Congressional Bill H.R. 4681 To Allow Unlimited Access Of Communications Of Every American Without Warrant

By: Rep. Justin Amash (R)
3rd Congressional District Michigan

When I learned that the Intelligence Authorization Act for FY 2015 was being rushed to the floor for a vote—with little debate and only a voice vote expected (i.e., simply declared "passed" with almost nobody in the room)—I asked my legislative staff to quickly review the bill for unusual language. What they discovered is one of the most egregious sections of law I've encountered during my time as a representative: It grants the executive branch virtually unlimited access to the communications of every American.

On Wednesday afternoon, I went to the House floor to demand a roll call vote on the bill so that everyone's vote would have to be recorded. I also sent the letter below to every representative.

With more time to spread the word, we would have stopped this bill, which passed 325-100. Thanks to the 99 other representatives—44 Republicans and 55 Democrats—who voted to protect our rights and uphold the Constitution. And thanks to my incredibly talented staff.

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Block New Spying on U.S. Citizens: Vote “NO” on H.R. 4681 (Letter Justin Amash's Staff Sent To All Congressman) 

Dear Colleague:

The intelligence reauthorization bill, which the House will vote on today, contains a troubling new provision that for the first time statutorily authorizes spying on U.S. citizens without legal process.

Last night, the Senate passed an amended version of the intelligence reauthorization bill with a new Sec. 309—one the House never has considered. Sec. 309 authorizes “the acquisition, retention, and dissemination” of nonpublic communications, including those to and from U.S. persons. The section contemplates that those private communications of Americans, obtained without a court order, may be transferred to domestic law enforcement for criminal investigations.

To be clear, Sec. 309 provides the first statutory authority for the acquisition, retention, and dissemination of U.S. persons’ private communications obtained without legal process such as a court order or a subpoena. The administration currently may conduct such surveillance under a claim of executive authority, such as E.O. 12333. However, Congress never has approved of using executive authority in that way to capture and use Americans’ private telephone records, electronic communications, or cloud data.

Supporters of Sec. 309 claim that the provision actually reins in the executive branch’s power to retain Americans’ private communications. It is true that Sec. 309 includes exceedingly weak limits on the executive’s retention of Americans’ communications. With many exceptions, the provision requires the executive to dispose of Americans’ communications within five years of acquiring them—although, as HPSCI admits, the executive branch already follows procedures along these lines.

In exchange for the data retention requirements that the executive already follows, Sec. 309 provides a novel statutory basis for the executive branch’s capture and use of Americans’ private communications. The Senate inserted the provision into the intelligence reauthorization bill late last night. That is no way for Congress to address the sensitive, private information of our constituents—especially when we are asked to expand our government’s surveillance powers.

I urge you to join me in voting “no” on H.R. 4681, the intelligence reauthorization bill, when it comes before the House today.

/s/

Justin Amash

Member of Congress

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U.S. Representatives Who Voted NO:

Amash

Bass

Bentivolio

Blumenauer

Bonamici

Brat

Bridenstine

Brooks (AL)

Broun (GA)

Burgess

Chu

Clark (MA)

Clarke (NY)

Clawson (FL)

Cohen

Conyers

Cummings

DeFazio

DelBene

DesJarlais

Doggett

Doyle

Duncan (SC)

Duncan (TN)

Eshoo

Farr

Garamendi

Garcia

Garrett

Gibson

Gohmert

Gosar

Gowdy

Graves (GA)

Grayson

Griffith (VA)

Grijalva

Gutiérrez

Hahn

Hanabusa

Hastings (FL)

Heck (WA)

Holt

Honda

Huelskamp

Huffman

Jackson Lee

Jones

Jordan

Kaptur

Kildee

Kingston

Labrador

Lee (CA)

Lewis

Lofgren

Lowenthal

Lummis

Massie

Matsui

McClintock

McCollum

McDermott

McGovern

Meadows

Mica

Moore

Mulvaney

Nadler

Nugent

O'Rourke

Pallone

Perry

Pocan

Poe (TX)

Polis

Posey

Rangel

Ribble

Roe (TN)

Rohrabacher

Salmon

Sanford

Schakowsky

Scott, Austin

Sensenbrenner

Serrano

Speier

Stockman

Swalwell (CA)

Takano

Tierney

Tipton

Velázquez

Waters

Weber (TX)

Welch

Woodall

Yarmuth

Yoho

Justin A. Amash is an attorney, and Republican member of Congress. In January 2011, he began serving as the U.S. Representative for Michigan's 3rd congressional district.

