Speech by Senator Ron Wyden on Domestic Surveillance

I listened to the speech on CSPAN radio that is linked to by this article
while driving home from work this afternoon. Good, informative
speech. It confirmed what I suspected but also painted a grim picture of
the wool thats been pulled over the eyes of the american people. This
senator has been saying this and fighting the system for years but they
apparently stonewall him.

He talks about there being a secret interpretation of the Patriot Act and
how it has been interpreted in such a way that gives the government
unlimited power.

He also talks about how secret courts that are run by people that are chosen
in secret, and not subject to review by congress, is contrary to our
interests. We need to understand who these people are and be able to
understand how they interpret law. After all, we are paying their salary
with our taxes and their rulings can potentially affect our rights.

Other highlights:

When the Patriot Act was last reauthorized, I stood on the floor of the United States Senate and said “I want to deliver a warning this afternoon. When the American people find out how their government has interpreted the Patriot Act, they are going to be stunned and they are going to be angry.” From my position on the Senate Intelligence Committee, I had seen government activities conducted under the umbrella of the Patriot Act that I knew would astonish most Americans.

Please visit the link below and share this information with others.We need more representatives like him.

Politicians like him give me hope that change for restoring our rights and those of our children is possible.

TechDirt.com_Article

I can't help but think while reading the source article, it's becoming more and more clear that there IS a single nexus or loose thread to pull on here which will loosen everything else and directly unravel a fair amount in it's own right.

If I'm not too mistaken by what we've all been hearing very recently, the FISA Court is the point of reference authority and by extension, the point of convergence or within a degree of separation for the vast majority of what's been done since 9/11.

I suspect there is a great deal beyond anything Snowden had reason or cause to ever have access to seeing or knowing about. Particularly, beyond computer work for things happening in the real world. Domestic and Foreign

. I know at least a couple which the media honestly doesn't even know the right questions to ask yet, if they'd even dare to ask them anyway. We sure don't have a modern day pair like Woodward and Bernstein to risk it all for the big nut to crack. . (Courts are recently ruling that reporters can be forced to reveal leak sources anyway, so who would trust those two under today's conditions anyway? The methods go beyond that now)

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Agreed. The number of stories I'm beggining to see lead me to that beleive that the whole mess they have created could be unraveling. Each new story brings to light other stories that previously received little attention. The fact that they will be debating the NSA programs in congress is huge.

I just read another story on the site I linked to that says they can track our cell phones even when they are turned off. The feds worked with the phone companies to leave vulnerabilities in the phones (namely blackberry) so that the govt could exploit those vulnerabilities. They even sent malware to all phones disguised as an update. Read about it HERE

Hopefully people are talking about this stuff and we can roll back the the rogue elements that have violated the constitutional rights of americans and the human rights of world citizens.

while this intrusion into our privacy does bother me, the new regulations by HUD as discussed here really scares me. Think of all the possibilities, implications. www.foxnews.com...

New member--could not find this in a forum and cannot start my own but felt a need to get the discussion going.

What more do people need to wake up and start moving their asses:

“... So, today I’m going to deliver another warning: If we do not seize this unique moment in our constitutional history to reform our surveillance laws and practices, we are all going to live to regret it.”

(source Senator Wyden video www.americanprogressaction.org... or www.wyden.senate.gov... at 12:45)

Originally posted by Mike.Ockizard
I listened to the speech on CSPAN radio that is linked to by this article
while driving home from work this afternoon. Good, informative
speech. It confirmed what I suspected but also painted a grim picture of
the wool thats been pulled over the eyes of the american people. This
senator has been saying this and fighting the system for years but they
apparently stonewall him.

He talks about there being a secret interpretation of the Patriot Act and
how it has been interpreted in such a way that gives the government
unlimited power.

He also talks about how secret courts that are run by people that are chosen
in secret, and not subject to review by congress, is contrary to our
interests. We need to understand who these people are and be able to
understand how they interpret law. After all, we are paying their salary
with our taxes and their rulings can potentially affect our rights.

Other highlights:

When the Patriot Act was last reauthorized, I stood on the floor of the United States Senate and said “I want to deliver a warning this afternoon. When the American people find out how their government has interpreted the Patriot Act, they are going to be stunned and they are going to be angry.” From my position on the Senate Intelligence Committee, I had seen government activities conducted under the umbrella of the Patriot Act that I knew would astonish most Americans.

Please visit the link below and share this information with others.We need more representatives like him.

Politicians like him give me hope that change for restoring our rights and those of our children is possible.

TechDirt.com_Article

edit on 23-7-2013 by Mike.Ockizard because: (no reason given)

Ron Wyden is a pretty good dude, I remember he was the only Democratic Senator to #STANDwithRAND during his 13 hour drone filibuster.

I mean...come on...that is supposedly a "democratic issue" but only one democratic Senator in a Senate with a majority of Democrats, supported it? errrrr party loyalty first...

reply to post by eLPresidente


It seems to trancend politics. Not sure what the agenda is for these folks.

Seriously deluded?
Paraniod and fear striken (Think Bachman)
Corrupt (paid off)
Fear of ouster by their party?
Fear of ouster by their constituents?
Wanting to be part of the "in" crowd on congress?
Backend deals on other bills?
Part of some grand conspiracy to overthrow the govt?
All of the above???

Ultimately we are the ones who let them get elected I guess.

[shakes head in disgust]

Register independent people! Vote for the candidate who truly has a record of doing the right thing! If they are running mass commercials then they probably arent the right person to be our leader!

Originally posted by giugliot
What more do people need to wake up and start moving their asses:

“... So, today I’m going to deliver another warning: If we do not seize this unique moment in our constitutional history to reform our surveillance laws and practices, we are all going to live to regret it.”

(source Senator Wyden video www.americanprogressaction.org... or www.wyden.senate.gov... at 12:45)

edit on 25-7-2013 by giugliot because: spelling

Would love to see him run for POTUS. I stumbled on that speach while driving. Wow. How come I never heard of that guy before... nevermind. I know why now!

I just saw an article on alternet that this Senator wrote for them - seems it's the same speech you heard, OP. S/F

Wanted to bump your thread - sorry so many seem to have missed it.
A link to Sen Wyden's article:
Sen. Ron Wyden On NSA Spying: It's As Bad As Snowden Says

Senator Mark Udall and I tried again and again to get the executive branch to be straight with the public, but under the classification rules observed by the Senate we are not even allowed to tap the truth out in Morse code ­ and we tried just about everything else we could think of to warn the American people. But as I’ve said before, one way or another, the truth always wins out.

Kudos, Senator!!

Some would say that could never happen because there is secret oversight and secret courts that guard against it. But the fact of the matter is that senior policymakers and federal judges have deferred again and again to the intelligence agencies to decide what surveillance authorities they need. For those who believe executive branch officials will voluntarily interpret their surveillance authorities with restraint, I believe it is more likely that I will achieve my life­long dream of playing in the NBA.

But seriously, when James Madison was attempting to persuade Americans that the Constitution contained sufficient protections against any politician or bureaucrat seizing more power than that granted to them by the people, he did not just ask his fellow Americans to trust him. He carefully laid out the protections contained in the Constitution and how the people could ensure they were not breached.

We are failing our constituents, we are failing our founders, and we are failing every brave man and woman who fought to protect American democracy if we are willing, today, to just trust any individual or any agency with power greater than the checked and limited authority that serves as a firewall against tyranny.