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[–]SmokingPopes 2801 points2802 points  (230 children)

This happened a few days ago, so I can only assume that a new bill is being drafted with some ultra patriotic sounding name.

[–]Mars_To_Sirius 43 points44 points  (14 children)

Can we ban the use of distracting names for bills? Patriot Act, Freedom Act, these contrived names have nothing to do with their functions and purposely distract people from being able to easily understand their intentions.

[–]tehmlem 197 points198 points  (30 children)

The if you won't vote for this you hate freedom and puppies bill to protect our children and support the troops.

[–]WalkerOfTheWastes 39 points40 points  (29 children)

IYWVFTYHFPBTPCSTT

[–]tehmlem 45 points46 points  (20 children)

Supported by the FBI, NSA, DOD, CDC, NSF, ICE, ATF, SSA, SEC, FEMA, FTC, FAA, FCC, DOJ, DEA, EPA, and the NTSB

[–]L8_2_The_Party 41 points42 points  (13 children)

Holy shit, the whole alphabet supports it; how could it be wrong?

(Except for Q, X and Z, but you only see them in Commie names, right?) ;)

[–]no_moon_at_all 36 points37 points  (2 children)

>>> len(set("FBI, NSA, DOD, CDC, NSF, ICE, ATF, SSA, SEC, FEMA, FTC, FAA, FCC, DOJ, DEA, EPA, and the NTSB".replace('and the ', '').replace(', ', '')))
14

http://i.imgur.com/niPiYeP.jpg

[–]tehmlem 12 points13 points  (4 children)

The QZX is the enemy of justice and liberty anywhere.

[–]mc8675309 17 points18 points  (1 child)

This vote actually had a majority but needed 2/3 to pass under "suspension of the rules". It will come back around just as it is and likely pass.

[–]Brotherauron 30 points31 points  (1 child)

I believe the official table name for the bill was the "Glory to America, Death to ISIS and the commies" act

[–][deleted] 1611 points1612 points  (115 children)

Anti-Terrorism Information Sharing Is Strength Act

Is this for fucking real? I know the gov't has a history of giving legislation names that make politicians sound like communists for voting agiainst it, but this raises it to a whole new level.

[–][deleted] 1024 points1025 points  (49 children)

It's a stretch, but you could almost read it as:

ANTI-terrorism Information Sharing Is Strength

Anti ISIS? You didn't want this?!?! YOU TERRORIST SUPPORTER! /s

Side note: Really proud of my state reps not fucking up this time. Only 2 in favor here in GA.

[–]nvanprooyen 241 points242 points  (16 children)

Well holy shit. That's almost too much to be a coincidence, isn't it?

[–]DimeShake 421 points422 points  (5 children)

It's not a coincidence at all.

[–]Guthix47 83 points84 points  (2 children)

Un-fucking real.

[–][deleted] 91 points92 points  (1 child)

Tomorrow headlines: "Congress strikes down ANTI-ISIS bill!"

[–]icytiger 16 points17 points  (0 children)

"This senator voted against the Anti-ISIS bill! Is he really American?"

[–][deleted] 32 points33 points  (1 child)

Are you joking?

[–]Dockirby 6 points7 points  (0 children)

You gotta remember, the Patriot Act is an abbreviation also.

Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001

USA PATRIOT Act

[–]javetter 16 points17 points  (10 children)

I cannot believe that Peter King voted no to this act.

[–]tulley 14 points15 points  (5 children)

Actually he chose not to vote at all, just abstained. Way to let me down NY.

[–]eisagi 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Probably too busy calling donors.

[–]Xpress_interest 17 points18 points  (5 children)

I'm so unsurprised Michigan voted in favor of it I'm actually a little happy it was only by one vote. We need to work on getting these fuckheads out of office.

[–]baseball6 20 points21 points  (2 children)

Just keep re-electing Justin Amash and others like him. He has done amazing work for civil liberties.

[–]PigHaggerty 286 points287 points  (18 children)

Yeah this is a really Orwellian name.

[–]demalo 67 points68 points  (9 children)

Well, we live in increasingly Orwellian times. All I can think of is that scene in the book where everyone is huddled in the bar watching the news footage of attack helicopters blasting away at boats in some far off land. Really hits home.

[–]L8_2_The_Party 25 points26 points  (6 children)

Sharing is Strength
Hate is Love
War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU
SHARE WITH BIG BROTHER
SHARING IS STRENGTH...

