Grayson wants to halt government collection of citizens' phone, Internet records

[totodeinhere]

Source: Orlando Sentinel

Recent reports of widespread government collection of telephone and Internet records has prompted U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Orlando, to file legislation that would prohibit the Department of Defense, which includes the secretive National Security Agency, from spying on Americans while they were inside U.S. borders.

The move is a direct response to the revelation last week that the NSA was accessing Americans' calling records as well as Internet files – including email and videos -- and is part of a growing debate in Congress over federal surveillance. As filed Tuesday, Grayson's one-paragraph measure would bar NSA and other defense officials from collecting citizens' phone records and emails "without probable cause of a terrorism or a criminal threat" by an individual, according to the text.

If passed, the legislation could limit, or even shut down, a recently-revealed NSA program that has allowed the agency to tap into the central servers of the country's biggest Internet companies, including Google, in an effort to track foreign targets. It may also affect NSA's ability to get secret court approval to collect phone data -- such as the recent order allowing seizure of millions of records from Verizon.

"It is completely wrong and utterly unconstitutional. It's the Big Brother state come to life," said Grayson of the programs. "The government has no right to get our email records. The government has no right to check the websites that we browse."

Read more: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/os-grayson-stop-snooping-20130611,0,6475586.story

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I see that one of the people in Congress that I admire the most, Alan Grayson, has come out squarely against the NSA spying programs. I would urge all freedom loving progressive members of the House to get behind his bill. It needs a ton of co-sponsors. Of course it won't make it through the House with Boehner in charge, but it's worth the fight anyway IMO.

[WestStar]

1. Wow, way to jump on the bandwagon Grayson

had to think about that a little while did ya?

[totodeinhere]

3. It takes time for staff to research and write up a bill. Actually Alan's

response to this was fast by congressional standards.

[Mr.Bill]

13. Fast would have been

if he announced it his first day in office, not now. How many of our elected officials knew all about this but never did anything about it?

[Incitatus]

4. I didn't realize there was already a bandwagon of congressmen against this.

A bandwagon on liberal boards perhaps, but the more the merrier.

[xtraxritical]

7. It did not take Al Franken as long to say he's all for it.

Too bad we're going to lose Franken in the Senate.

[LovingA2andMI]

9. Maybe Senator Franken not such a lost...

After all if he thinks Governmental Privacy Overreach is A-Okay....

[Swede Atlanta]

21. Here, here....

If we have representatives that are mealy-mouthed and don't actually represent the American people then good riddance. I have written Franken off as a two-bit comedian turned politician. He had a lot of promise but he has failed us. I contributed a few hundred dollars to his campaign even though I don't live in Minnesota and I would have been just as well off contributing to his opponent.

At some point we have to stand up to the fascists in our government and demand transparency. I realize some things need to be confidential or secret but we are a representative democracy. If our elected leaders like Franken rubber-stamp intrusions our our constitutional rights then we must have unfettered access to knowing what the government is doing in our name. It is NOT their government, it is OUR government. They are supposed to work for US and not the Koch brothers.

[Dustlawyer]

10. Frankin has been bought off like most of the others.

We will hear about how he and the other Dems that will vote against this bill were "spineless" like they have a congenital birth defect. Nothing will be said about big campaign contributions that will flow into these politicians campaign coffers! Our system is fatally flawed and needs to be changed. This is an example of why we need Complete Campaign Finance Reform (CCFR)! If we had publicly funded elections we would gain our Representative government back. Then, OUR REPRESENTATIVES would do what we want, which is freedom from intrusive government, among other things!

[diabeticman]

2. Thank you Congressman Grayson

[cantbeserious]

5. Yes - Thank You! - Representative Grayson

eom

[babsbunny]

6. thank You!

Soooooooooooooo much!

[LovingA2andMI]

8. What else can I say but....

Democratic Florida Congressman Alan Grayson "IS THE BEST"!!

[stupidicus]

11. my fav congressperson

well done

[peasant one]

12. pen register

Read a 1979 supreme court case on pen registers.

[Indyfan53]

14. Now, this man is a real Democrat.

Not a pushover like so many others. We need to vote for more like him in the primaries.

[sulphurdunn]

15. It's not about these people.

It's about money and security. Snowden worked for Booz Allen, owned by the Carlyle Group of Bush family demonics. It's about the money. Follow the money! The security state is all upside for the .01%. We pay them to spy on us for profit, just like we pay them to destroy our public schools for profit. There are 1,900 private companies sucking on the public tit in 10,000 locations spying for the Feds to ensure that the 99.99% can't organize to demand justice without them knowing how often the peasants piss. Paying for the uber rich to feed at the public trough is why interests rates on student loans are set to double, why food stamps need to be cut, new prisons built (for profit) and why grandma is slated to eat cat food until she freezes in the winter.

