Political Quotes

“Thank you very much, Mr. Conyers. To my friends on the other side of the aisle who have expressed passion about passing this, you're good Americans, and I respect your position. I respectfully disagree. We have to defend our country from attacks on the outside. I voted, along with other Members of this Congress, right after 9/11, for the United States to defend itself. But it's equally important that we not lose our freedoms and our constitutional protections while we're engaged in that defense. We take an oath not only to defend the Constitution, but we have to keep in mind that that oath and that Constitution is really part of America's first line of defense. Think of what it's like to make a phone call, any one of us right now. We make a phone call--even from this Capitol--to call a friend overseas, start talking about matters relating to what's happening in America, what's happening in the world. The way this law is written, without changes, those phone calls could be intercepted. They cannot only be intercepted, but they can be downloaded, transcribed, and stored for future use by the government. I have a problem with that. It's a great concern. What happens is that everyone then becomes suspect when Big Brother is listening. I don't think that government should have the right to listen in to people's phone calls unless there's a warrant. You have to have probable cause. That's what the Fourth Amendment is about. This bill doesn't have those protections.…”