This Bill Would Have Stopped the NSA, So Why Haven't You Heard Of It?

Impact

In a story that went virtually unreported by the mainstream media, Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.) introduced a bill in the House that would devastate the NSA's current data-mining programs and warrantless wiretapping of American citizens.

The bill, proposed on July 24 and coined The Surveillance State Repeal Act, momentarily provided the American constituency with a glimmer of hope for humanity, until it was inevitably sent to a committee which will, much like a CIA blacksite, make sure it never sees the light of day again.

A Gov Track Analysis gives the bill an optimistic 0% chance of getting past committee, let alone passing.

The bill offers our government its second opportunity in recent months to restore any faith in the functionality of Congress, as it comes just weeks after the political establishment narrowly beat Justin Amash's defense appropriations amendment that would have defunded the NSA if it continued to spy on the American people.

So before this daydream dissolves completely, let's take a look at the bill that could have been. The Surveillance State Repeal Act would have:

You can find a more detailed list here and read the bill here.

Pretty exciting, right? But try googling "Surveillance State Repeal Act" with added keywords such as "CNN", "FOX", "MSNBC," or "New York Times". Let me know if you get any hits. I didn't. You'll realize why that 0% chance for success is so accurate.

So as this Orwellian train wreck charges forward, picking up speed despite our every objection, I turn to people like Rep. Rush Holt and Edward Snowden, with a blend of admiration and fatalism, to say:

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