Bipartisan Lawsuit Against Obama On Libya

Libya Lawsuit Against Obama

Liberals outraged by Libya intervention

WASHINGTON, April 1 (UPI) -- Liberal Democrats, key to Barack Obama's election as U.S. president, are some of the loudest critics on his strategy on Libya, a review of reaction indicates.

Floor speeches, committee hearings, even legislation, have been used by congressional liberals to voice outrage over the administration's decision to send U.S. forces to help Libyan rebels oust strongman Moammar Gadhafi, The Hill reported Friday.

"In two years we have moved from President [George W.] Bush's doctrine of preventive war to President Obama's assertion of the right to go to war without even the pretext of a threat to our nation," Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, an anti-war liberal, said Thursday during a House floor speech. "This is a clear and arrogant violation of our Constitution. Even a war launched for humanitarian reasons is still a war -- and only Congress can declare war."

Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., said Congress and the White House have argued for years over the division of power in wartime, but "the Constitution grants sole authority to the Congress to commit the nation to battle in the first instance."

With Gadhafi threatening to attack protesters, international forces -- first led by the United States and now by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization -- launched air and sea assaults to establish a no-fly zone and weaken the Libyan military. Obama explained his decision on Monday, saying it was based primarily on humanitarian grounds.

Wednesday's classified briefing from administration officials didn't ease liberal concerns about how the operation began, either, The Hill reported.

"It still needs authorization," Rep. Mike Honda, D-Calif., said after the briefing.

House liberals also are backing a Republican bill that would remove all funding for the intervention until Congress authorizes it, The Hill reported. Democratic Reps. Kucinich, Pete Stark of California and Michael Capuano of Massachusetts are among the co-sponsors.

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/04/01/Liberals-outraged-by-Libya-intervention/UPI-88761301671525/#ixzz1IIN3dSwr

Resolution Proposed to End Illegal Afghan War

Resolution Proposed to End Illegal Afghan War

by grtv

On Thursday, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) introduced H. Com Res. 248, a privileged resolution with 16 original cosponsors that will require the House of Representatives to debate whether to continue the war in Afghanistan. Debate on the resolution is expected early next week.

Original cosponsors of the Kucinich resolution include John Conyers, Jr. (D-Michigan); Ron Paul (R-Texas); José Serrano (D-New York); Bob Filner (D-California); Lynn Woolsey (D-California); Walter Jones, Jr. (R-North Carolina); Danny Davis (D-Illinois); Barbara Lee (D-California); Michael Capuano (D-Massachusetts); Raúl Grijalva (D-Arizona); Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin); Timothy Johnson (R-Illinois); Yvette Clarke (D-New York); Eric Massa (D-New York), Alan Grayson (D-Florida) and Chellie Pingree (D-Maine).

The Pentagon doesn’t want Congress to debate Afghanistan. The Pentagon wants Congress to fork over $33 billion more to pay for the current military escalation, no questions asked, no restrictions imposed for a withdrawal timetable or an exit strategy.

Bi-Partisan Alliance Beats Back PATRIOT Act Sneak Attack in House Vote

News Update by Kevin Bankston

Today in the U.S. House of Representatives, an unlikely alliance of House Democrats and Republicans stood up for civil liberties and successfully beat back a fast-track attempt to reauthorize the USA PATRIOT Act without the much-needed checks and balances EFF haschampioned.

The renewal bill voted on today would have extended three dangerous surveillance provisions in the PATRIOT Act until December 2011, provisions that are otherwise set to expire at the end of this month. In order to pass under the fast-track procedure adopted by House leadership to prevent the introduction of any reform-minded amendments, the bill would have had to garner a two/thirds majority--that is, 290 votes. The renewal effort narrowly failed on a final vote of 277 Yeahs to 148 Nays, thanks to the staunch opposition of Democratic leaders and an insurgent movement of freshman Republican Representatives and "Tea Party" conservatives who were unwilling to rubber-stamp the PATRIOT renewal.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), one of the most consistent anti-PATRIOT voices, once again voiced his opposition to PATRIOT renewal today, voicing concerns about the civil liberties implications of the proposal:

The Patriot Act is a destructive undermining of the Constitution. How about today we take a stand for the Constitution to say that all Americans should be free from unreasonable search and seizure, and to make certain that the attempt to reauthorize the Patriot Act is beat down.

The House Judiciary Committee's ranking Democrat, John Conyers (D-Michigan), has been just as outspoken, calling the PATRIOT Act "One of the worst laws this body has ever passed."

Meanwhile, some new Republican Representatives refused to vote for the bill both out of concerns about the bill and frustration at the rushed renewal process. Rep. Todd Rokita (R-Ind.), one of the Republican freshman who voted "no", complained that he “didn’t know anything about (the vote) until today.” Rokita continued:

In a free society you have to be very careful as to taking away the civil liberties of the American people.... Even if the bill is well intentioned and the law is well intentioned it can be used against innocent people. So that was my concern.

While today’s vote was a victory for civil liberties, we are not yet free of the expiring surveillance provisions or the PATRIOT Act itself. The White House is advocating for reauthorization of the PATRIOT Act until December 2013, and Congessional leaders in both the House and the Senate are determined to pass some sort of PATRIOT renewal bill before Congress leaves for recess at the end of next week. So please stay tuned to our action center to learn how you can speak out for civil liberties in the crucial weeks ahead--and thank you to everyone who acted to help stop today's PATRIOT Act sneak attack!