Katrina vanden Heuvel: Constitutional Crisis (continued)

[marmar]

From The Nation:


BLOG | Posted 04/18/2007 @ 10:02pm
Constitutional Crisis (continued)


On the eve of Alberto Gonzales' testimony before Congress about his deep involvement in US Attorneygate, the Bush Administration has the gall to propose a bill which would greatly expand its ability to intercept telephone calls and e-mail correspondence as well as provide immunity to participating telecom companies. The bill would do far more damage to our right to privacy than many in the mainstream media are reporting.

According to the New York Times, Democratic leaders "reacted cautiously" to the White House proposal. (Even though "they have become increasingly concerned by disclosures of abuses in other data collection programs.") But is this a time for caution in dealing with this White House and its cronies? It's a time for spine, mettle, and moxie. The question that all small-d democrats need to ask themselves is this: are you a defender or a subverter of our Constitution?

The telecom immunity (with impunity!) provision of this should-be-dead-on-arrival proposal is easy to address. In opposing the measure, even Republican Senator Arlen Specter ☼ told The Times, "That provision is a pig in the poke. There has never been a statement from the Administration as to what these companies have done. That's been an intolerable situation."

As for White House claims that it is simply trying to "modernize" the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) – there is a clear record of FISA providing both the oversight needed to guard against executive abuse and meeting our nation's national security needs.
...(snip)...

FISA needs to be strengthened, not weakened. Gonzales needs to resign – he has no credibility as our top law enforcement official. And investigations need to be held to determine the telecom role during five years of illegal domestic spying.

There is only one bright side to this latest chapter of madness in the long insanity of the Bush Administration. It raises another opportunity for sane political leaders and pro-democracy patriots to push back and answer this fundamental question: are we a nation of laws or do we bend to the partisan rule of a few men? .......

The complete piece is at: http://www.thenation.com/blogs/edcut?bid=7&pid=187608

[Uncle Joe]

1. Thanks for the thread marmar

Kicked and recommended

[reprobate]

2. do we bend to the partisan rule of a few men?

Yep,we do. That's why our leadership took impeachment off the table.

I was elated when the dems took the house and the senate. Now I'm feeling like all the work done by so many grass roots people was wasted. The party, as well as the pugs is too dependent on the corporate lobbyist tit for their campaign financing. And a great deal of that money comes from defense related corporations. They will do nothing to endanger that money.

It's why Waxman is no longer interested in holding hearings about the possible treason uncovered by Sibel Edmonds and verified by FBI investigations involving Feith, Perle, and Grossman, along with defense corporations, involving arms sales to Israel --http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=275971&mesg_id=275971
I cannot help but reach the conclusion that the only difference between the pugs and the dems is the former have the balls to take power, and the dems are simply afraid of power.

[thinkbridge]

3. exactly! we need to take back America and its Constitution

The Bush administration has subverted the Constitution and our liberties by these policies of Big Brother-style surveillance, that can only serve a dictatorial police state, and do not protect us from terrorism. They're like the absent-minded professor, wearing thick glasses and reading fine print while walking through a war zone. Wake up, guys! It's not just privacy that's being invaded. It's not just Iraq, either. It's our own democracy that's coming apart, unless we take it back to those it belongs to - the American people, not a little rich clique which happens to be very powerful, unimaginably rich, and very, very well-armed. Lots of luck, pray hard, and let's rock...

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. War is Peace, and Foreign is Domestic

It doesn't so much 'modernize' FISA, as turn it upside down, back-to-front, and inside-out (and nothing lives long like that - think of the baboon in The Fly):

By changing the definition of "electronic surveillance", the Administration would be able to exempt all international phone calls from the warrant requirement. The same holds true for e-mails. The government wouldn't have to go to the FISA Court long unless it knew that "the sender and all intended recipients are located within" the US.

So the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court will be able to authorise taps on purely domestic communication; but if there is actually anything 'foreign' about the communication, Bush will be able to do it without asking anyone else at all. :banghead: