Senate Intel Committee Blocks Report on “Secret Law”

[cory777]

Source: Secrecy News

The Senate Intelligence Committee rejected an amendment that would have required the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence to confront the problem of “secret law,” by which government agencies rely on legal authorities that are unknown or misunderstood by the public.

The amendment, proposed by Sen. Ron Wyden and Sen. Mark Udall, was rejected on a voice vote, according to the new Committee report on the FY2012 Intelligence Authorization Act.

“We remain very concerned that the U.S. government’s official interpretation of the Patriot Act is inconsistent with the public’s understanding of the law,” Senators Wyden and Udall wrote. “We believe that most members of the American public would be very surprised to learn how federal surveillance law is being interpreted in secret.”

The Senators included dissenting remarks, along with the text of their rejected amendment, in the Committee report.

Read more: http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2011/08/ssci_secret_law.html

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[arcane1]

1. "rejected on a voice vote"

Cowards.

[Angry Dragon]

2. That is the transparency you voted for in 2008

[Plucketeer]

3. Yet ONE MORE

example of government BY the people, FOR the people. :crazy::grr::crazy::grr::crazy:

[valerief]

7. By the people who matter, for the people who matter. nt

[OnyxCollie]

4. K&R. nt

[1monster]

5. How is it possible, in a (small "r") republican democracy, to have "secret laws"...

[Demit]

6. Well they have to have something to follow when they hold secret courts.

[ixion]

8. Technically, it's not.

but that doesn't stop them from usurping power from We, the People.

[fascisthunter]

9. and fascism marches on

[saras]

10. Obscure question - who is responsible for the decision to have a voice vote?

[bananas]

11. It's a secret? nt

[Solly Mack]

12. K&R