Kaste, Martin. "Watching Big Brother: Privacy Board Delayed." NPR, May 29, 2012.
From the article: "Fears of Big Brother have become a common refrain in
recent years. Whether it be the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping
program or the Transportation Security Administration's use of body scanners,
it's hard to convince the public that the government won't abuse its new
surveillance abilities.. So here's an idea: How about an oversight board — a
group of citizens responsible for watching the watchmen? … As it turns out,
there used to be just such an entity — the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. The
suggestion for the board came from the 9/11 Commission, as a kind of counterbalance
to national security laws like the Patriot Act. Davis served on the board under
President George W. Bush — until he resigned to protest White House
interference.
But then a funny thing happened: Congress rewrote the law to make the board
stronger — and independent of the White House. On paper, the board is now a
formidable check against Big Brother. In reality, though, not so much.
… The nominees are now awaiting Senate confirmation, but
there are ominous signs that Senate Republicans will block them, even though
the nominees come from both parties. Asa Hutchinson, a former Republican member
of Congress who served on the first incarnation of the board, says he hopes
that won't happen." Read more
