Grayons Supported FISA Surveillance, Before He Was Against IT

It turns out that Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) was for the Patriot Act and its surveillance measures…before he was against it.

 

The recent scandal surrounding the National Security Agency (NSA) involving that agency’s seizure of the phone records of millions of Verizon customers can aptly be described as the single worst instance of civil rights violations in U.S. government history.

The Department of Defense, as well as other government agencies within the national security apparatus, have taken their cues from the initial Patriot Act and the subsequent USA Patriot Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005.

While the USA Patriot Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 stated that FISA surveillance is only authorized on  non-United States persons under section 207 of the USA PATRIOT Act, it appears that the NSA phone records seizure could be legal, after the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) has authorized the seizure. (Source-NPR)



Congressman Grayson, who has been demanding answers to this overreach and intrusion of government, and  will be filing legislation to prohibit that Department of Defense from spying on Americans inside U.S. borders,  supported the controversial surveillance measures in 2009.

 Then…

In 2009, Democratic Congressman Alan Grayson voted “Yea” on H.R. 3961, the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act of 2009 (also known as the “doc fix”). Embedded in the doc fix was an extension of the USA Patriot Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005, and all of its surveillance measures.

 An Act to extend expiring provisions of the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 and Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 until February 28, 2011-Govtracks

 Now…

Congressman Alan Grayson posts a petition, and will introduce legislation banning the NSA and other government agencies from snooping on Americans.

“I don’t want the Government looking at my e-mails, my telephone records, my website records, or my GPS records. I cherish my freedom and my privacy. I am not a terrorist, and I won’t let my government treat me like one. Therefore, I support Congressman Alan Grayson’s ‘Mind Your Own Business Act.'” – Alan Grayson petition 

The tamer, less bombastic (for now)Alan Grayson has just picked up a Republican opponent in the 2014 mid-term elections, Jorge Bonilla, who announced his candidacy last week.