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NEWS AND VIEWS THAT IMPACT LIMITED CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT

"There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with
power to endanger the public liberty." - - - - John Adams

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

GOP Governor vetoed bill limiting spying on the American people



Another Police State Republican
It staggers me how few so-called "Conservatives"
understand the Bill of Rights.


ATLANTA (Tenth Amendment Center)  –  Georgia GOP Gov. Nathan Deal vetoed a bill that would have placed minimal limitations on warrantless drone surveillance in the state.
Rep. Kevin Tanner (R-Dawsonville) and a bipartisan coalition of five cosponsors introduced House Bill 779 (HB779) in January. The legislation would have required a warrant before police could engage in drone surveillance in some situations. It would have also banned the use of weaponsized drones.
The bill also included provisions that would have limited retention and sharing of data obtained by drones.

HB779 had problematic language from the start. The warrant requirement only applied to “gathering evidence or other information in a private place or of an individual in a private place.” This would have allowed police to track and record people in any public area. 
This becomes  particularly problematic due to the flexible definition of “private.” In some cases, courts have held anything visible through a window without curtains is considered “public.” The legislation would have left it up to law enforcement to determine what constitutes “private.” In practice, the bill would have required a warrant in only a limited number of situations.
In the meantime, police can utilize drones in George with absolutely no limits at all.While the legislation wasn’t as robust as we would hope, it would have been a good first step. 
Even minimal restrictions on drone surveillance are better than the status quo – police using drones whenever, wherever and however they want. This includes loading them up with lethal weapons.
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