Fun_People Archive
21 Feb
Re: GOP attacks Constitution!

Date: Tue, 21 Feb 95 20:50:56 PST
From: Peter Langston <psl>
To: Fun_People
Subject: Re: GOP attacks Constitution!

[When this event was first reported on Fun_People (Mon, 13 Feb 95) I got enough
incredulous requests for further information to convince me that this
independent report would be of interest... -psl]

Forwarded-by: "pardo@cs.washington.edu" <pardo@cs.washington.edu>
[*Another* RRE forward...

 Somebody tried to ammend a bill with the 4th ammendment
 and it was voted out because it would ``destroy'' the bill...
 
 I looked briefly and didn't see a list of the vote to see
 who voted which way ... if you look it up, let me know! -- pardo]

Forwarded-by: Phil Agre <pagre@weber.ucsd.edu>
From: Marshall Kragen <mkragen@access.digex.net>
Subject: Voting down the Fourth Amendment

I heard this discussed by Charles Osgood this morning and went to
http://www.house.gov and pulled out the information.  As you can see, what
the House in effect yesterday did was to vote down the 4th Amendment to the
Constitution.   It was introduced as an Amendment to a bill named H.R.666,
which would make more exceptions to the exclusionary rule.  As you can see
from the excerpts of the debate I included someone thought the amendment
would hamper police in their efforts.  Someone else noted the irony of the
number of the bill involved.

Despite what Osgood said, that the Congressmen had not read the Constitution
they swore to support, they knew very well what the Amendment was and what
they were voting on.  Still, they did vote against the Amendment.

 % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % %

AMENDMENT OFFERED BY MR. WATT OF NORTH CAROLINA
            Mr. WATT of North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
                                                                   PAGE H1332
            The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
            The text of the amendment is as follows:
            Amendment offered by Mr. Watt of North Carolina: Page 2, line 13,
          strike all after the word `States,` and insert the following:

          `provided that the right of the people to be secure in their
          persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches
          and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue,
          but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and
          particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons
          or things to be seized.`
H1335
MCCALLUM: These technicalities are killing a lot of our
          police officers` efforts and the prosecutors` efforts to get
          convictions.
            I do not see why we should allow an amendment like this one that
          would just totally wipe out the bill, and that is what it does.

...........

Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words.
            Mr. Chairman, they are quoting the sanctity of the Constitution,
          and I was just looking through the Bible at Revelations. I would
          like to quote:
                                                                   PAGE H1336
            (13) And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and
          seven heads, with ten diadems upon its horns and a blasphemous name
          upon its heads.  And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its
          feet were like a bear`s, and its mouth was like a lion`s mouth.
          And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great
          authority.  One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its
          mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth followed the beast
          with wonder.  Men worshiped the dragon, for he had given his
          authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, `Who
          is like the beast, and who can fight against it?`
            And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous
          words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two
          months;
                                       TIME: 1810
                                                                   PAGE H1336
            Skipping over,

            It works great signs, even making fire come down from Heaven to
          earth in the sight of men; and by the signs which it is allowed to
          work in the presence of the beast, it deceives those who dwell on
          earth, bidding them make an image for the beast which was wounded
          by the sword and yet lived; and it was allowed to give breath to
          the image of the beast so that the image of that beast should even
          speak, and to cause those who would not worship the image of the
          beast to be slain.  Also it causes all, both small and great, both
          rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand
          or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the
          mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.
          This calls for wisdom: Let him who has understanding reckon the
          number of the beast, for it is a human number, its number is 666.

.........

RECORDED VOTE
                                                                   PAGE H1340
            Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.
            A recorded vote was ordered.
            The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were - ayes
          121, noes 303, not voting 10, as follows:

.........

© 1995 Peter Langston