Republicans take on NSA

I never thought I would agree to anything the Republican party did, but they finally came up with a position I agree with as reported in The Guardian.  The Republican National Committee adopted a resolution denouncing the NSA bulk collection of phone data in the US, which they learned about thanks to Edward Snowden.  Now if they were kind enough to thank him and accord him whistleblower status, I might have to think more kindly of them, at least for a few minutes.

In its resolution, the RNC also called for a special committee to “investigate, report, and reveal to the public the extent of this domestic spying” and “hold accountable those public officials who are found to be responsible for this unconstitutional surveillance”. The resolution goes on to say that “the mass collection and retention of personal data is in itself contrary to the right of privacy protected by the fourth amendment of the United States constitution".  “I think that the committee's resolution this morning was about reflecting where it thinks sentiment lies,” the RNC deputy press secretary, Raffi Williams, told the Guardian.

“The Republican National Committee encourages Republican lawmakers to enact legislation to amend Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act, the state secrets privilege, and the Fisa Amendments Act to make it clear that blanket surveillance of the internet activity, phone records and correspondence – electronic, physical, and otherwise – of any person residing in the US is prohibited by law and that violations can be reviewed in adversarial proceedings before a public court,” the resolution says.
It also “encourages Republican lawmakers to immediately take action to halt current unconstitutional surveillance programs and provide a full public accounting of the NSA’s data collection programs”.

No word if George W Bush and Dick Cheney will be hauled before a congressional committee.