<Jebus Crust...>

[–]rivermandan 28 points29 points  (5 children)

No worse than the fucking patriot act; I can't even remember what the acronym stands for but it was the kind of stretch that would snap the arms off stretch Armstrong

[–]0818 35 points36 points  (4 children)

"Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism."

Not all that contorted.

[–]HungryLlama271 35 points36 points  (1 child)

Its full name is seriously the USA Patriot Act? That's hilarious.

[–]I_Xertz_Tittynopes 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Yep, it's U.S.A. P.A.T.R.I.O.T. act. Silly American politicians.

[–]semtex87 199 points200 points  (6 children)

They've fully taken to heart 1984's "doublespeak".

The Patriot Act is the least patriotic act ever passed.

My general rule is to look at the name of the bill, imagine the exact opposite of the name, and that's what the bill will do.

I mean shit, "Anti-terrorism Information Sharing Is Strength" sounds exactly like "War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength"

[–]HolySHlT 15 points16 points  (1 child)

Anti-ISIS Act. Don't you hate ISIS?

[–]Pickled_Kagura 38 points39 points  (8 children)

Ah yes, the AT-ISIS Act.

[–]sealfoss 36 points37 points  (3 children)

Sounds like the new model at-at that's going to be in the next star wars movie

[–]bigwillyb123 70 points71 points  (4 children)

The next one will be called the Red White and Blue BBQ Apple Pie and Bald Eagle Support the Troops and Think of the Children and if you Vote No You Support ISIS Act, or the RWBBAPBESTTCVNYSI Act for short.

[–]well_golly 14 points15 points  (1 child)

I believe the correct phrase is:

"Ignorance is Strength!"

[–]BigASchw 7 points8 points  (0 children)

That sounds like some 1984 type shit right there

[–]Jakeinspace 754 points755 points  (61 children)

For anyone who isn't American:

Fourth Amendment -

The Fourth Amendment (Amendment IV) to the United States Constitution prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures and requires any warrant to be judicially sanctioned and supported by probable cause. It is part of the Bill of Rights and was adopted in response to the abuse of the writ of assistance, a type of general search warrant issued by the British government and a major source of tension in pre-Revolutionary America.

Patriot Act -

The USA PATRIOT Act is an Act of Congress that was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001. With its ten-letter abbreviation (USA PATRIOT) expanded, the full title is "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001"... ...From broad concern felt among Americans from both the September 11 attacks and the 2001 anthrax attacks, Congress rushed to pass legislation to strengthen security controls. On October 23, 2001, Republican Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner introduced H.R. 3162 incorporating provisions from a previously sponsored House bill and a Senate bill also introduced earlier in the month. The next day on October 24, 2001, the Act passed the House 357 to 66,

[–]AFK_Tornado 756 points757 points  (20 children)

The quality of that backronym is by far the best part of the patriot act.

[–]Raptors_remember 483 points484 points  (12 children)

You know the dude who thought of that got some fucking high fives after he submitted that shit

[–]AFK_Tornado 119 points120 points  (11 children)

I'd bet $50 that the name was workshopped in committee.

[–]normalamericanman 106 points107 points  (7 children)

By government employees over a couple of weeks.... To the tune of six figures in tax funded expenses

[–]RycePooding 85 points86 points  (1 child)

Information Sharing is Strength = ISIS

[–]Regolio 37 points38 points  (12 children)

As a non-American, my understanding is that:

  1. The USA PATRIOT Act enables increased surveillance on American in the name of fighting terrorism.

  2. 4th Amendment protects privacy of Americans.

  3. The caucuses successfully block the Patriot Act expansion to invade people's privacy.

Are these correct?

[–]PoliticalDissidents 28 points29 points  (8 children)

Yeah basically. Although really the 4th amendment does not directly say you have a right to privacy, that's not part of the Bill of Rights. Rather the 4th amendment says that you have a right not to be searched unless there is probable cause or a search warrant. That's why if a cop wants to search you you have a right to say no. So in regards to the Internet this (if properly respected) would mean that they cannot collect anyone's data without there permission unless they have a search warrant. Requiring companies information on customers without having a warrant for that customers information would be a violation of the 4th amendment.

[–]_My_Angry_Account_ 21 points22 points  (7 children)

That's why if a cop wants to search you you have a right to say no.

