Political Blotter: Barbara Lee first among State of the Union 'squatters'

This is a sampling from Bay Area News Group's Political Blotter blog. Read more and post comments at www.ibabuzz.com/politics.

Feb. 12

Cox Media Group Washington correspondent Scott MacFarlane tweets that Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, and Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., are the first two members of Congress to arrive in the House chamber today to save seats for tonight's State of the Union address.

Lee arrived eight hours early to camp out along the center aisle, according to MacFarlane's tweets, "wearing midnight blue suit has folders of papers to occupy her during long wait in House chamber, saving prime seat."

Lee's office hasn't yet responded to my inquiry of whether there's something specific Lee intends to say to the president as he moves by. If I had to guess, I'd say it'll have something to do with drone warfare and Lee's ongoing effort to repeal the use-of-force authorization Congress passed in September 2001. Of course, she'll have to be rather succinct.

The Washington Post has a fun story today about congressional "squatters" who arrive many hours in advance to claim prime seats in order to claim five seconds of national television time with the president of the United States as he enters the chamber.

Feb. 15

A new bill co-authored by a Bay Area congresswoman would establish due process protections for

Americans against government-operated unmanned aerial drones in U.S. airspace.

HR 637, the Preserving American Privacy Act by Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, and Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, would also forbid law enforcement and private drones from being armed with firearms or explosives while operating within U.S. airspace.

"The expanded use of drones on U.S. soil raises serious constitutional and civil liberties issues that Congress needs to address," Lofgren said in a news release. "These devices should be used in a safe, open and responsible manner. This bill would ensure that drones follow strict guidelines to protect Americans' privacy while still realizing their practical applications for science, border security, public safety and commercial development."

Said Poe: "Just because Big Brother can look into someone's backyard doesn't mean it should. Technology may change, but the Constitution does not."

The bill would require that government agencies must obtain a warrant to use drones to collect information that can identify individuals in a private area, and get a court order and provide public notice beforehand to collect information that can identify individuals in defined public areas. Those requirements would be subject to exceptions for emergencies, border security and consent, however.

The bill also would forbid privately operated drones from being used to capture images or sound recordings of people engaging in personal activities in certain circumstances in which the individual has a reasonable expectation of privacy.

Source: http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_22610780/political-blotter-barbara-lee-first-among-state-union?source=rss

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