I find I can no longer support increased restrictions on assault weapons...

Pithy, that.

We need to make this a big issue in the 2014 election.

The gun advocates won't want this surveillance any more than we liberals do.

Why can't people spell stuff out and eliminate the confusion caused by not being able to read minds.

and stop the spying by NSA.

Easy to investigate. You know right where to look and whom to call once you have the metadata.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/backers-surveillance-program-battle-challenge

HOUSE REJECTS EFFORT TO CUT OFF NSA PROGRAM
By DONNA CASSATA
— Jul. 24 6:58 PM EDT
You are here
Home » United States Congress » House rejects effort to cut off NSA program


Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich. returns to his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, July 24, 2013, after a meeting with constituents, before the vote on the Defense spending bill in the House containing his amendment to cut funding to the National Security Agency's program that collects phone records. The White House and congressional backers of the NSA's electronic surveillance program are warning that ending the massive collection of phone records from millions of Americans would put the nation at risk from another terrorist attack. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)


FILE - This June 6, 2013 file photo shows the sign outside the National Security Administration (NSA) campus in Fort Meade, Md. The authority of the National Security Agency to collect phone records of millions of Americans sharply divided members of Congress on Tuesday as the House pressed ahead on legislation to fund the nation's military. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)


Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich. walks through a basement tunnel to the House of Representatives on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, July 24, 2013, for the vote on his amendment to the Defense spending bill that would cut funding to the National Security Agency's phone surveillance program. The White House and congressional backers of the NSA's electronic surveillance program are warning that ending the massive collection of phone records from millions of Americans would put the nation at risk from another terrorist attack. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Prev 1 of 3 Next

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has voted to continue the collection of hundreds of millions of Americans' phone records in the fight against terrorism.

The House rejected a measure to end the program's authority. The vote was 217-205 on Wednesday.

Republican Rep. Justin Amash had challenged the program as an indiscriminate collection of phone records. His measure, if approved by the full House and Senate and signed by the president, would have ended the program's statutory authority.

The White House, national security experts in Congress and the Republican establishment had lobbied hard against Amash's effort.

Neither of these majorities were overwhelming, however."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/24/congress-debates-amendment-nsa-surveillance-live

Some consolation....

Most of the teabagger base would be for the bill. Those GOPers voting against it are doing it for strategic reasons.

(The Dems voting against it, of course, are just stupid DINOs for the most part; though some have their reasons too.)

potentially

So yes, he does bear some responsibility. Especially given that the vote was that close. It wouldn't have taken that many more Dem votes for it to pass.

Interesting how the administration can get things done when they want to.

No, the administration opposed it strongly and treated it like an emergency, with Alexander et al. lobbying like mad. Obviously this is worth a 7 vote swing.

matter.

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2013/roll412.xml

Ultimately, 94 House Republicans defied their leadership; 111 Democrats — a majority of the Democratic caucus — defied their president.

“This is only the beginning,” Mr. Conyers vowed after the vote. The fight will shift to the Senate, where two longtime Democratic critics of N.S.A. surveillance, Mark Udall of Colorado and Ron Wyden of Oregon, immediately took up the cause.

“National security is of paramount importance, yet the N.S.A.’s dragnet collection of Americans’ phone records violates innocent Americans’ privacy rights and should not continue as its exists today,” Mr. Udall said after the vote. “The U.S. House of Representatives’ bipartisan vote today proposal should be a wake-up call for the White House.”

Conyers is right. This is only the beginning. It was a great 1st time at bat - we hit a triple. We almost won this vote despite the heavy lobbying and arm twisting. What's more, the public crossed Party lines and temporarily put partisanship aside in order to help defeat a common foe. I dare say the establishment politicos and NSA supporters were probably shaken by the strength of the opposition. Despite the defeat on paper this was a great day for those of us who have been fighting against this illegal surveillance since the Bush years. They are now in a defensive position. YES!