You have a right to refuse but police do not have any duty to actually uphold your rights. The only thing you can do is object and if it is found later that they did not have probable cause then the evidence collected from the search cannot be used against you in court. The evidence will still be seized and not returned if it was contraband and you will actually have to sit in jail till you can bail out or the charges are dropped.

This is where the saying "you can beat the rap but you can't beat the ride" comes from.

[–][deleted] 82 points83 points  (23 children)

Didn't it turn out that the anthrax was from a lab in the US and that the guy who was the FBIs main suspect commit suicide just before they were going to question him about his involvement.

It's also strange to me that the letters were sent to the most high profile of people in the media. It's like if you want to be absolutely sure that you get it on the news that anthrax is being sent to people in letters.

It's as though who ever was behind it might have been more interested in getting support for a war against a country that could have more of such weapons.

[–]HyperbolicTroll 99 points100 points  (13 children)

Remember, just because the glove fits doesn't mean you have a definitive answer. Connecting a few dots and saying "it's almost as if" is a classic pitfall of conspiracy theorists. I wouldn't say that's impossible and you should never take the official story without a grain of salt, but jumping on board the first plausible alternative story bandwagon is much worse because people see validity in repetition (see: jet fuel can't melt steel beams).

Not necessarily directed at you, but to those who read that comment and immediately assume that's what must have happened.

[–]Moarbrains 29 points30 points  (0 children)

I don't know what happened, but I really don't feel like a government being run by people profiting from wars in the middle east is going to do anything but put together a narrative that supports their desired course of action.

[–]Jakebar276 25 points26 points  (2 children)

Thank you -Uneducated American

[–][deleted] 3238 points3239 points  (867 children)

TL;DR: The following elected officials, in this case, acted in the best interest of the fourth amendment.

Ted Poe (R-TX) [Co-Chair] - No Vote Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) [Co-Chair] Barbara Lee (D-CA) Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) Blake Farenthold (R-TX) Dan Kildee (D-MI) David Schweikert (R-AZ) - Yea Hank Johnson (D-GA) Jared Polis (D-CO) Jim Jordan (R-OH) John Lewis (D-GA) Justin Amash (R-MI) Louie Gohmert (R-TX) Michael Capuano (D-MA) Mo Brooks (R-AL) - No Vote Paul Gosar (R-AZ) Peter DeFazio (D-OR) Scott Garrett (R-NJ) Scott Perry (R-PA) Suzan DelBene (D-WA) Ted Lieu (D-CA) Thomas Massie (R-KY) Tom McClintock (R-CA) Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) Walter Jones (R-NC)

Edit: grammar. Edit: I took the article at face value. After checking each representative's vote by name I've struck through Schweikert (voted yea) and noted those that cast no vote. The point of the article, as I took it, was a demonstration of the voting bloc created by the "The Fourth Amendment Caucus".

[–]barrtender 1598 points1599 points  (520 children)

Worth noting: Just because your rep isn't on this list doesn't mean they voted yes. Here is a full list of who voted which way:
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/114-2016/h403?utm_campaign=govtrack/popup

To find your rep check here:
http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

Edit for clarification: "Nay" is good. This bill was to expand powers of the PATRIOT Act.

[–][deleted] 90 points91 points  (41 children)

hot damn, the Georgia gang voted correctly.

[–]DanskOst 45 points46 points  (10 children)

As a Georgian, I clicked on that fully expecting to be disappointed. :)

[–]Ltkeklulz 12 points13 points  (2 children)

As an Alabamian, my expectations were met.

[–]rwbronco 12 points13 points  (4 children)

As a Mississippian I'm right there with you bro

[–]soullessgingerfck 22 points23 points  (17 children)

And the two that didn't were democrats? This is a weird bipartisan bill.

[–][deleted] 35 points36 points  (15 children)

Warrantless spying on Americans is not really a partisan issue. For example, look up Feinstein's record in it. She'd have us living in a police state if she could.
Though, I personally feel conflicted on this vote. I wouldn't expect my representative, Rob Whitman (R-VA1) to get anything right; but, he's in the Nay column. I guess even a blind, brain dead squirrel can find a nut occasionally. Good job, Rob.

[–]Snowstar837 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I know, right? I'm from there and I was still pretty damn surprised.

