Oh good, a website and an independent oversight agency. That should accomplish nothing.

These programs (section 215 of the Patriot Act, etc.) are intrinsically illegal; we cannot reform them. Who will oversee the oversight agency? Obama's proposal is complete bullshit. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quis_custodiet_ipsos_custodes%3...

> Create a public advocate to argue in front of the secret court...

If your 'court' needs a public advocate, then the lack of a public advocate is not the problem. The idea of a "secret court" is contradictory to the idea of "a court."

> Create a website detailing what the NSA does–and does not–collect on Americans and foreigners

Why not just make the 'secret' court not secret?

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Cute, but I'm afraid that's from "'a charter of negative liberties,' which 'says what the states can’t do to you (and) what the Federal government can’t do to you, but doesn’t say what the Federal government or State government must do on your behalf'" (http://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderickgregory/2012/09/23/w...).

I reject the notion of "positive liberties" on the grounds that forcing other people to do things for you at gunpoint (actual or implied) is morally wrong.

I don't want transparency into the NSA, I want no NSA. They've lied to us before on what they collect, why should we trust a PR site they put up?

How can we fix a government program that has overstepped it's bounds? Lets add a monitoring agency to monitor the monitoring agency!

So we get an "advocate":

Advocate: "This violates the 4th amendment of every citizen in the US."

Gov: "Bob, we know, now shut up and go stand in the corner. And remember, you can't tell anyone how these proceedings went."

I'm hopeful this will mean real reform, but if the previous years of Obama's presidency are indicative of the future, it's unlikely this represents material change.

Then again, if we all believed the pass foretold the future we probably wouldn't be building startups, would we?

Cheers to a better tomorrow.