MSNBC is reporting that Congress is reevaluating the Patriot Act, and that the Democrats and the Republicans struck a deal to edit its contents. Here is my complaint: the Patriot Act was never necessary to gather intelligence. Under Executive Order 12333 (EO 12333) established by Reagan in December 1981, these organizations already had these rights through a very clear guideline provided to the Intelligence Community via the National Security Council. It was an excellent system. The only difference is that the guidelines were much stricter. The Patriot Act strips away those guidelines, giving agencies carte blanche to monitor anyone. This is less of a defensive devise and more of a way for Cold War dinosaurs to relive the McCarthy era.
On a final note, despite what politicians and the media tell you, I cannot express how much work is done by the Intelligence Community to protect our lives, and how much they have to suffer on a personal level to have this responsibility. These people literally give up their rights as citizens to protect ours - they have the highest suicide rates of government work. They are unsung heroes. They can provide all the intelligence in the world, but it is the choice of White House to listen to it.
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