer altogether and never connect it again. And it would appear that it will be sooner, rather than later.