Rep. Justin Amash's Battle Against The NSA, If He Wins, We All Win.

We have here Rep. Justin Amash, a lone person taking on the Goliath NSA. And I applaud him for creatively maneuvering to limit the NSA. Originally his plan was to strip funding from the NSA by by adding an amendment to the defense appropriations bill making its way through the house. Immediately a new rule was created to block him.

So now he has a new plan and my fingers are crossed that it works. This plan involves an amendment to the defense appropriations bill that would ban the collection of data from people who are not under investigation. Now there is a lot to this maneuvering, so I hope I am understanding the overall picture correctly. But it appears that his amendment has to go through or the department of defense loses funding. This could actually work and provides us Americans with something we have long ago forgotten about... Hope...

Either way this plays out, the NSA's going to be perturbed. If the appropriations bill sails through with the amendment attached, it will be faced with a possible ban on part of its domestic surveillance activities. There's little doubt the NSA will get its powers reinstated, but it will have to go through a very public battle in order to do so. In the current climate, it's doubtful that many would leap to its defense, other than the usual suspects.

Now what the above does is put the NSA up to public debate. Which is where it should have been in the first place. Vs. being pushed through by top secret courts and a wayward president.

If Amash's amendment is prevented from receiving a floor vote, the entire appropriations bill might be shot down. If that happens, and the Department of Defense's budget is in jeopardy, you can imagine the Speaker's office will be quickly filling up with agency heads looking to get their hands on an impotent Boehner.

Rep. Justin Amash Now Looking To Strip NSA Of Its Power To Collect Phone Data On Innocent Americans

I hope it would pass that way. I'm sure there will be negotiations over said amendment though.

Even if it does pass with that amendment... Who's to say the NSA would give a damn and go about surveillance anyway? I have no trust for them. They walk over the constitution and Bill of Rights. This would be nothing but toil paper to them IMO.

reply to post by elouina


The cynical me says: even this becomes law, it's not like they'll stop collecting everyone's information. Something like this will satisfy the masses, and the rest of us go back to being the few and the outraged.

Applause for the man trying to doing something about though, if he's honest.

Real work real people... You couch potatoes which rant every day, it is time for you to send a useful email to your rep.

Good news, In hopes this gets somewhere. He deserves much praise for it: can thank him here. Write your Reps in asking to support him, as well as share it around the web in support.

Originally posted by Isittruee
I hope it would pass that way. I'm sure there will be negotiations over said amendment though.

Even if it does pass with that amendment... Who's to say the NSA would give a damn and go about surveillance anyway? I have no trust for them. They walk over the constitution and Bill of Rights. This would be nothing but toil paper to them IMO.

Either way, this here is an example of the small stuff that most Americans miss. Yes we actually do have representatives looking out for our best interests and fighting tooth and nail for us. It is refreshing to see, and I hope the people here remember his name when it comes time for re-election.

Dup post, but then again, perhaps this man deserves double the accolades. Rep. Justin Amash, you got that?

reply to post by elouina


Yes it is very refreshing to see. I hope it gains steam. The more support the better! It's just that nagging feeling I have. They spied on ALL of us in the first place. Who's to say they won't have the audacity to continue.

Yes. I will be writing my Rep.

Eta: Justin Abash will be getting a thank you from me as well

reply to post by elouina


Pleased but just a bit surprised to see this post coming from you elouina.

You are definitely not a neo-con. Starred and flagged for hope!

My thoughts are is that is bill will likely fail... But hopefully this gains support. If it does fail hopefully it will inspire more bills like it and get the ball rolling.

Originally posted by MsAphrodite
reply to post by elouina

 

Pleased but just a bit surprised to see this post coming from you elouina.

You are definitely not a neo-con. Starred and flagged for hope!

So what makes you say this? I am MOST DEFINITELY one for going against the grain, if it is the most moral way of doing things, and for the greater good. The greater good is defined by our constitution, laws and flat out common sense. In reality, I have no party affiliation. I just throw something on my voter Id card because we have to. And actually I would like to see a new party called, "people that like to think for themselves and the heck with the dem and rep cronies"... No wonder our country is always such a mess, it is always being steered too far left or too far right. That's how one gets ran off a cliff.

I can never figure out where I stand on things like this.

This is the way the Monsanto Protection Act got through. I don't like this practice, even when it's for a good cause—and someone always thinks they're doing it for a good cause.

But this practice of sneaky tricks and layers and layers of new laws plastered over old laws is getting tiresome. There's just something fundamentally wrong with having to make public law through dirty tricks. That's not what our Founders had in mind, and it means to me that we have gone WAY too far down the wrong road.

So as much as I'd like to see this pass, I hate what we've become. This sort of thing has really got to stop....

NSA emergency meeting because of Amash.

I was laughing my butt off before. Saw the headline before i had to leave.

NSA secret meeting... he's gonna take our spyware away! How can we nab IT spy contracts for our buddies now?

crap crap crap *insert nonsensical nonsense*

yea that's how the meeting is going...

I dont think they'll let him win though. they have too much power. when someone has a lot of power, its very hard to take it away from them. just like we the people had power but it took them years to slowly boil rights away.

I hope he wins... also I agree, we'd all win.

Originally posted by Ameilia
reply to post by elouina

 

The [color=gold] cynical me says: even this becomes law, it's not like they'll stop collecting everyone's information. Something like this will satisfy the masses, and the rest of us go back to being the few and the outraged.

Applause for the man trying to doing something about though, if he's honest.

You know what.
You're right.

I want to see the Judge who approved the NSA's actions in the first place sentenced to jail.
Of course if he's willing to plea and give up the people who brought this before him in the first place,
they can go to jail in his place.

Can't put a Judge in jail you say?

Oh, no no no, that only applies to American Judges who rule in open courts.
You know the kind, where the public can take the public ruling and appeal to a higher court.
Secret court, I say incarcerate em.
Hard.
Like rock breaking hard.


Mike

Just heard on radio. Vote was put on amendment and it was defeated.
"It would hinder us and our allies" blah blah blah bull#.

6 VOTES SHORT

Statement by Amash

"We came close (205-217). If just seven Representatives had switched their votes, we would have succeeded. Thank YOU for making a difference. We fight on to defend liberty."

Damn that was close ....who are this 217 traitors?

clerk.house.gov...

Here is the list .....217 scumbags

12 no votes are you serious?

12 people that don't give a crap about their country or what?

Originally posted by yourmaker
12 no votes are you serious?

12 people that don't give a crap about their country or what?

Representative Barletta - Republican PA Representative Beatty - Democrat OH Representative Bustos - Democrat IL Representative Campbell - Republican CA Representative Coble - Republican NC Representative Herrera Beutler - Republican WA Representative Horsford - Democrat NV Representative McCarthy - Democrat NY Representative Negrete McLeod - Democrat CA Representative Pallone - Democrat NJ Representative Rokita - Republican IN Representative Schock - Republican IL

The twelve non voters that could have been the hope for it passing. Wonder what their "excuse" will be.