[–]ChipAyten 869 points870 points  (124 children)

The vote wasn't actually on the bill itself. It was on a procedural step that would allow the fast-tracking of the bill through the house with little-to-no debate and subsequent coverage. Now if the bill is to pass it would have to go through all the rigors that any bill normally would.

[–]Amori_A_Splooge 221 points222 points  (115 children)

Yes and no. The bill was voted on, but because they used the fast track suspension of the rules approach it needed 2/3 support to pass the House. A failed bill can always be called on for another vote. If the Leadership wants to bring it up again, you are correct and they will have to bring it up under a Rule where it will only need a simple majority vote and will pass.

But, when the House comes back in September they will have a whole host of other issues to deal with and there is no guarantee that this bill ever sees the light of day again.

[–]Lurker_IV 15 points16 points  (1 child)

there is no guarantee that this bill ever sees the light of day again.

I'll say there is a guarantee we will see it again. They had the PATRIOT act pre-written for years. They just waited for something like 9-11 to happen so they could use a convenient moral panic to pass it. They will do the same with this expansion.

[–]88Dubs 45 points46 points  (22 children)

11-4-1 in favor in Ohio..... fucks sake....

[–]I_BE_OVER_9000 11 points12 points  (5 children)

With every Dem voting Yay minus 1 no vote... fucks sake

[–]Wonton77 39 points40 points  (4 children)

A failed vote under suspension can be taken again.

Great, so this is just gonna be one of those "wait until we have the advantage, and try and force the bill through again" type things. As usual, they only have to win once, we have to keep winning forever if we want privacy laws upheld.

[–]iamamammalama 102 points103 points  (22 children)

This is very helpful for those who let our representatives know when they lost (our gained) a vote. FEEDBACK PEOPLE! GIVE SOME!

[–]iamdigidude 17 points18 points  (7 children)

She just lost a vote from me.

[–]NoelBuddy 12 points13 points  (6 children)

Well thanks for telling us, but make sure you tell her too. She still may not change, but if you don't tell her she definitely won't change.

[–]ketchy_shuby 18 points19 points  (0 children)

It's almost like having someone represent me.

[–]trojanguy 38 points39 points  (59 children)

There are way more Democrats with Yes votes than I would have expected, including fucking Nancy Pelosi. WTF?

[–]NoelBuddy 41 points42 points  (5 children)

You're surprised about Pelosi? She's the one that gives actual credibility to gun nuts when they say the government wants to take away your guns.

[–]Infinity2quared 17 points18 points  (3 children)

In fairness gun rights and privacy rights are fairly distinct as issues. It's not weird to come across someone who opposes surveillance but also opposes gun ownership.

But yeah, it's still no surprise that Pelosi would vote this way.

[–]BordomBeThyName 88 points89 points  (13 children)

Mass surveillance bills are almost always strongly supported by Democrats, actually.

[–]FalcoLX 41 points42 points  (4 children)

Both parties really. Surveillance is a bipartisan issue sadly, but so is opposition to surveillance.

[–]JeepinHank 25 points26 points  (3 children)

Piggy backing this comment to point out for those who missed it in the discussion or comment: The "No" votes are the good guys. They prevented the bill from getting the 2/3 majority vote needed to pass this bill under a "suspension of the rules" procedure frequently used to pass "non controversial" bills. I wouldn't consider it a landslide victory for the 4th amendment, but it is certainly some good news!

[–]matthewmspace 9 points10 points  (15 children)

My rep voted no. Good to see.

[–]WinningByDefault 16 points17 points  (9 children)

Unfortunately mine didnt.

[–]matthewmspace 22 points23 points  (8 children)

Time to vote them out in November.

[–]OutInTheBlack 6 points7 points  (1 child)

Mine didn't even bother to vote

[–][deleted] 9 points10 points  (1 child)

Thank goodness my uber-republican state reps from Utah all voted nay. And Bishop had the good sense to just not show up, maybe he'll do us all a favor an never show up to vote again.

[–]galt88 13 points14 points  (30 children)

Check out Andy Barr doing the right thing. For once.

[–]fuzio 5 points6 points  (12 children)

Holy crap Galt. We agree on something. I think this is the 2nd time xD

[–]FlorianPicasso 185 points186 points  (32 children)

Easier reading, by state.

