The NRA and ACLU Came Together to Endorse NSA Reform in an Op-Ed. Then the Piece Disappeared.

National Journal Group ^ | November 18, 2014 | Dustin Volz

[george76]

The story vanished from the Washington Times website just hours after going online.

For a few hours, it was big news. And then it vanished.

On Monday morning, the American Civil Liberties Union and National Rifle Association published a joint op-ed in the Washington Times urging the Senate to pass legislation that would limit the government's domestic spying powers. It was a meaningful push from two powerful groups that—as the groups themselves noted—rarely agree on anything. And the support came just a day before the Senate is scheduled to take a key (and hotly contested) vote Tuesday on the measure, whose supporters titled it the "USA Freedom Act."

Hours after the op-ed went up on the Times site, however, it disappeared. The link to where the op-ed once appeared now tells readers, "This story is no longer available on the site."

And why exactly the op-ed disappeared remains a matter of mystery and contention.

David Keene, the opinion editor at the Times, said the op-ed was put up "prematurely" and subsequently taken down as a "courtesy" to the authors, who requested the action.

But Laura Murphy, director of the ACLU's Washington legislative office, who coauthored the piece, said that Keene's story was false. "That is inaccurate," Murphy said. "The version that was online was approved by the NRA, and I was not at all unhappy with the final product."

She added: "It was definitely taken down, and I am very disappointed. In terms of a rationale, you'd have to ask the Washington Times. … To say that it was not ready and that they did it as a courtesy to the party—they didn't do it as a courtesy to the ACLU."

Keene did not respond to multiple calls seeking additional comment

[MeshugeMikey]

as fate would have it the Internet Archive.....Archived the piece

it is located at:

https://web.archive.org/web/20141116122053/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/nov/14/chris-cox-laura-murphy-bipartisanship-in-defense-o/print/

[JimRed]

On Monday morning, the American Civil Liberties Union and National Rifle Association published a joint op-ed in the Washington Times urging the Senate to pass legislation that would limit the government's domestic spying powers.

With two different sets of goals. The NRA to protect law abiding citizens from government spying; the ACLU to protect communists, progressives, Marxists etc. from spying by the next administration.

[SoConPubbie]

Something stinks here.

Ted Cruz votes for this, while the GOP-E votes against it.

And then this.