[GoneFishin]

18. It is more about this than it is about terrorism.

.... "spying for the Feds to ensure that the 99.99% can't organize to demand justice without them knowing how often the peasants piss" ....

If it was really about saving lives they could save as many lives, for one millionth the cost, by giving out free non-slip adhesive stickers for every bathtub in the country.

[WillyT]

16. HUGE K & R !!! - Thank You !!!

[Nanjing to Seoul]

17. The best Congressman in the Congress! Warren/Grayson 2016!!!

[ReRe]

19. Thanks, Alan Grayson!

K&R

And thank you totodeinhere for this OP! Well, does this mean it might have a chance of passing? since Speaker Boehner and Harry Reid are making waves in that direction? But wait, it's not "government" who is collecting the personal/private phone and internet records. Defense "contractors" are the ones doing the actual taking. The gov't passes the work off to them (via the NSA) and then the gov't passes the tab on to John Q. Public tax payer. We are paying private contractors to spy on us. Just like we pay for all those advertisements in the Sunday Paper that we never look at and have no interest in, because we don't have any money left after paying the bills to indulge.

I hope, in 2014, when we get a Democratic majority back in the House and a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, that we can repeal the Fascism that has been creeping in the back door while we weren't looking. And Alan Grayson should be in the top ranks of the party. I think he would make and excellent House Speaker, leading the charge!

[NorthCarolina]

20. K&R

[reusrename]

22. Someone is willing to fight the good fight.

And of course it's Grayson!

[SoapBox]

23. Answers please!

...for all the "freedom loving" Libs out there (who are sounding more and more like Tea Baggers)...

What is YOUR solution, to Terrorists using cell phones and the internet, to contact each other?

Waiting?

The NSA can spend all the time they want, combing my Sprint records and listen in on calls to
my 90 something Mom as well as calls to her cardiologist. Have at it NSA...I've got nothing at ALL to hide.

Maybe there are just too many calls to mistresses and phone sex companies going on...eh, folks?

[ForgoTheConsequence]

24. You're the one agreeing with Lindsey Graham and Boehner!

And we sound like tea baggers? Give me a fucking break.


You can deflect all you want, but you're the one regurgitating right-wing talking points. I'm sorry that you're so afraid of the brown Islamic boogymen that you're willing to lick boots and grab your ankles for anyone who claims they're trying to keep you safe.

[totodeinhere]

26. I believe you when you say you have nothing to hide. But...

how do you know that you might not get caught up in the net anyway? Besides, just because you and I have nothing to hide doesn't mean that we should have to sacrifice our privacy rights. This country should be better than that.

And as far as protection from terrorists go, let me repeat an old cliche which remains true. "If we sacrifice some of our civil liberties in an effort to fight terrorism then the terrorists have already won. That's exactly what they are trying to accomplish and this idea of a surveillance state plays right into their hands.

And then there's this.

NSA surveillance played little role in foiling terror plots, experts say.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/12/nsa-surveillance-data-terror-attack

[jakeXT]

27. You can hide messages in pictures for example, if you really want to communicate

without a third person reading it, no problem.

Maybe terrorism would not exist in it's form without the big powers, their intelligence agencies and manipulations.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x217238

[askeptic]

29. You don't get to give up the 4th for the rest of us

I see you have lots of posts, so you are well aware that having nothing to hide is completely irrelevant. If you are not aware of this simple idea of freedom from govt search and seizure then you should probably talk less.

[totodeinhere]

25. Here is a followup article from HuffPost on this topic.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/12/alan-grayson-nsa_n_3428144.html?utm_hp_ref=politics

But I have to say. For a supposedly liberal site they sure do have some very reactionary comments in their comment section. I'm glad to have a site like DU that moderates that type of crap out, or at least tries to.

[musiclawyer]

28. Sunshine on the dark abomination is important

1. So you are ok with meta data ubiquity. Then prove to me how 3rd party unaccountable vendors don't sell it or can't use it to get personal revenge or blackmail ? You can't .

2. The meta data basically builds a profile of you. Then prove to me that there is no "profile" of you? You can't.

3. Oh but they need probable cause in order to read my emails and listen to my phone calls The FISA court is there for that. Oh really. Where is its opinion? Does your attorney get to see the facts and legal analysis ? " But i was just looking at porn.... a porn site where an anarchist group is exchanging info to avoid surveillance." No ! And NDAA allows the government to disappear you too ....
And how do we know private contractors don't read your mail. Etc.? We don't .

You have no privacy and you have no due process you fool ...

What mechanisms are in place to stop them? Ummm

The whole fuck--ing scheme is unconstitutional

That is why Grayson and the Oregon Senators are badass They are not fools

Tell the media to talk about the issues The whistleblowers problems are not the NEWS