Last week, Congress passed the USA Freedom Act, which modifies the blanket surveillance programs the NSA was totally going to tell us about before Edward Snowden committed treason by telling us first. Obviously, the USA Freedom Act is a big improvement on the Patriot Act. Look at the names. Patriotism is good, but it’s only a means to certain ends: namely, USA and freedom. Now that both those elements are secure, we can put Randy Paul back in his original packaging and sleep tight, right? That seems to be the message. If there’s one thing we know just hearing the name of the USA Freedom Act, it’s that Congress wants to assure us everything is cool. Perhaps that should give us pause.
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Friday links! Intrusion of reality edition
What a cold bath is July 5th. (Except for Mom. Happy birthday, Mom!) I spent all day yesterday lounging about a lake and drinking Coronas, arguably the most American beer. Freedom seemed another word for nothing left to do, and America seemed poised in the catbird seat of history. Just one day later I am back to work, and the catbird seats seems more like a chair with an actual cat and a bird in it—in a word, discomfiting. Today is Friday, and reality intrudes. Won’t you pause to remember the fireworks, then return to packing your child’s finger in ice with me?