OC Political

This came across the wire from the office of Assemblyman Travis Allen earlier today:

Assemblyman Travis Allen Calls Upon the President and Congress to Prioritize the Protection of American’s Civil Liberties While Preventing Threats to National Security Legislation urges the NSA to provide security without infringing on citizen’s fundamental rights

SACRAMENTO –Assemblyman Travis Allen (R-Huntington Beach) introduced Assembly Joint Resolution (AJR 26), calling upon the President and Congress of the United States to make the protection of civil liberties and national security equal priorities, and to immediately discontinue any practices that are contrary to the 4^th Amendment of the United States Constitution.

“Our country was founded on the principles of protecting individual liberties and the inalienable rights of the people from the infringement of overreaching governments. There must be no compromise between national security and honoring our commitment to every American citizen through the Constitution. Both are equally important and neither should take precedent over the other.   Government should be transparent, strive for the highest level of integrity, and be held accountable to the public,” said Assemblyman Allen.

Recently there have been reports that the National Security Agency (NSA) has been collecting and storing Internet, phone and financial data of American citizens in an alleged attempt to stop terrorist activity. This revelation that the NSA has been collecting these records from unaware American citizens has raised questions amongst the public about the constitutionality of the government’s actions.

AJR 26 appeals to the federal government to equally prioritize the need for national security against terrorist threats and the protection of every American citizen’s Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches. Further, it acknowledges that in today’s modern, advanced technology society the personal information of the citizenry can be easily obtained and cataloged, which is why it is incumbent upon all individuals to be vigilant in securing our civil liberties.

“Our government should always work to protect Americans from threats to national security, but we must not cast aside our Constitution in the process,” said Assemblyman Allen.

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