The
following was written in April 2014, as part of a response to the
Campaign for Liberty's 2012 survey questionnaire for candidates
running for federal office.
15.
Will you oppose federal power grabs like roving wiretaps and
warrantless searches, and oppose PATRIOT Act renewal that includes
such items?
Yes,
I will oppose roving wiretaps and warrantless searches by the federal
government; and vote to repeal the PATRIOT Act, to oppose its renewal
and similar legislation.
I
will criticize the PATRIOT Act on the basis of its lacking both
constitutionality and transparency. Given the short duration of time
which members of Congress were given to read and consider the bill,
the stipulation that only those members who voted for the bill would
be permitted to participate in its subsequent amendment, and the
fragmented manner in which the bill was constructed – as well as
the content of
the bill itself - I see no reason to support the act or its renewal.
I
believe that unless danger is imminent and reasonable suspicion of
violent crime is present, a wiretap or search is not permissible
unless and until a judge has signed a warrant issuing authorization
for such an action. Federal agents must not write their own search
warrants and enter and occupy people's homes without either
permission of the homeowner or a warrant signed by a judge, as did
the agents of King George III during the American Revolutionary War.
Contrary
to the attitudes of supporters of the PATRIOT Act, the need to
protect our 5th Amendment
liberties should never be superseded by the need of law enforcement
agencies to gather information quickly and efficiently, nor by the
need of judges who sign such warrants to get a full eight hours of
sleep at night.
I
will sponsor legislation to augment the protection of the civil
liberties enumerated in the 4th,
5th,
and 6th Amendments,
strictly prohibiting government surveillance without cause, as well
as all illegal activities of the National Security Agency's programs,
in particular the PRISM data collection program.
I
will also urge states and local governments to legalize the filming
of police officers and all elected and appointed public officials,
and I will support increased congressional oversight of the
Continuity of Operations Plan, in order to prevent the suspension of
the Constitution and basic civil liberties in the event of a State of
National Emergency. Additionally, I will support review and revision
of which agencies the U.S. considers terrorist groups hostile to our
country, in order to ensure sufficient domestic homeland security
absent the politicizing effects of our military and trade policies
towards other nations.
For
more entries on homeland security and terrorism, please
visit:
http://www.aquarianagrarian.blogspot.com/2011/03/911-heres-what-i-think-happened.html
http://www.aquarianagrarian.blogspot.com/2011/03/911-heres-what-i-think-happened.html
http://www.aquarianagrarian.blogspot.com/2014/05/identification-and-travel-documents.html
For
more entries on high-profile corruption and conspiracy theories,
please visit:
