[Peace-discuss] The House Will Vote on NSA and Syria. Write your Rep Today

Tue Jul 23 21:09:46 UTC 2013

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From: Just Foreign Policy <info at justforeignpolicy.org>
Date: Tue, Jul 23, 2013 at 4:01 PM
Subject: The House Will Vote on NSA and Syria. Write your Rep Today
To: naiman at justforeignpolicy.org

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Policy]<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?key=-1&url_num=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.justforeignpolicy.org>

Dear Supporter,

*Tell your Representative to support the Amash-Conyers and Radel amendments
to the defense appropriations on NSA surveillance, Syria military action.*
Take Action<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?key=-1&url_num=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.justforeignpolicy.org%2Fact%2Fdefense-approps-2014>

 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]

*Urge your Representative to vote for these amendments.* Our draft letter
is 100% editable, so you can support both amendments or just one of them,
depending on your preference.

*http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/defense-approps-2014<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?key=-1&url_num=3&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.justforeignpolicy.org%2Fact%2Fdefense-approps-2014>
*

Here is the key amendment that the Rules Committee approved on NSA
surveillance:

#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]

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.

Here is the amendment that the Rules Committee approved on Syria:

#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]

This amendment on Syria is not nearly as strong as the Gibson-Welch
amendment which we hoped would be approved. That said:

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]

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.

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.

*Urge your Representative to support the Amash and Radel amendments by
following the link below:*

*http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/defense-approps-2014<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?key=-1&url_num=4&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.justforeignpolicy.org%2Fact%2Fdefense-approps-2014>
*

Thank you for all you do to help bring about a more just foreign policy,

Robert Naiman, Chelsea Mozen, Sarah Burns and Megan Iorio
Just Foreign Policy

*Help us reach our July fundraising goal—donate to Just Foreign Policy!* We
need to raise $5,000 by next week. Help us get there by making a $10
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References:

1. “US surveillance, arming of Syrian rebels under debate as House takes up
defense bill,” Associated Press, July 23, 2013,
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<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>
2. “H.R. 2397—Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2014,” Committee on
Rules, http://rules.house.gov/bill/hr-2397<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?key=-1&url_num=7&url=http%3A%2F%2Frules.house.gov%2Fbill%2Fhr-2397>
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. “U.S. congressional hurdles lifted on arming Syrian rebels,” Tabassum
Zakaria and Susan Cornwell, Reuters, Tue Jul 23, 2013,
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/23/us-usa-syria-arms-idUSBRE96L0W520130723<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>
6. “U.S. to Keep Warplanes in Jordan, Pressing Syria,” Michael R. Gordon
and Thom Shanker, New York Times, June 15, 2013,
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/world/europe/russia-faults-proof-of-use-of-chemicals-in-syrian-war.html<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>

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© 2013 Just Foreign Policy

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-- 
Robert Naiman
Policy Director
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org
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