Alan Grayson's proposed Amendment to the defense spending bill says it all.

[limpyhobbler]

digby:

You wouldn't think it would be necessary, but this proposed Amendment to the defense authorization bill by Alan Grayson says it all:



Hmm. I could swear I've heard that somewhere before. Oh wait:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized

...

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2013/07/your-daily-grayson-4th-amendment.html

[99Forever]

1. Now there is an actual Democrat.

See how that's done corporate bootlickers?

[calimary]

3. I love Alan Grayson!

[BehindTheCurtain76]

20. Well Put

Thanks for saying that 99. You got that right. Centrist sell outs should be in the Republican party.

[Eleanors38]

55. I support this as well.

[House of Roberts]

2. Please do a follow-up on whether this gets to the House floor.

I'll be surprised if the Boners allow it.

[reusrename]

4. Line 9 should read:

Federal Government first obtains a warrant,...


This retroactive warrant bullshit is also being abused.

[forestpath]

5. K&R for one of the few real Democrats in Congress!

[limpyhobbler]

6. He certainly isn't shy. nt

[Civilization2]

7. Nice,. 10k to grayson,. from me. Yes I just won the powerball!

going to use the cash for good not evil.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

12. That would take an official "End of the Cold War" bill.

[awoke_in_2003]

17. Are you serious?...

If so, congratulations (but don't go crazy)

[99th_Monkey]

8. Music to my ears

but I bet it's not being well-received at the NSA or DoD.

Thank you Congressman Alan Grayson!

[MotherPetrie]

9. K&R

[GlashFordan]

10. Oh he must be a rwnj teabagger!!

Except oh yeah, he's not...

Thanks for sticking up for us Alan.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

11. Most Republicans would claim that's too damn Liberal....

....so would many Dems...

[MNBrewer]

13. That would get in the way of President Obama's plans

Expect a blue-linked response from the Pro-pagandists soon as to why it's (pick one)
1. untrue that Grayson proposed such an amendment, and he's a ratfucker who never loved Obama
2. if he had proposed such an amendment, it would be completely unwarranted
3. proposing such an amendment is a dangerous, treasonous betrayal of everything that Americans hold dear AND is a tempest in a teapot signifying nothing.

[limpyhobbler]

15. He's got 20 amendments for the defense spending bill. Check this out. This is cool --->

Every year, the U.S. House of Representatives passes a single law that authorizes the spending of a half a trillion dollars. That’s half a trillion, with a “T". Half a trillion, as in five hundred billion dollars. $500,000,000,000.00. Some serious coin.

Here are some of the amendments I’m proposing to this massive Defense bill:

A ban on torture;
More money for suicide prevention for American troops;
An end to NSA spying on Americans;
A ban on the funding of video games by the Pentagon;
A ban on the Defense Department naming people killed in a drone strike as “enemy combatants" unless we know for sure they are enemy combatants;
An end to the Pentagon censoring the internet on its internal networks to stop troops from accessing news media sites;
A ban on fees for military families enrolling in military health care;
More money to find a cure for “Gulf War Illness";
A prohibition on the U.S. using the military to pilfer any possible oil resources in Afghanistan;
No defense contracts to companies that are convicted of fraud or bribery;
No defense contracts to companies that lie about their products being made in America; and
No more no-bid defense contracts to foreign corporations

In all, I’m proposing 20 amendments to this bill. There are 156 amendments in total offered to this bill, by all 435 Members of the House. This means that I am offering roughly one in every eight amendments offered by the ENTIRE U.S. House of Representatives. Will the Republicans let any of them pass? Maybe. In all likelihood, the GOP will block most of them. Most. But even if we pass just one or two, a small shift of priorities in a half-a-trillion-dollar bill is a lot of change.

THAT’S part of what being a True Blue Democrat means. It means getting things done. It means working every angle to make the world a better place. It means trying, trying hard, never surrendering.
...

http://alangraysonemails.tumblr.com/post/55787507142/a-half-a-trillion-dollars-of-change

[matthews]

22. You know, I really like the guy,

Now if only there were more of him, we wouldn't be as screwed as we are.

People need to get over 911, suck it up, and get back to dealing with reality. We can either have our freedoms, what farking few we have left, and realize shit does happen no matter how hard everybody tries to try to prevent it. Or we can be cowards and run to our government thinking that they can and will protect us from everything, and all we have to do in return is give up all our rights. You know, the reason people came here and founded this country in the first place.

There should be absolutely NO question as to what the most pressing issue is in this country today. It is the intrusion, or better yet invasion, of our every last vestige of privacy. When they take away your privacy, they take away every single right and and freedom that you have. And when you couple that with secret courts with secret laws and secret contractors gathering our information, that is a very frightening scenario.

