<div dir="ltr">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote">From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Just Foreign Policy</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:info@justforeignpolicy.org" target="_blank">info@justforeignpolicy.org</a>></span><br>
Date: Tue, Jul 23, 2013 at 4:01 PM<br>Subject: The House Will Vote on NSA and Syria. Write your Rep Today<br>To: <a href="mailto:naiman@justforeignpolicy.org" target="_blank">naiman@justforeignpolicy.org</a><br><br><br> <div>
<div style="margin:auto;width:602px;font-size:12px"><div style="border:1px solid rgb(68,68,68);margin:0pt;padding:0pt;font-size:10pt;color:rgb(68,68,68)"><a href="http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?key=-1&url_num=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.justforeignpolicy.org" target="_blank"><img width="600" height="84" src="http://justforeignpolicy.org/images/emailheader.jpg" alt="Just Foreign Policy" style="border:0pt none;margin:0px;display:block"></a> <div style="border-bottom:8px solid rgb(68,68,68);padding:12px">
<p>Dear Supporter,</p>
<div style="width:190px;float:right;border:1px solid black;margin:0em 0.5em 0.5em;padding:0.5em;text-align:center">
<p><b>Tell your Representative to support the Amash-Conyers and Radel amendments to the defense appropriations on NSA surveillance, Syria military action.</b></p>
<h2 style="color:#a02522"><a href="http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?key=-1&url_num=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.justforeignpolicy.org%2Fact%2Fdefense-approps-2014" target="_blank">Take Action</a></h2>
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<p>Defying press speculation that the House leadership would block any amendment to the defense appropriations on NSA surveillance or military action in Syria, the House Rules Committee approved amendments on both Monday night. It is expected that these amendments will come up for a vote on Wednesday. [1]<br>
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<b>Urge your Representative to vote for these amendments.</b> Our draft letter is 100% editable, so you can support both amendments or just one of them, depending on your preference.<br>
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<b><a href="http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?key=-1&url_num=3&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.justforeignpolicy.org%2Fact%2Fdefense-approps-2014" target="_blank">http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/defense-approps-2014</a></b><br>
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Here is the key amendment that the Rules Committee approved on NSA surveillance:</p>
<blockquote>#101. Amash (MI), Conyers (MI), Mulvaney (SC), Polis (CO), Massie (KY): Ends authority for the blanket collection of records under the Patriot Act. Bars the NSA and other agencies from using Section 215 of the Patriot Act to collect records, including telephone call records, that pertain to persons who are not subject to an investigation under Section 215. [2] </blockquote>
<p>Passage of the Amash amendment will not only directly help protect Americans from the NSA’s blanket surveillance, but it will also indirectly help protect people in Latin America and Europe. The U.S. has told people in Europe and Latin America that U.S. blanket surveillance of them is not a big deal; that claim will be greatly undermined when Congress prohibits such blanket surveillance of Americans. Passage of the Amash amendment will also undermine the government’s hunt for Edward Snowden, because it will prove that his revelations on NSA surveillance had an impact on Congress, and thus constituted whistle-blowing. <br>
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Here is the amendment that the Rules Committee approved on Syria:</p>
<blockquote>#102. Radel (FL) Prohibits the use of any funds with respect to military action in Syria to the extent such action would be inconsistent with the War Powers Resolution. [3]</blockquote>
<p>This amendment on Syria is not nearly as strong as the Gibson-Welch amendment which we hoped would be approved. That said:</p>
<blockquote>None of the funds made available by this Act may be used for the purpose of, or in a manner which would have the effect of, supporting, directly or indirectly, military or paramilitary operations in Syria by any nation, group, organization, movement, or individual or, for United States military operations in Syria without the express authorization of Congress. [4]</blockquote>
<p>The Gibson-Welch amendment would have clearly blocked arming the Syrian rebels, at least by the U.S. military (the CIA is covered by a different appropriation, and press reports today say that the House and Senate Intelligence Committees have lifted objections to arming the rebels through the CIA. [5]) By blocking the Gibson-Welch amendment, the leadership blocked a clear vote against arming the Syrian rebels. <br>
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But the Radel amendment re-affirms existing law, which is a good thing. If it passes, the Radel amendment can help achieve two things: it can be cited as Congressional opposition to deeper U.S. military involvement, and it specifically can be used to argue against continuation of the recent deployment of U.S. troops to Jordan, widely perceived as related to the threat of U.S. military intervention in Syria. [6] The President submitted a formal War Powers Resolution notification to Congress about the Jordan deployment, thereby implicitly conceding that the deployment was related to the possibility of U.S. conflict with Syria. The “60 day clock” of the War Powers Resolution begins with such a deployment or notification; the deployment to Jordan has to end within 60 days if it is not explicitly approved by Congress. Passage of the Radel amendment would strengthen the case for ending the deployment to Jordan if it is not explicitly approved by Congress. <br>
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<b>Urge your Representative to support the Amash and Radel amendments by following the link below:</b> <br>
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<b><a href="http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?key=-1&url_num=4&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.justforeignpolicy.org%2Fact%2Fdefense-approps-2014" target="_blank">http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/defense-approps-2014</a></b><br>
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Thank you for all you do to help bring about a more just foreign policy,<br>
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Robert Naiman, Chelsea Mozen, Sarah Burns and Megan Iorio<br>
Just Foreign Policy<br>
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References:<br>
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1. “US surveillance, arming of Syrian rebels under debate as House takes up defense bill,” Associated Press, July 23, 2013, <a href="http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?key=-1&url_num=6&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fpolitics%2Fcongress%2Fus-surveillance-arming-syrian-rebels-points-of-contention-in-house-debate-over-defense-bill%2F2013%2F07%2F23%2Fedc5e5f0-f366-11e2-8464-57e57af86290_story.html" target="_blank">http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/congress/us-surveillance-arming-syrian-rebels-points-of-contention-in-house-debate-over-defense-bill/2013/07/23/edc5e5f0-f366-11e2-8464-57e57af86290_story.html</a><br>
2. “H.R. 2397—Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2014,” Committee on Rules, <a href="http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?key=-1&url_num=7&url=http%3A%2F%2Frules.house.gov%2Fbill%2Fhr-2397" target="_blank">http://rules.house.gov/bill/hr-2397</a><br>
3. Ibid.<br>
4. Ibid.<br>
5. “U.S. congressional hurdles lifted on arming Syrian rebels,” Tabassum Zakaria and Susan Cornwell, Reuters, Tue Jul 23, 2013, <a href="http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?key=-1&url_num=8&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.reuters.com%2Farticle%2F2013%2F07%2F23%2Fus-usa-syria-arms-idUSBRE96L0W520130723" target="_blank">http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/23/us-usa-syria-arms-idUSBRE96L0W520130723</a><br>
6. “U.S. to Keep Warplanes in Jordan, Pressing Syria,” Michael R. Gordon and Thom Shanker, New York Times, June 15, 2013, <a href="http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?key=-1&url_num=9&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2013%2F06%2F16%2Fworld%2Feurope%2Frussia-faults-proof-of-use-of-chemicals-in-syrian-war.html" target="_blank">http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/world/europe/russia-faults-proof-of-use-of-chemicals-in-syrian-war.html</a></p>
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<a href="mailto:naiman@justforeignpolicy.org" target="_blank">naiman@justforeignpolicy.org</a><br>
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