Timothy B. Lee:
“I think that the government needs to comply with the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution all the time,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) in a floor speech opposing the bill. “We can be safe while still complying with the Constitution of the United States.”
But House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, (R-TX) disagreed. “Foreign terrorists continue to search for new ways to attack America,” he said before the vote. “Foreign nations continue to spy on America, to plot cyber attacks, and attempt to steal sensitive information from our military and private-sector industries.”
Yes, yes, he goes on to say that there are Republicans who oppose the bill. But the point still stands. As I said on Twitter and Facebook yesterday, what is it we conservatives think we’re conserving? I think it’s time to take a good, hard look at that.