Woman Shoplifts And You Won't Believe What The Officer Called On Scene Did

A woman in Tarrant City, Alabama had just been caught stealing eggs from a supermarket, but she didn't end up walking away with a ticket.

"I was dispatched to Dollar General who said they had a shoplifter," Officer Stacy, 23, told local media. "When I arrived on the scene I confronted her. She said her sorry and was honest about what she did."

Rather than making the woman pay for the alleged crime, Officer Stacy had her wait outside in the parking lot.

While she went outside, Officer Stacy purchased a dozen eggs for her to take home to the kids.

"I can't tell you how many times she said thank you," Officer Stacy said. "She even started crying and asked me for a hug. She tried to pay me for the eggs with the little bit of money that she did have, but I wouldn't take it. I told her the best way for her to repay me was for her to never shoplift again."

A fellow shopper caught it all on tape. Since the video has been online, it's gotten over 500,000 hits. The Tarrant Police Department has also been flooded with calls from strangers who want to help the woman and others who are less fortunate.

"I can't believe that such a small simple gesture got this big," he said. "If it was the same circumstance, I wouldn't turn away somebody who was trying to help their kids in a time of need."

New Legislation Seriously Misleads Parents About Vaccine Safety

By: Dr. Julian Whitaker

Those of you who have been with me for a while know how I feel about the United States' forced childhood vaccination program. Since this program was implemented, autism rates have soared for millions of children because of the toxic substances put in childhood vaccines—all in the name of “preventing disease.”

Now, the Senate Health Committee has approved a bill in California, called AB 2109 that would mislead parents even more. This bill is designed to educate parents about the “benefits and risks” of childhood vaccines. Yet, what it truly boils down to is that parents are going to be given a whitewashed view of vaccine safety, skewed with inaccurate numbers.

As I just reported in my testimony before the Senate Health Committee, the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) has recorded 396,056 reports from 1990 to the present. Yet, this figure is a gross underestimate of the actual number of adverse events. Appallingly, doctors are not required to report adverse events, and there’s no disincentive for them not to—therefore such events are rarely reported.

Dr. David Kessler, former head of the Food and Drug Administration, estimated in an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association that only one percent of drug reactions are reported. Based on this widely accepted figure, close to 40 million children have suffered adverse reactions to vaccines since 1990.

These numbers do not support the reassurances about vaccine safety given to parents who are only told that one in a million children suffer adverse reactions. In fact, I flat out asked if this true estimate of adverse events—40 million over 22 years—would be part of the discussion of how AB 2109 is implemented in California. Sadly, I already knew the answer.

Why do they do this? For doctors, particularly those in positions of leadership and authority in medical organizations, it’s easy. They don’t rock the boat so they get to keep their prestigious titles and affiliations, generous honorariums and paychecks, and aura of integrity. For lawmakers it’s easier. Go against Big Pharma and you lose your job.

While this legislation is for California, measures like this should concern all Americans. Other states have their own means of ensuring vaccine compliance, and legislators throughout the country are being pressured by pharmaceutical interests and other lobbyists to further tighten exemption “loopholes.”  To learn more, visit the National Vaccine Information Center, nvic.org.

Dr. Julian Whitaker is the founder and director of the Whitaker Wellness Institute, where for more than 30 years he has helped treat tens of thousands of people—many with serious, chronic illnesses—who have been failed by conventional medicine.
Learn more about Dr. Whitaker

Public School Kids Eat Slop While Obama's Daughters Live High Off The Land

Are wealthy politicians living high off the land and school districts taking in extra federal funds while American children suffer?

Most kids across the United States attend public school, however Barack and Michelle Obama’s daughters attend the swank and private Sidwell Friends School in Washington DC where the tuition for each student is $36,264 a year and includes a hot lunch.

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act  bill was introduced in the US Senate by Blanche Lincoln (D), Chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. It was later approved by the Senate by unanimous voice vote on August 5, 2010. In the U.S. House of Representatives The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act passed with 247 Democrats and 17 Republicans voting for, and 4 Democrats and 153 Republicans voting against it. 

President Barack Obama signed the bill into law on December 13, 2010. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act is expected took effect in 2014.  New York Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand pushed for Greek yogurt to be included in the regulations determining acceptable proteins to be served at school. The Chobani yogurt company is located in Chenango County, New York.

