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Michigan Congressman Justin Amash, a 34-year-old Republican, has lots of opinions.
The correct name for Star Trek fans? "Trekkies" -- not "Trekkers." The latest installment of Captain America? A "fantastic" indictment of government surveillance. Using hashtags on Twitter? Soooo 2008.
But those aren't the beliefs that have put Amash in the cross-hairs of his fellow Republicans, who have called him a "wacko bird," an "egregious asshole," someone who "votes more with the Democrats than with the Republicans," and most recently, "al Qaeda's best friend in the Congress." Some GOP lawmakers have gone so far as to donate money to his primary opponent. Amash, in turn, uses Twitter and Facebook to call out other Republican lawmakers by name and accuse them of sacrificing core GOP beliefs for political gain.
The fight stems from Amash's uncompromising belief that the federal government has grown far too large and far too powerful, especially when it comes to national security. He has reserved particular fury for the National Security Agency (NSA), which he sees as an out-of-control spy agency that has run roughshod over the Constitution and the privacy rights of ordinary Americans. Amash wants to sharply rein in the NSA's powers, and -- to the surprise and consternation of many in his own party -- the young lawmaker may help determine the makeup of the historic NSA reform bill cobbled together by powerful lawmakers from both parties.
The correct name for Star Trek fans? "Trekkies" -- not "Trekkers." The latest installment of Captain America? A "fantastic" indictment of government surveillance. Using hashtags on Twitter? Soooo 2008.
But those aren't the beliefs that have put Amash in the cross-hairs of his fellow Republicans, who have called him a "wacko bird," an "egregious asshole," someone who "votes more with the Democrats than with the Republicans," and most recently, "al Qaeda's best friend in the Congress." Some GOP lawmakers have gone so far as to donate money to his primary opponent. Amash, in turn, uses Twitter and Facebook to call out other Republican lawmakers by name and accuse them of sacrificing core GOP beliefs for political gain.
The fight stems from Amash's uncompromising belief that the federal government has grown far too large and far too powerful, especially when it comes to national security. He has reserved particular fury for the National Security Agency (NSA), which he sees as an out-of-control spy agency that has run roughshod over the Constitution and the privacy rights of ordinary Americans. Amash wants to sharply rein in the NSA's powers, and -- to the surprise and consternation of many in his own party -- the young lawmaker may help determine the makeup of the historic NSA reform bill cobbled together by powerful lawmakers from both parties.
Continued...http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2014/05/12/this_twitter_loving_trekkie_is_the_nsa_s_worst_enemy
And, consequently, my favorite Congressman who also follows me on Twitter.
