Interesting post yesterday on Daily Koz by “Karen from Maui” highlighting a key difference between Sen. Brian Schatz and his primary challenger, Rep. Colleen Hanabusa.
Schatz voted against the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act , while Hanabusa supported it.
Senator Schatz said at the time:
“My first vote as United States Senator was against the FISA Amendments Act because it failed to provide transparency, accountability and reasonable limits when the federal government conducts surveillance for intelligence purposes. While I recognize that the FISA Amendments Act has helped to produce useful intelligence, I fear that we do not have a full understanding of the impact that this law has on the privacy of Americans. We need a comprehensive review of the FISA Amendments Act to ensure that Americans’ privacy and civil liberties are protected.”
The revelations of this past week regarding previously secret monitoring of billions of telephone calls by the government certainly validates Schatz’ reservations.
“Karen from Maui” continues:
It is certainly clear that Colleen Hanabusa is an anomaly in progressive Hawai’i. Instead of joining the Progressive caucus as did Mazie Hirono (and as Brian Schatz promised to do when he ran for the House) she joined the Blue Dog spin-off group, New Democrat Coalition (NDC).
Hanabusa’s group continues to proudly tout that “We’re ready to deal” (away Social Security) and pushes a hawkish foreign policy.
So I think we’re seeing some central campaign themes emerging early in this race.
By the way, Glenn Greemwald followed his excellent reporting in the Guardian with an on-point column on the value of whistleblowers and “leaks” (“On whistleblowers and government threats of investigation: No healthy democracy can endure when the most consequential acts of those in power remain secret and unaccountable“).
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To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin: Those Who Would Sacrifice Liberty For Security Deserve Neither.
The more I hear about Shatz the better I like him. The more I hear about Hanabusa the less I like her, (if that is possible).
So Hanabusa agrees with Obama?
Yes. Hananbusa agrees with what Obama and his administration are doing. She disagrees, however, with what Obama claims that he stands for. It all depends on which Obama you’re talking about.
She agrees with the actual, as opposed to the fantasy, Obama.
Hanabusa agrees with Obama when he allows the NSA to spy on all of Verizon’s customers.
She, however, DISAGREED with Obama who said CISPA went too far in spying on American’s Internet use and that he would veto it.
She voted in FAVOR of CISPA. All our other members of Congress voted against CISPA.
So basically Hanabusa follows the line of her organization the “New Democrat [sic] Coalition” which pushed hard for FISA renewal and CISPA.
Oh, yeah, Obama’s WAY too principled to spy on people’s Internet use!
Ferdun and Benny have it right.
There is only one “Karen From Maui!”
I’m with Senator Sanders on this one… and most issues.
But then, maybe they have a record of the call I needed to make but lost the number. Now THAT would be Government service!
Perhaps most troubling is that too many people either don’t care or believe that the loss of our privacy is for the “greater good.”
Hanabusa — my Rep.– voted the Obama – Inouye party line on every vote. Whereas Hirono would vote/support progressive line. That’s why Inouye named Hanabusa, party puppet, to succeed him.