Republican congressmen seek to assure their colleagues that there are no dangers to the liberties of Americans in making the Patriot Act a permanent feature. “There will be congressional oversight” of government police practices, they coo. There are two dictionary meanings to the word “oversight”: one involves “watchful and responsible care.” The other relates to “inadvertent omission or error.” Given the frequent inability of congressional committees to get executive departments to supply witnesses and/or documentary evidence; the countless numbers of covert and often illegal FBI, CIA, NSA, et. al., activities; the tendency for the executive branch to label the details … Continue reading Congressional “Oversight”