Under the complex legislation, which has long been a signature issue for the first lady, participating schools take federal money but must stringently limit the number of calories and the amount of sugar, fat and sodium in every morsel of food sold at schools. Also, in what presumably falls outside the hunger-free aspect of the act, there are calorie caps.

Here is what the Obama’s daughters ate earlier this week for their school lunch:

Potato Sausage Soup; Firecracker Slaw; California Chef’s Salad; All Natural Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings; Sweet Potato Black Bean Bake; Sautéed Local Greens; Gemelli Alfredo; Sliced Pineapple

Below is what public school student ate this week.  Does this seem right?

Professor Forced To Apologize For Saying All Lives Matter!

Smith College, which is in Northampton Massachusetts,  president Kathleen McCartney has apologized. Do you know what she apologized for? She apologized for saying "all lives matter."

Kathleen McCartney

Kathleen McCartney wrote the phrase "all lives matter" in the subject line of an e-mail to students at the school, whose alumni include the feminazis Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan, the former First Lady Nancy Reagan and celebrity chef Julia Child. Kathleen McCartney was attempting to show support for students protesting racially charged grand jury decisions in Missouri and New York.

Protesters, as you know, have adopted several slogans in connection with the cases of the Michael Brown and Eric Garner. One of the slogans they're running around using and painting and wearing is "black lives matter." So McCartney sends out an e-mail to the student body at Smith, and the subject matter is, "all lives matter," which is definitely more inclusive, wouldn't you say? Wouldn't you say that "all lives matter" is much more inclusive than just "black lives matter"? But this more inclusive version was seen as an insult and an affront that diminished the focus on "black lives matter." A bunch of people reacted with angry e-mails back at the college president, so she apologized. She apologized for saying "all lives matter."

Tom McMillin: Michigan Legislature Working To Make Opting Out Of Vaccinations More Difficult

To my friends out there (and I know many of you may roll your eyes at this) who want to make sure there is the ability to allow parents to opt their children out from a government required immunization or two or more if they feel the risks outweigh the benefits, the change being contemplated at tomorrow's Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR)

deals with requiring "informed" consent to opt out.

The administration tells me that if the Rule is approved tomorrow, that they plan to have videos online explaining the government's view of the risks to opting out, that a person would be required to watch (not sure how they'll know) before being able to opt out.

However the rule is broad enough that it could also allow them to require anyone who wants to opt their child out of a shot or two or more, to physically go to one of the 45 MI Health Department offices and sit down with a doctor and listen to the doctor tell them of the risks the government believes are present, before being allowed to opt out.

Many argue that people should be very well informed of what the government feels are the risks of opting out. Some think that with this Rule, the government, either the current or future administrations who want to "clamp down" on the parental opt out, could make the process very onerous and difficult.

State Representative District 45, Tom McMillin was elected to his third term in the Michigan House of Representatives in November 2012, representing residents of Rochester, Rochester Hills, and part of Oakland Township. McMillin serves as chair of Joint Committee on Administrative Rules and chairs the House Oversight Committee. He also serves on the House Education, Financial Liability Reform and Regulatory Reform committees.

World Gone Mad: Columbia University Postpones Finals Over Eric Garner And Micheal Brown Trauma

I don't know about you, but I sure wouldn't want any of these students being my future attorney.

A group of Columbia University law students demanded the school postpone their finals because of their “trauma” over the Eric Garner and Michael Brown grand jury decisions. 

Columbia Anniversary 

And the "politically correct" liberal higher-ups bought it.

An email was sent to the entire school by Interim Dean Robert Scott.  His public statement was that the decisions “have shaken the faith of some in the integrity of the grand-jury system and in the law more generally.”

He continued to say “students who feel that their performance on examinations will be sufficiently impaired due to the effects of these recent events” could apply to have their tests rescheduled.

The move outraged  students at the elite grad school, where first-semester final exams began Monday

In addition to postponing some students’ tests, the school planned to have a trauma expert on hand this week, and several faculty members scheduled special office hours next week “to talk about the implications of the Brown and Garner non-indictments.”

Scott’s Saturday announcement followed a series of demands made by the law school’s Coalition of Concerned Students of Color.

In a message posted on Coalition of Concerned Students of Color website Monday, the group said, “The administrations, response overlooks one of our concerns: that affected students of color should not be required to explain their trauma in order to be granted an exam postponement.”

I wonder what will happen when these future lawyers lose their first case or if their client goes to prison?  Will they commit suicide or check into a mental institution for a break down?

By the way was the trauma for the beheaded American's by Isis?