D.C. Appeals Court Weakens Lawsuit Against NSA Phone Data Collection

Editorial Cartoon by AF "Tony" Branco

Today In Washington, D.C. - August 28, 2015
Bill Smith, Editor: Congress is still on its August recess until Sept 8th.  Many constituents are also reaching out to them and telling them to vote NO on the Iran Nuke Deal.

We must stop this bad deal. We must put pressure on Congress to reject this deal and prevent our children from inheriting a dangerous threat by this nuclear-armed regime.

This deal guarantees that our children will inherit a nuclear Iran – one that already chants "death to America" in the streets and burns our flag.

ACTION ITEM: To view where your two Senators stand visit The Iran Scorecard. "It identifies who is "On the Fence," who "Stands With Iran," and who "Stands With America."

Call your members of Congress right now at 202-224-3121. (Their staffs are working - Leave a message). Even if you have called before, call again. Discuss the following info and previously reported info on the Iran Nuke Deal Even if your representative or Senator has e already come out in favor of the deal, especially call them and express your anger over this sell out of America. If things continue on track, Iran will become capable of delivering nukes on America.

Tell them that they should not vote for any nuclear agreement that they have not fully read -- and they have not read these secret side deals. More importantly, they should not support any nuclear deal that allows Iran, given its history of deception, to self-inspect. Tell your senators and representative that Iran cannot be trusted. Tell them to oppose the Iranian nuclear deal. Then check out the names of Senators (all Democrats) still supporting this deal and call every friend or relative who lives in these Senators' states and beg them for the sake of future generations to Call their Senator.

Other News in Washington, D.C.
Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia dealt a blow to a lawsuit against NSA’s bulk phone data collection.

Ellen Nakashima at the Washington Post reports, "A three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that public interest lawyer Larry Klayman, the founder of Freedom Watch, has not proved his own phone records were collected by the NSA – and so has not met a condition of bringing the lawsuit.

"It sent the case back to a lower court for further deliberation on the issue.

"The panel’s ruling also reverses a ban on the NSA’s collection that had been imposed -and temporarily stayed-by a District Court judge in December 2013.

"But the ruling, which is strictly procedural, does not address the constitutionality or legality of the program."

The ruling lifting the injunction against the NSA phone call records program can be read here.

The Post further noted, "Congress in June put an end to the program, passing a law that barred the government from collecting phone and other records in bulk. But the NSA is continuing to do so as it transitions the program to phone companies by December.

"In Friday’s ruling, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia sent the case back to the lower court for further deliberation on the standing issue.

"Circuit Court Judge Stephen F. Williams wrote that the lead plaintiff, conservative legal activist Larry Klayman, “lack[s] direct evidence” that records involving his calls “have actually been collected.”

"Klayman, the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, is a customer of Verizon Wireless. The only phone company that the government has acknowledged was part of the program is Verizon Business Network Services.

"The Department of Justice declined to comment on the case.

"The panel’s ruling reverses the judgment of U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon found that Klayman “demonstrated a substantial likelihood of success” in his bid to prove that his Fourth Amendment right to privacy was violated and that the NSA program was likely unconstitutional."

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