An important update with details on some of the amendments offered. Please keep up the pressure to cut back government significantly. If we reduce spending NOW, maybe the nation can survive…
Posted by Sandra Crosnoe for Finding Gems & Sharing Them
OK-SAFE, Inc. – On Wednesday, July 24, 2013 the U.S. House failed to pass an amendment to the 2014 Defense funding bill that would have ensured none of the funds could be used by the National Security Agency (NSA) to “collect records, including telephone call records that pertain to persons who are not subject to an investigation under Section 215” of the Patriot Act.
The Amash amendment (Amendment #100) to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2014 was defeated on Wednesday July 24th by a vote of 205-217.
The White House and NSA Director General Keith Alexander lobbied Congress heavily to defeat this amendment.
Global Economy – Data Driven
Living in a borderless “global economy” means the end of everything, as we once knew it – nation, law, and boundaries. Those boundaries are not just those within and around a country, state, institution or agency, but personal boundaries…
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Finding Gems and Sharing Them 
July 25, 2013 at 5:09 PM
a timely email from Gary Kilpatrick (Washington County):
Last night the Amash amendment (Representative Amash of Michigan) to the Defense Reauthorization Act which would have seriously curtailed the NSA’s gathering and storage of phone data for virtually every American failed by a vote of 205 for the amendment and 217 against the amendment.
Those against the amendment argue that this data gathering is absolutely necessary to successfully prosecute the ‘war on terror.’ Those opposed to the amendment argued that this phone data is owned by the phone companies, and since we the consumer have willingly given this data to the phone companies we obviously have no presumption of privacy of our data. And since there is no presumption of privacy we do not have any Fourth Amendment protections of our data.
Those for the amendment argue that Homeland Security has gone too far in their zealous pursuit of the war on terror. The protections that we thought we had in the Patriot Act through the FISA courts have turned out to be nothing more than rubber stamps for the NSA and others to gather any type of data they wish. Those for the amendment point out that using the logic of the naysayers, namely that anything we the consumer transfer to a third party (i.e., phone companies, internet service providers, health providers, etc.) becomes prima facie evidence that we the consumer do not consider our data to be private, becomes an argument to allow virtually everything we do to be subject to search and seizure with no Fourth Amendment protections.
Although our Fourth Amendment protections lost in last night’s vote, we can be encouraged that the vote was close and maybe winnable on another day, and secondly we can be happy that those of us in the First District were courageously represented by Rep. Bridenstine who voted for the amendment. Bridenstine was joined by Mullin in voting Aye. Cole, Lucas and Lankford all voted against the amendment. Let’s hope our brethren in Districts 3, 4 and 5 will lobby their representatives to vote for our protections in future votes.
Gary
July 25, 2013 at 6:07 PM
Reblogged this on R3publican: Restore * Reenergize * Reignite and commented:
An important update with details on some of the amendments offered. Please keep up the pressure to cut back government significantly. If we reduce spending NOW, maybe the nation can survive…
Posted by Sandra Crosnoe for Finding Gems & Sharing Them