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The New USA Freedom Act: A Step in the Right Direction, but More Must Be Done

147 points| sinak | 11 years ago |eff.org | reply

39 comments

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[+] rmxt|11 years ago|reply
There's a lot to digest in this, but it all strikes me as a bit dystopian that these bills and laws are framed using "positive" language and terms. Seems like a healthy dose of wishful thinking to title this bill with the word "freedom," when its entire purpose wouldn't exist were the values of free expression upheld in the first place.
[+] caryhartline|11 years ago|reply
Bills are always named like this. It's just something short to put on a sign.
[+] pkaeding|11 years ago|reply
I like to play a game where I take the antonyms of each word in a bill's "marketing name", and see if that is a better fit for what the bill would do. It often is :)
[+] lazaroclapp|11 years ago|reply
Fine, let's do away with such tricks. But I am pretty sure when I ask my friends about their opinions on H.R.3162 and H.R.2048, I am going to get a lot of blank stares...
[+] happyscrappy|11 years ago|reply
I am guessing you are a glass is half empty kind of person. If every small progress was met with whining about naming nothing would ever get done and many would be fine with that because they are terminally committed to their "everything is getting worse narrative". It is practically the siren song of the Millenials. Do you want progress? Then encourage it.
[+] DigitalSea|11 years ago|reply
To quote Team America: Freedom isn't free.

While it might be a step in the right direction, bills designed to justify and extend surveillance programs (especially of its own citizens) under the pretense of terrorism and the new favorite cyber-security, nothing ever really changes.

[+] timtas|11 years ago|reply
You know the problem runs deep when they keep writing bills that basically say, "Remember that whole Constitution thing; yeah, they actually meant it."