House rejects bid to curb NSA surveillance

What a great congress we have. Actually, I'm shocked that this bill got 200 votes. I'm surprised they said this was bi-partisan when the house has a big republican majority.

House narrowly rejects bid to curb NSA surveillance

blog.seattlepi.com...

The U.S. House of Representatives, on a narrow 217-205 vote Wednesday night, rejected an amendment that would have prohibited the National Security Agency from secretly collecting vast amounts of phone record data on Americans, under a provision of the USA Patriot Act.

What you need to understand is the House has a Republican majority, NOT a Conservative majority. There are Progressives in both parties. We call the Republican Progressives "rhinos", or "establishment" Republicans. Those clowns arwaren't Conservative.

I think they staged a nice song and dance for show to the voters back home and within a few months? No one will much remember who voted for or against. If anything, they'll just recall that plenty voted the right way and their guy was probably one of those..whoever "their guy" is for each person.

Lets be real here about who we're talking about. If even half of what is suspected and known about the NSA and it's close affiliates is true, then all who voted for a passed version of this would have had serious reasons for deep paranoia for the rest of their lives, probably. If all we hear is NOT true, making that a non-issue? Then the WHOLE thing is a show anyway.

Either way? I don't think this had 1:Billion chance of passing and all knew it in advance, as they normally do on rough vote counts well before it's taken for the record. They had to do something to at least "look" Congressional though. What wimps.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000

No one will much remember who voted for or against.

Hardly. These Rhinos will all have TEA Party challengers who won't let the district constituents forget. The old guard is getting run out of town.

reply to post by NOTurTypical


Nawww.. You're thinking years ago when we lived in a sane world where black was black, white was white and up was still up, not down. We're in wonderland now where they WILL have some bigger and much more compelling event, likely in progress at the critical time for people caring, to help forget this ever happened.

Now people like you and me ...those awake and putting real time into staying on top of this? We'll remember...but how many here outright say they don't vote and anyone who does is an idiot? So who cares if that whole % remembers or not? It won't change or influence anything while the Homer Simpson we often see in the "man on the street" interviews probably doesn't even know the vote took place, or what the underlying issues are outside a soundbite.

Anyone with anything to hide, smart operators, are certainly going to start using code if they haven't started already. In these cases its still going to take action of some sort to get the authorities to look in their direction and then when they do, all of their communication will have been in code so not very useful for incrimination purposes.

Its funny how relatively primitive communication devices like short wave radio would look good to some operators as it is still very useful and off the radar screen as it were. Easy, simple and effective.

Everyday words like "pizza" are going to be jettisoned by these big supper computers but in the right context "pizza" could mean everything and anything. So to me its all rather useless to monitor all cell phone traffic in hopes of catching the bad guys.

I watched this happen on CSPAN today. I posted it here for anyone who was interested in watching. If you go to my post you will find a list of how each representative voted. Myself, I feel that we will be seeing more on this in the future. I really don't think the NSA's actions can pass muster with our constitution.

But at least this wasn't a total loss, since they also voted to remove funding for Egyptian military aid.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Ahhh, but so quickly you forget campaign season come late September through October. There will be ad nauseum TV ads detailing these unconstitutional votes.

I think that ANY votes of this nature, which are actually nullifying the Constitution, should earn the voter a trip to prison. I mean seriously, these politicians should not be allowed to vote 'yes' for something that is so blatantly anti-Constitutional in the first place. It just blows my mind how this can occur. But then again, the corruption in Washington is astounding. Anyone who claims that we are living in a democracy that reflects what our Founding Fathers envisioned and enacted is a fool.

reply to post by NOTurTypical


Indeed, there will be. How many ads in the last election even mentioned the biggest points we all talked about here as taken for granted? Between the endless and almost insane repetition of 'My Friend' to everything not outright a deadly enemy to McCain and then Romney the gutless wonder to follow for the second try? It's a wonder Obama didn't win by much more each time ...and the point is? COULD that have even been possible if the full scope and breadth of political issues had been used? Who knows why not.....except sandbagging the election, which has been my thoughts.

They'll do the same for this Mid-Term election tho. Like EVERYTHING else political under this hopeless bureaucrat we have in office, it's clear they are pulling out all the stops to make it as much or more a household concern than the General election. This, being the one people barely even know happens in normal times ..when we're not in Political Wonderland for how reality seems defined for us.

Originally posted by JiggyPotamus
I think that ANY votes of this nature, which are actually nullifying the Constitution, should earn the voter a trip to prison. I mean seriously, these politicians should not be allowed to vote 'yes' for something that is so blatantly anti-Constitutional in the first place. It just blows my mind how this can occur. But then again, the corruption in Washington is astounding. Anyone who claims that we are living in a democracy that reflects what our Founding Fathers envisioned and enacted is a fool.

That's government education for ya...

The founding fathers gave us Constitutional republicanism. A Federalist system. They hated Democracies.

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to eat for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote."

Benjamin Franklin

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Obama won reelection as a failed president because millions of Americans stayed home as a protest vote.

reply to post by elouina


Could you be a dear and link us to your post here. I just don't have it in me right now to go searching, thanks!

Originally posted by MsAphrodite
reply to post by elouina

 

Could you be a dear and link us to your post here. I just don't have it in me right now to go searching, thanks!

www.abovetopsecret.com

reply to post by NOTurTypical


Thank you, what a long and interesting list. I'm still reviewing the thread.

Didn't you get the memo?

Escrow closed on the U.S. Congress. It's been sold.

That means the congressional sell outs are no longer working for the American people.

Did you know?
source : www.businessinsider.com...

F.T.G.

Originally posted by NOTurTypical
reply to post by Wrabbit2000

 

Obama won reelection as a failed president because millions of Americans stayed home as a protest vote.

Well, I'm not going to keep running this off topic, but I will add this. I've seen media reports claiming complete fantasy craziness for numbers as a 10% spread between 2012 and 08 or 04. Most less, but most also so absurdly without basis or factual sourcing to support? It'd be laughable if not being presented as fact to the public.

Going by those who collect this stuff as pure data without spin being a literal part of their job titles (like media?) Well... Total turnouts were 107 Million in 2000, 123 Million in 2004, 132 Million for 2008 and 130 Million for 2012. Okay.. 2 million count deviation between '08 and '12. Roughly a 1.5% spread for variance.

Truth be told? Obama's people gamed the system and played the edges with loopholes using much more skill than Romney. Nothing more. It wasn't for lack of effort, because Romney tried gaming it too. Obama was just better, by far in playing this one.

Obama is the maestro behind the scenes for the Mid Terms. He said it himself, he wants Pelosi back so he can get work done. Whatever it takes...if this needs forgotten? It will be. If they need a war to start to achieve it...then a lot of people won't survive the Mid Term in some country in the world.

Obama won reelection as a failed president because millions of Americans stayed home as a protest vote

That's a good one. He won because republicans today are as scary as muslim terrorists.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


But look at the TURNOUT. You had a 3% drop percentage-wise of those eligible to vote.And it wasn't on Obama's side, he got nearly 5 million more votes in 12 than he did in 08. That drop was on the Republican side.

reply to post by CB328


The irony of the thread in which you just posted this comment is not lost on me. No it's not lost on me. Not lost on me....