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SenatorRandal Howard "Rand" Paul (R-Kentucky) on Tuesday cast one of two critical "No" votes that on the surface seem to scuttle a bill banning U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) spying on Americans' phone calls. But the true story is far murkier. I. The Rise of the Intelligence Defense Complex The NSA currently collects metadata on 99 percent of calls placed in the U.S. -- information that includes who you called, the time, and the place the call was made from. That information adds up to a massive dataset that can be used to track virtually every American's movements on a coarse scale without a warrant. The NSA also reportedly records a large percentage of America's phone calls -- tens of millions a day, at least -- storing them at its massive data centers. The NSA has admitted to Congress that employees have abused this spying in the past to spy on exes or commit other "illegal" actions, just some of the thousands of times a year that NSA agents admittedly break federal laws.

Our bill protects Americans. It ends indiscriminate data collection, but keeps the tools our intelligence community needs to protect the nation.

God forbid tomorrow morning we wake up to the news that a member of ISIL is in the United States. We can disrupt that cell, before they can carry out a horrifying attack that kills hundreds of people.

Commented Sen.Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.):

This bill advances the cause of safeguarding our nation, without in any way detracting from our security. The founding fathers would have been shocked, if they had heard of warrants being issued by a secret court, making secret law.

If we didn't pass the House bill, there were members that wanted to end the whole program. I do not want to end the program. I'm prepared to make the compromise, which is that the metadata will be kept by the telecoms.

As Benjamin Franklin put it, those who trade their liberty for security may wind up with neither. Todays vote to oppose further consideration of the Patriot Act extension proves that we are one step closer to restoring civil liberties in America.

Sources: Senate [vote record], Ars Technica, The New York Times, Sen. Rand Paul [press release]

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Rand Paul Casts Crucial "No" Vote on Obama-Backed PATRIOT Act Renewal Bill