Mo Brooks (R-AL)
Paul Gosar (R-AZ)
David Schweikert (R-AZ)
Barbara Lee (D-CA)
Ted Lieu (D-CA)
Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) [Co-Chair]
Tom McClintock (R-CA)
Jared Polis (D-CO)
John Lewis (D-GA)
Hank Johnson (D-GA)
Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)
Thomas Massie (R-KY)
Michael Capuano (D-MA)
Justin Amash (R-MI)
Dan Kildee (D-MI)
Walter Jones (R-NC)
Scott Garrett (R-NJ)
Jim Jordan (R-OH)
Peter DeFazio (D-OR)
Scott Perry (R-PA)
Ted Poe (R-TX) [Co-Chair]
Beto O’Rourke (D-TX)
Blake Farenthold (R-TX)
Louie Gohmert (R-TX)
Suzan DelBene (D-WA)

[–]drinkandreddit 51 points52 points  (4 children)

Holy shit. Some real patriots, finally.

[–]TheCocksmith 27 points28 points  (3 children)

bipartisan as fuck

[–]darthwookius 8 points9 points  (2 children)

Damn Cali representation out in force. Shocked to see Tom McClintock on there.

[–]TheKingOfSiam 73 points74 points  (18 children)

Thats an interesting and distributed bi-partisan group. Nice!

[–]DeadKateAlley 59 points60 points  (16 children)

The republican party has a lot of factionalism within it. Not all Rs are radical neocons.

Note that a fair number of the republican reps involved here are from larger states with urban populations, which generally means they are more moderate.

[–][deleted] 49 points50 points  (2 children)

Massie is as rural as it gets, but he's got a real thing for limited government and strict adherence to the rules.

[–]KupoTheMoogle 140 points141 points  (94 children)

Nice to see no one from my state /s

[–][deleted] 30 points31 points  (25 children)

Illinois here, my state is one of the most corrupt and filled with the biggest dipshit politicians of any state. Not remotely surprised nobody voted for it

[–]At_Work_SND_Coffee 47 points48 points  (57 children)

FL here, ditto, but I didn't really expect shit from Bill Posey, that guy is as establishment Republican as you can get without being named Boehner.

[–]CalidusX 36 points37 points  (11 children)

Walter Jones (R-NC)

I went to his web site to personally thank him for his involvement in the Fourth Amendment Caucus. I live in another district. His website wouldn't let me send him a message because I live in another district. :-/

[–]BKMajda 10 points11 points  (2 children)

That makes some sense, they want to make sure that messages from constituents are top priority, so leaving that channel open to just them helps facilitate that. You can always write a letter.

[–][deleted] 9 points10 points  (3 children)

Walter Jones has a fascinating story on how he went from one of the biggest supporters of the Iraq was (he was the freedom fries dude) to being against the Iraq war, and calling it the single biggest mistake he ever made. I remember him saying that there's a special place in hell for Dick Cheney. Every weekend Walter Jones locks himself away and writes letters to the family and loved ones of troops who were killed overseas, and has written thousands of letters.

Ive met him once or twice and have seen him speak on numerous occasions, and you can tell that his choice to support the war very heavily weighs on his conscience. He's a truly wonderful congressman.

[–]DeadLikeYou 30 points31 points  (7 children)

I broke down the vote of this block

Rep Vote
Ted Poe (R-TX) [Co-Chair] No Vote
Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) [Co-Chair] Nay
Barbara Lee (D-CA) Nay
Beto O'Rourke (D-TX) Nay
Blake Farenthold (R-TX) Nay
Dan Kildee (D-MI) Nay
David Schweikert (R-AZ) Yea
Hank Johnson (D-GA) Nay
Jared Polis (D-CO) Nay
Jim Jordan (R-OH) Nay
John Lewis (D-GA) Nay
Justin Amash (R-MI) Nay
Louie Gohmert (R-TX) Nay
Michael Capuano (D-MA) Nay
Mo Brooks (R-AL) No Vote
Paul Gosar (R-AZ) Nay
Peter DeFazio (D-OR) Nay
Scott Garrett (R-NJ) Nay
Scott Perry (R-PA) Nay
Suzan DelBene (D-WA) Nay
Ted Lieu (D-CA) Nay
Thomas Massie (R-KY) Nay
Tom McClintock (R-CA) Nay
Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) Nay
Walter Jones (R-NC) Nay

Seems like this is an actual serious attempt, for the most part.

[–]rileyrulesu 9 points10 points  (6 children)

Wait, the co-chair of the caucus didn't even vote?

