First there was the Second Amendment Preservation Act, a bill floated in a number of conservative statehouses in recent months that would make it a crime for U.S. government officials to enforce federal gun laws within their state boundaries. <\/p>\n
Now comes the Fourth Amendment Protection Act. <\/p>\n
Its the name of a ripped-from-the-headlines bill introduced by state lawmakers in California on Monday. <\/p>\n
It would ban state agencies and officials from helping the federal government collect electronic data and metadata on Americans without a targeted warrant. And it would prohibit state and local law enforcement authorities from using such data in their investigations and prosecutions. <\/p>\n
Lawmakers in Arizona and Oklahoma are drafting similar measures all of them based on model bill language crafted by the Los Angeles-based Tenth Amendment Center, the same states rights advocacy group that also spearheaded the Second Amendment protection lobbying campaign. <\/p>\n
In a lively-worded statement, Sen. Ted Lieu, a Democrat from Redondo Beach who sponsored the bill, described it as an essential guard against privacy abuses, decrying the National Security Agencys spy programs as a direct threat to our liberty and freedom. <\/p>\n
The NSA believes its data collection to be legal and is defending the agencys surveillance programs in pending lawsuits across the country. <\/p>\n
Its not clear how the measure would actually intersect with federal spy programs. <\/p>\n
A statement from Mr. Lieus office announcing the bill says: To collect data on Californians, the NSA sometimes relies upon services provided by the state and\/or private entities that provide services on behalf of the state. <\/p>\n
The California bill doesnt specify any penalties for violations by state officials. A spokesman for Mr. Lieu called the bill a starting point. <\/p>\n
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Follow this link: First there was the Second Amendment Preservation Act, a bill floated in a number of conservative statehouses in recent months that would make it a crime for U.S. government officials to enforce federal gun laws within their state boundaries. Continue reading
\nCalifornia, Other States, Weighing Anti-NSA Bills<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"