Conyers Hits Critics of Dem Surveillance BillAt the mark-up of today’s RESTORE bill, House Judiciary Committee chairman John Conyers (D-MI) defended the surveillance measure, which he’s co-sponsoring, against criticism from both left and right:
To those who would claim that this bill is weak on terrorism, I would say that protecting the civil rights and liberties of Americans does not show our weakness, but our strength. What the terrorists fear most is our constitution and our values, and that is what this bill protects.
To those who say that the bill is too weak on civil liberties, I say that if you trust an independent court and have faith in congressional oversight, those liberties will not be jeopardized. That is the premise our democracy was founded on, and that is exactly what this bill does.