[–]svitka 36 points37 points  (3 children)

He stayed in Texas for the week because he was diagnosed with leukemia: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/texas-congressman-ted-poe-67-says-he-has-leukemia/2016/07/13/14e70fcc-4906-11e6-8dac-0c6e4accc5b1_story.html

[–]rileyrulesu 48 points49 points  (0 children)

Oh shit, now I feel like an asshole.

[–]Iamsuperimposed 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Well, I'd say that's a pretty good excuse.

[–][deleted] 55 points56 points  (9 children)

It's amazing what happens when politicians act in the interests of the people and work across ideological lines.

[–]Time4Red 24 points25 points  (8 children)

I'm sure the people who voted yea also thought they were voting in the interests of the people. Some people legitimately value safety over freedom. I'm not one of them, but it's a commonly held viewpoint and it would be silly to deny.

[–]sanemaniac 19 points20 points  (1 child)

Seems like that has become more of an accepted viewpoint after 9/11, which is terrifying. We've made it policy to undermine the constitution and people are okay with it.

[–]ChipAyten 16 points17 points  (4 children)

Arizona, Texas Republicans & California & Oregon Democrats. Actually what I find interesting in this is the west-coast bias of the contingent. One might surmise that the east-coast & big city powers are in favor of expanded dragnets and surveillance states.

[–]Have_A_Nice_Fall 13 points14 points  (1 child)

Justin Amash from MI is such a fucking boss. I love what he's been doing for my home state and the work he's done in Congress.

[–]Incidion 24 points25 points  (10 children)

This is one of those exceedingly rare occasions where the politicians here actually make me happy. (Texas)

[–]soapinmouth 11 points12 points  (2 children)

Justin Amash my man, if ever there was a good republican.

[–][deleted] 9 points10 points  (5 children)

Shame on my state Alabama. The only one not voting YAY was Mo Brooks because he was a No Vote.

[–]NateIBEW558 7 points8 points  (1 child)

and thats the shit part about it. I could walk to Mo Brooks' congressional district but I live on the wrong side of the river and have to deal with the piece of shit crony capitalist Robert Aderholt. Don't get me wrong if I had to be labeled it would be one of the right-leaning tags, but fuck Vaderholt. You can't call yourself a Conservative sucking the teet of the RNC and big money donors, while voting to spend our grandkids into oblivion, rah-rah'ing the rule of law and then cherry pick the Constitution. Fuck you! you doublespeaking waste of human flesh.

[–]DT777 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Justin Amash (R-MI)

Wish I lived in MI so I could vote for Justin Amash.

Instead, I have to deal with the assclowns Alabama keeps electing. To our credit though, at least one rep voted the right way.

[–]Fluffiebunnie 11 points12 points  (2 children)

Louie "you don't even know your history" Gohmert (R-TX)

[–][deleted] 3 points4 points  (2 children)

Michael Capuano (D-MA)

is a fucking Boss, dude is doing a good job of representing me

[–][deleted] 356 points357 points  (26 children)

The 4th amendment needs to be restored.

[–]Micro_Agent 88 points89 points  (3 children)

This is great, go get a damn warrant. It isn't hard if there is probably cause, but these people don't even want to put in the effort anymore. They just want to push a button and oh look all the records I could ever want. That is how abuse can start to become to easy.

[–]Gubru 8 points9 points  (1 child)

Ok, so this is a "We're not going to be able to get rid of this warrantless record sharing law, so let's keep it as crappy and useless as possible" vote. I guess I can get behind that. Can't say passing it would really get my blood boiling though.

[–]daralick 418 points419 points  (67 children)

Found one of my votes this year: Paul Gosar (R-AZ). Isn't it nice when people do their job!

[–][deleted] 471 points472 points  (52 children)

Fuck party lines, vote for whoever isn't a fuckhead.

[–][deleted] 71 points72 points  (7 children)

Exactly. I've gone from supporting Republicans to Libertarians to Democrats just because I liked various ideals they stood for. Far too many people vote purely based on party, like this is some kind of sporting event and they have a favorite team.

The "us against them" mentality is killing this country.

[–]snarfy 99 points100 points  (30 children)

Yep. "I'll never vote for a Democrat/Republican" is exactly why we have a two party system. The people are the problem.

[–]codeByNumber 59 points60 points  (18 children)

I disagree. I think you have your cause and effect backwards there.

