Awesome! I've been looking forward to this for a long time. I don't have much to add to the discussion other than to express my cautious joy that this is coming to light (I'm nervous at the extent to which the opinion will be redacted).
Btw, is anybody else recently becoming optimistic that we could actually see some real reform? I see an administration and agency caught off-guard, completely in the dark as to the full extent of the coming revelations, and a bureaucracy comfortable operating in secret exposed into the light. I see the tide truly shifting, both in public opinion as well as in congress. I think some very powerful people are now very rightfully scared.
| Btw, is anybody else recently becoming optimistic that we could actually see some real reform?
Not really, no. The factions which benefit from this have not been hurt much, if at all, by their exposure. Nor has there been any call for a change in policy from those in a position to do so. There has been increased protestations from the political edges, but the core remains solidly in
favor of privacy invasions and absolute government power
No Congressional hearings, few editorial calls for change, and a President who continually lies about it and has expressed no outrage whatsoever.
The oligarchy remains as powerful as ever. If anything, more so, because now that the people are aware if it they will begin to adjust to this new reality.
I find myself usually disappointed by the vast majority of what Congress and the White House say and do, so I'm still finding it difficult to be optimistic.
I was, however, pleasantly surprised by how close the vote to defund the NSA's operations came. I think that may have been the point where this issue because more serious.
As somebody on HN pointed out before, so long as they know something will pass or fail regardless, whips will give more leeway to party members so they can vote however makes them look good. If there were real danger of a vote going the wrong way, they would tighten up their ship.
A close vote seems good, but in reality it isn't necessarily as close as it looked.
While this is true, it presumes an accurate whip count and we've seen recent examples of the republicans getting it wrong and failing to pass their own bills when they thought it was a lock. They don't always know if something will pass or fail, but they usually do.
My optimism for real, important change is still small, but it's certainly increasing. While those in control haven't changed their position, the fact that this government malfeasance has been grabbing headlines for a few months has a huge effect. The administration's been caught inaccurately describing the surveillance regime and in some cases outright lying. Governments have already been forced to reveal far more than they wished to. Most people who are barely paying attention are convinced that the NSA is recording almost everything (and while many still blissfully believe they have "nothing to hide", the fact surveillance is now a fact rather than "conspiracy theory" should chip away at that more quickly). Outrage is especially large for those in the technical community. Even governments' thuggish tactics, like the grounding of Evo Morales's plane and the nine-hour "terror" questioning of David Miranda, are generating headlines and outrage.
It's certainly going to be a slow process, but this has already built enough momentum that something is going to have to change. Whether that change is purely symbolic or real and effectual has yet to be seen, but we're off to a better start than I ever could have imagined last winter.
"President Obama has repeatedly said he welcomes a debate on the NSA’s surveillance"
"For almost two years, EFF has been fighting the government in federal court to force the public release of an 86-page opinion of the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC)."
"I welcome a debate - just not right now. Ideally, I welcome it after I'm out of office, because believe you me, it's going to be torches-and-pitchforks time when this shit hits the fan. But in the meantime, it sounds a lot better if I welcome that debate."
He won't have time to debate anything after leaving office; he'll be too busy doing rallies and fundraisers for the DNC and collecting 6-figure speaking fees. (Based on recent past presidents, anyway.)
What are you talking about torches and pitchforks? I wish we as a community stood up against this and bring torches, but rather we stay behind a computer and sit quietly.... No torches and pitchforks even if we wanted to...
Come to think of it - I just now realized why Hillary Clinton is not planning on running this year. Interesting. I'm guessing they're going to hand off this particular political grenade back to the Republicans, just like the Republicans stayed away from the election in droves last year.
Oh, is Obama finally beginning to understand that when he promised to create the most transparent administration in US history, people actually expected him to do so?
There is just a huge divide between what any politician will say to get elected and what he believes he is compelled to actually do once elected. I don't think he's "beginning to understand" anything. I think he fully understands the crazy ass chess game he's been playing all along. Actually creating the most transparent administration in US history is - well - an extremely subjective and pretty much immeasurable / untestable sort of claim to make in the first place. TONS of wiggle room. Also it's his last term, he doesn't have to do shit except finish out and collect public speaking fees and board compensation checks for - forever.
My guess is 20% reducted. But you have to remember, you can change the meaning of a sentence by removing just one word, or even a comma. The problem is, we will never know if we get the true meaning of the document.
As an aside, if there ever will be the next Edward Snowden, I think he or she should collect all the phone records, email records, and other data for every person in congress. Release that data, and we will quickly see some change.
With 90 percent of it redacted? Hopefully it won't be.
Also, if we finally have proof for such extensive unconstitutionality - can we start impeaching members of the government already, starting from the high-est level and down?
Oh, and donate to support EFF in more such future efforts:
Why wait? James Clapper lied to Congress -- that's perjury, obstruction of Congress, and making false statements. We should also be talking about an investigation into the Obama administration, to determine if Clapper was acting alone or if he was part of a larger conspiracy.
Btw, is anybody else recently becoming optimistic that we could actually see some real reform? I see an administration and agency caught off-guard, completely in the dark as to the full extent of the coming revelations, and a bureaucracy comfortable operating in secret exposed into the light. I see the tide truly shifting, both in public opinion as well as in congress. I think some very powerful people are now very rightfully scared.