House Votes on NSA

For John, BLUF:  We need to talk about the balance between individual rights and national security.

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The Blog Politico, on 23 July, published "It's time to debate NSA program".  The lede and following paragraph.

Every day, it seems, brings disturbing new revelations about the National Security Agency’s program to collect phone and email metadata, raising serious questions for our country.  Reports indicate that the NSA is gathering metadata on millions of people in the United States and around the world, targeting diplomatic missions of both friends and foes.

The NSA’s metadata program was put into place with virtually no public debate, a worrisome precedent made worse by erecting unnecessary barriers to public understanding via denials and misleading statements from senior administration officials.

The authors are Mr Thomas Kean, former governor of New Jersey, and Mr Lee Hamilton, a former congressman from Indiana.  They are co-chairs the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Homeland Security Project.  Governor Kean was chairman and Represenaive Hamilton was vice chairman of the 9/11 Commission.

A friend of commented:

We have begun the debate.    Yesterday's Congressional decision is an indication that the political process is getting back on track.   We may not like the outcome of the Congressional vote but that is how we do it.  At least there was an open discussion of the issue.   We now know where our Congressmen stand on the issue and their constituents can decide if that position is the right one for them and they can take it up at the next election.   If we do not like the outcome then we need to continue to press our Congressional representatives.

Having a debate is a good thing.  It is OUR Democracy, not the Democracy of the Washington Politicians and Bureaucrats.  We need to be part of the debate.  And, as my friend says, we now know how our Congressman (and Women) voted and I liked Ms Tsongas' vote.

Tsongas statement on NSA oversight amendment

07/24/13
Today, Congresswoman Niki Tsongas voted in favor of an amendment to the FY 2014 Defense Appropriations bill that would end the NSA’s blanket collection of Americans’ phone records.

The amendment, offered by Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) and Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), did not pass.

Congresswoman Tsongas released the following statement.

“Over the past few months, news outlets have been reporting leaked information about the significant scale to which intelligence agencies are collecting Americans’ personal information, both as it pertained to phone records and internet providers.  The discussion that we are now having as a nation about the balance between civil liberties and national security is an important one.

“The bipartisan support for this amendment makes clear that there is skepticism on both sides of the aisle about the wide-ranging actions taken by the NSA, and sends the Administration a compelling message that protecting the privacy of our citizens in this digital age is ever more essential.

“I have always believed that there is no greater duty for a Member of Congress than to provide for the public safety and security of our nation, but in doing so, we must determinedly protect our civil liberties.  We know we still have work to do to improve our intelligence collection efforts – most recently evidenced by the Boston Marathon Bombing.   That’s why I support revisiting the policies and procedures that are currently in place in a comprehensive and transparent way so that we can provide our intelligence agencies with the tools they need to keep our nation safe without weakening our civil liberties.

“Our nation has persevered through countless struggles, and we have done so by protecting the freedoms that make this country great.  Those who want to do us harm present new threats and challenges, but we cannot sacrifice the values that have made America the beacon of hope for the rest of the world.”

I believe she voted well.

Regards  —  Cliff