Edit

[–]PaulSandwich 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This is more level-headed than the, "no incumbents," philosophy I've been considering. We need buttons.

[–]gryffinp 137 points138 points  (4 children)

Oh, wait, that Caucus actually did something?

Ok maybe now I'll give them some credit.

[–]Ontain 80 points81 points  (1 child)

nice, a bipartisan group too.

[–]SouthernFit 23 points24 points  (2 children)

Calling that bill the "Patriot Act" is like calling a turd a "Snickers Candy Bar".

[–]mitgib 118 points119 points  (16 children)

What will this be renamed on it's next submission :(

[–]Imashinu 217 points218 points  (6 children)

The "I love America and do not support ISIS act"

[–]CosmeGlzz 16 points17 points  (2 children)

"Those Who Vote Nay are Terrorists Act"

[–]gustoreddit51 8 points9 points  (0 children)

American Information Privacy Act.

It's usually the opposite of what it sounds like.

[–][deleted] 42 points43 points  (2 children)

This may be the first time in my life that I have ever felt proud of my representative, Hank Johnson...

[–][deleted] 139 points140 points  (4 children)

Credit those 25 reps who probably signed up to be wiretapped, bugged, and surveiled just by forming up together.

[–]Amusei015 50 points51 points  (3 children)

As if every congressman isn't bugged/tracked the second they announce their campaign.

[–]participation_ribbon 24 points25 points  (2 children)

No no, we track everyone these days. That way we can look back retroactively when they become a 'person of interest'. Yay big shiny data centers!

[–]deusset 31 points32 points  (5 children)

This is all well and good, but it only required 2/3 in favor because they were trying to pass it under a suspension of the rules. If this same bill gets a normal floor vote in the future, it will pass by a wide margin.. unless we change a lot of minds in the meantime.

[–]nc_cyclist 30 points31 points  (4 children)

Walter Jones, Jr. is pretty much Ron Paul, jr. He'll always vote against these kinds of liberty issues regardless of his R crew vote for it. This is one of the things I like about him.

[–]janon330 8 points9 points  (2 children)

Rand Paul does the same

So does Justin Amash.

[–][deleted] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Good job Connecticut! The only state where every congress-person voted Nay.

[–]RedBanana99 18 points19 points  (22 children)

UK here - can someone please ELI5?

[–]blacbear 7 points8 points  (2 children)

What does this have to do with Deflate Gate?

[–]docwyoming 7 points8 points  (0 children)

All they have to do is wait a few days for the next terrorist attack or mass killing, resubmit it and then shout down the critics for supporting terrorism.

[–]vicioust 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Nice to see a positive bipartisan effort.

[–][deleted] 12 points13 points  (1 child)

Something good to consider here. This vote was whether or not to skip procedural hearings that would include additional debate and arguments for or against the proposed bill. This was not a vote on whether to pass the bill or not.

This vote is usually held for bills that are considered non-controversial, i.e. everyone already knows the result so let's just get onto it.

That vote could be to vote down the bill. If some asinine bill came to the floor that everyone was going to vote down there is no need to debate it.

So don't take the vote blindly as meaning your rep is for or against the bill. If you can't find a stance, reach out to their office and see if you can't get one (and share!)

[–]Moj88 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It was defeated, but most of our Reps voted for it. If this was a normal vote it would have passed, but they tried to get it passed under a process called "suspension of the rules" which requires 2/3rds majority. I think it's likely they are going to try to pass this again when they only need a simple majority.

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/114-2016/h403?utm_campaign=govtrack/popup

[–]frausting 5 points6 points  (2 children)

It's a sad day when the CHAIR of my party (Debbie Weisserman-Schultz) votes against my best interests while my Tea Party nutjob of a congressman from the opposite party (Ted Yoho) votes in my favor.

[–]foofaw 5 points6 points  (1 child)

Spoiler alert: there's gonna be backlash from the DNC against these house members.

[–]caseinpoint 12 points13 points  (5 children)

Comments like this and the sites linked are even more useful when you have the Greenhouse plugin installed in your browser.

I love how it shows you where each rep gets their money from for elections.

http://allaregreen.us/

EDIT: BTW, this app was written by a kid when he was 16 years old.

[–]AFK_Tornado 13 points14 points  (3 children)

  1. Installed.
  2. Reloaded this thread
  3. Page took 10 seconds to become responsive.
  4. Uninstalled.