It ain't Snowden. It's our own elected officials. The ones that won the White House in 2008 promising an open and transparent government The one promising there would be an end to these horribly unconstitutional acts and illegalities. WE ALL wanted them stopped, ended, over, and gone when bush/cheney were doing it. You are lying if you say you didn't. Or you are a Republican. This is not right.

Oh, and think about this. What are now called 'Democrats' are not going to be in office forever.

[SwankyXomb]

39. One thing missing from the list

Getting Armed Forces Radio to drop hate speech programs.

[A Simple Game]

50. I agree with most of what he says.

Except for this:

THAT’S part of what being a True Blue Democrat means. It means getting things done. It means working every angle to make the world a better place. It means trying, trying hard, never surrendering.
...

It should say this: THAT’S part of what being a True Blue American means. It means getting things done. It means working every angle to make the world a better place. It means trying, trying hard, never surrendering.
...
None of what he proposes has anything to do with politics or either party, none, it all has to do with the betterment of the world, America, and our troops!

[truedelphi]

60. The info in this OP and in your reply has

Made my day.

[limpyhobbler]

65. Well that's a very nice comment.

You made my day too.

[OnyxCollie]

16. He's a grandstander!

He never gets any bills passed!

(Retooling the old Kucinich criticisms.)

[MNBrewer]

19. DAMN! I forgot that one.

They use it on Wiener, too.

[Eleanors38]

56. Hell, most anyone who pushes liberal stuff is a "grandstander," now.

[TBF]

57. lol - I expect the reponse to include all 3

she's been wordy lately.

[ReRe]

14. Rep Alan Grayson (D-FL) knows how to write

Reenacts the 4th Amendment. It's sick, isn't it? It's like we're having to rewrite the effing Constitution. That will be an interesting vote, won't it. Will the marriage of the Republican and Democratic Parties be consummated when they vote down Grayson's Amendment, since they are all so in love with the secret government? Grrrr.

[rhett o rick]

18. Bravo, Rep Grayson. nm

[L0oniX]

21. K & R

[HooptieWagon]

23. So any pukes voting against it, are voting against the Constitution.

Love it! That's going to make some heads explode...in Congress, and the ProSurveillence group on DU.

[idwiyo]

31. I would be more interested to see a list of D's who will vote for it.

Sadly it's going to be a VERY SHORT list.

[ConservativeDemocrat]

33. No, actually.

Picking words out of the Constitution hodgepodge, and putting them in a document, does not mean that anyone who disagrees is "voting against the Constitution". I'm not sure even the Rep. Grayson would go that far, and he wrote this.

Is this you?

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[HooptieWagon]

37. We already know you and "reality based" group think Constitution is a useless old scrap of paper.

[ConservativeDemocrat]

46. The Constitution is interpreted by the Supreme Court, not screed-writing ranters on the internet

And you do not speak for a majority of the Supreme Court. That is the reality.

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[struggle4progress]

24. The bill covers matters like DoD facility environmental remediation, chemical weapons destruction,

military deployment and operations, weapons deployment and R&D, and a host of other matters

I suppose the bill could be funding (say) NSA data mining somewhere. But Grayson's language is sloppy and overbroad

[Pholus]

27. Sloppy and overbroad -- especially lines 9-12 right? LOL.

Personally, I await any vote on this with a checklist and a marker and a big old grin.

[struggle4progress]

29. Sloppy and overbroad because it suggests nobody in DoD can use standard investigative techniques

to investigate anything whatsoever without permission from the investigation target or a warrant

And for that reason, there's no chance whatsoever such a sweeping amendment would be seriously considered

[Pholus]

36. There are other, less high minded, reasons it would never be considered.

That is, of course, the point.

[struggle4progress]

43. Perhaps you could point to the section of the bill involving activities that concern you and that

you believe the proposed amendment would address

You can find the text here: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:hr2397:

[Pholus]

45. Seems Title VIII would be a starting point.

Then again, the bits that would be of true interest to the amendment are typically not exactly advertised.

See, they're "secret." And really, really expensive. Good gig, if you can get it.

[Scuba]

25. Thank you Alan Grayson!

[mstinamotorcity2]

26. k and

r

[Pholus]

28. By the way, it rattled the right cages it seems...

http://www.nationaljournal.com/daily/house-gop-leaders-hope-to-block-amendments-to-limit-nsa-surveillance-20130717

[ConservativeDemocrat]

47. Ironically, these efforts will likely help the house leadership keep NSA surveillance

...since now they can point their own members at him and say "You're not seriously agreeing with Grayson, are you?".

