On Wednesday, May 7, the House Judiciary Committee unanimously passed the "USA Freedom Act," written by U.S. Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.). The bill has received broad support from privacy and civil liberties groups. Sensenbrenner says he wants to make it clear that Congress does not support current NSA spying and data collection programs -- though Congress has not shown much unity on the subject.

Today is the two-month anniversary of the disappearance of  Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared on March 7 about an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur and heading to Bejing. The plane, with its 241 passengers, has been missing ever since. Just this morning, I got a push notification from CNN on my cell phone letting me know that there would be a press conference today to discuss the most recent developments in the case of the missing plane.

Many people have called for increased transparency in government, especially with intelligence agencies like the NSA, but perhaps what they really mean is better accountability.

The two terms are often used in tandem, but the contrast is vital to understanding the checks and balances we cherish in our democracy. To the extent that it is possible to have one without the other, which is more acceptable in our society? Which is more highly valued? Or, do we simply want the overseers of the agencies to do their jobs?

First, let’s look at the two expressions independently.

Last week, at the end of President Obama's Asian tour, the president was able to conclude the final touches on a mutual defense pact with the Philippines, a significant foreign policy victory for America.

Once an American colony (1898-1946), American presence in the Philippines in recent history has been cool at best. The last permanent military base on the Philippines was abandoned in 1992 after a fiery rejection of American military presence by the Filipino government.