Surveillance powers to lapse without U.S. Senate action

Oh my! The terrorists! The terrorists!

Its a wonder the whole of America did not go up in flames before PRISM was created. Whatever did the FBI and CIA do back then to keep us safe?

Truth be told I am more concerned about the over-reaching on behalf of the U.S. government than about these supposed terrorists who never rest and are out to get me.

Good on Rand Paul, for a change. He's absolutely right on this, and on top of that it is really fun to watch the Republicans tear each other apart and suffer from their own style of filibustering.

Put a name on the warrant to snoop and record. It is easy to get on a surveillance list to enter or exit the USA, just write comments here and on other places such as this. Being check seven out of 8 times into or out of Japan is ridiculous. Israel has solved the problem by profiling people.

The republicans claimed to be able to govern once they took over Congress. So now the door is open for terrorists to attack the USA thanks to the dysfunctional republican leadership.

Republicans can win elections by gerrymandering and tons and tons of billionaire money but when they are in a leadership role they fail. Over and over again they fail. They are unable to govern. They cannot even manage their own party they are so screwed up. This is why California is booming and Kansas is a huge failure. Leadership matters and you just do not get that from republicans.

In this case their failure is a good thing. The NSA has been abusing its power.

"California is booming.."? Lay off the chronic.

California had the fifth-highest wages in the country, with a Q2 2014 average weekly wage of $1,072. The state's housing prices went up 8.12% between Q3 2013 and Q3 2014, the third-biggest jump in the country. The state government's huge 2013 surplus of $32 billion was the largest of any state.

Real facts Frederic. Try to find an apartment in SF. You can't as the the area is on fire economically. Kansas cannot pay its bills right now due to Republican Tea Party policies which of course do not work.

Anyway, on point, the republicans are laying out a welcome mat to terrorists right now. Just like bush did for OBL on 9-11 by not reading reports from the FBI stating that attacks were imminent. Good thing the black President killed OBL otherwise he would no doubt be planning to attack right now.

zurcronium: The state government's huge 2013 surplus of $32 billion was the largest of any state.

Only if you exclude real debts like unfunded pension and medical liabilities from your figures.

$329 billion is a lot huger than $32 billion.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasdelbeccaro/2013/07/08/jerry-brown-stands-atop-californias-collapsing-house-of-cards/

Keep in mind that the main public employee retirement fund is said to be underfunded by $329 billion and that the unfunded medical benefit deficit is said to be $64 billion in the red.

The data will continue to be collected and the NSA will continue to have access to that data. They did it before PRISM, they will continue to do it after PRISM, and will most likely do it much more efficiently and secretively with the "new" PRISM that will be forthcoming in the very near future.

Any day the USA moves away from China and Russia is a good day