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[Pholus]

48. Or he could have done nothing and it would happen anyway. nt

[Maedhros]

53. Ironically, the pro-surveillance pack here on DU

claims that those of us criticizing the NSA are just right-wing libertarian wolves-in-sheeps-clothing using the issue to disparage the President...when the actual right-wing libertarian wolves are desperately defending the program.

[Pholus]

54. There are several exchanges where I got responses

that no s**t were almost word-per-word Ann Coulter gems from some of her books.

Opened my eyes a bit.

[DirkGently]

61. Bingo. Good for Grayson though. n/t

[idwiyo]

30. K&R

[LuckyLib]

32. Now that's what we need in Congress. Where are the rests of the Democrats? Oh, that's right . . .

. . . . crickets . . . .

[Initech]

34. No money for social safety nets but there's plenty for the war and surveillance machines!

[RobertEarl]

35. How come he can't get in line?

Why does he have to be such a rebel? Doesn't Grayson know there are a few dinos that might disagree? Doesn't he care that they might get upset with such strident constitutional, real democratic ideas?

Right here on this thread he can see those who are complaining that he goes too far, doesn't use the proper English, or is just spinning his wheels.

Thank the republican gawds there is just one Grayson. Were there two, so many dinos may have a heart attack.

[RobertEarl]

38. And if they died?

How would we ever get enough votes to elect more blue dogs who would kow-tow to the Tea people? If we ever quit kow-towing to the Tea people we might have a revolution, and that is the last thing the country needs.

Everything is fine. Except for the whiny liberals like Grayson who keep reminding us everything is not fine. Good thing we have dinos. I just can't wait to vote for another one.

[Zorra]

40. K&R

[whttevrr]

41. Is he a freeper?

Or a Libertarian?

I thought Democrats were supposed to be ok with doing away with the fourth amendment?

[MindPilot]

49. Has the great bastion of freedom and liberty, Rand Paul, authored anything like this?

AFAIK, no. Kind of funny isn't it? Libertarians talk all about rights and being free and stuff, but where are the bills to rescind the PATRIOT act or defund TSA or reaffirm the First by declaring the entire country a "free-speech zone".

[BridgeTheGap]

42. It's always heartening to see there are still good people in Congress.

Grayson is one the better ones.

[JAbuchan08]

44. He should have just inserted the 4th amendment

and seen if anybody voted for it.

[MindPilot]

51. I wonder sometimes how much congresscritters really do know about government

There are probably a few who couldn't pass the citizenship test, I'll bet.

[avaistheone1]

52. k&r

Thank you Mr. Grayson!

k&r

[BrotherIvan]

58. I am still ashamed at how his post was slammed

We don't support Democrats or Democratic policy, we support ONE capital D ONLY.

Thanks Mr. Grayson for doing your job and sticking to your promises.

[kentuck]

59. Alan is a fighter.

I wish there were more standing with him.

[Warren Stupidity]

62. It is pathetic.

That an amendment has to be proposed to enforce via funding restrictions the plain meaning of the constitution.

[AzDar]

63. Alan!

[woo me with science]

64. This should not be necessary.

This should not be necessary. It's in the Constitution.

Just a goddamn piece of paper, indeed.

[Angelonthesidelines]

66. THIS IS OBSCENE

Not the amendment, but the complete lack of news coverage for this amendment that was approved!
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/113-2013/h395?utm_campaign=govtrack_feed&utm_source=govtrack/feed&utm_medium=rss

[limpyhobbler]

69. This passed?? No news coverage...wonder what's up ?

Thanks for the info.

[limpyhobbler]

72. I can't figure out if this was really approved.

[limpyhobbler]

73. OK I think you are mistaken. this was not approved.

[LWolf]

67. And some DUers want Florida to go away. nt

[KittyWampus]

68. seems entirely reasonable.

[Waiting For Everyman]

70. Good job, Rep. Grayson!

[struggle4progress]

71. I still suspect it's unconscionably over-broad

If any of the monies here are used for criminal investigations, the amendment prevents any number of ordinary legitimate investigative techniques

Some hypotheticals:

Say you've got a crime scene from which the unidentified suspect was seen fleeing, in the course of which said suspect dropped his jacket, which contains a dry-cleaning receipt. The natural step is to visit the dry-cleaner and ask a few questions. This amendment seems to say, nope, you can't ask your questions unless you get a warrant first

Or say investigators suspect a lab report submitted by a contractor doing environmental remediation seems suspicious, and investigation shows that the lab's address is in a building with multiple rental tenants; the lab's name is on the door, but the neighboring tenants say they've never seen anybody there. A natural step is to visit the landlord and ask a few questions. This amendment seems to say, nope, you can't ask your questions unless you get a warrant first