Bush: Americans ‘Ought To Say Thank You’ To Telecoms For ‘Performing A Patriotic Service’

[kpete]

Bush: Americans ‘Ought To Say Thank You’ To Telecoms For ‘Performing A Patriotic Service’
The Bush administration has launched an aggressive campaign to pressure the House into passing retroactive immunity for telecoms that participated in the government’s warrantless wiretapping program.

Because they complied in illegally wiretapping their customers, telecoms currently face around 40 lawsuits. Yesterday in a speech to the National Association of Attorneys General, Bush sharply criticized Americans who are suing the telecoms:

Now the question is, should these lawsuits be allowed to proceed, or should any company that may have helped save American lives be thanked for performing a patriotic service; should those who stepped forward to say we’re going to help defend America have to go to the courthouse to defend themselves, or should the Congress and the President say thank you for doing your patriotic duty? I believe we ought to say thank you.

more at:
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/04/thank-you-telecom/

[leftofcool]

1. OK, thank you for spying on me........better?

[liberal N proud]

2. Thank you sir, may I have another

Only this time put some KY on it

What a fucking ass!

[Happyhippychick]

3. Thank you for trampling on my civil liberties!

[enki23]

4. thank you, illegal wiretappers. thank you, torturers.

thank you to everyone in this country who would wipe their ass with the constitution if a republican asked them to do it (and oh, they often do.)

[Cant trust em]

5. thank you for violating my civil rights

"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both."

Cheers to Ben Franklin.

[wtmusic]

6. Heh heh. If dipshit is bringing it up, you know they're worried. nt

[wtmusic]

16. Now's a good time to phone Harry Reid again

we can't let them cave on this. The pressure is on.

202-224-3542
FAX [phone]

[Blaze Diem]

7. Hey George..Fuck you, you Fucking little Fuck.

Fucking mass murdeing corrupt sonofabitch.
thief liar asshole-of-the-world
go fuck yourself you fucking fuck.
---oh ya, one more thing..Fuck You

[malaise]

22. Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaah

Ditto :rofl:

[TahitiNut]

8. Thus spake Benito Bushoilini

:puke:

[RethugAssKicker]

9. Bush is not an American ... .he has no understanding of

our values. He is a Nazi, facist, and an imperialist.

[Vickers]

10. "may have helped save American lives"

Give me specifics, you insane douchebag.

[niyad]

11. george, read my fingers.

[fasttense]

12. Everything the bush says is a lie. If you take the opposite of what he said

then you get close to the truth.

So, the lawsuits against the corporations should be allowed to proceed WITHOUT question.

So no companies helped save American lives, in fact they probably helped kill a few Americans.

These Telecom corporations did NOT do anything resembling patriotism in fact they violated the Constitution.

These corporations did not step forward, they probably were forced by the bushes.

These telecoms did not defend America. They probably sold our country out to the highest bidder.

These corporations are not defending themselves. They are simply spinning the law to avoid accountability.

The Congress and the Idiot-In-Chief should say WTF have you corporations done to this country? Why are you selling out the United states and the Constitution?

See how easy that is? The truth is just the opposite of what the bush says.

[Hydra]

13. Screw you very much!

Immunity is not candy to be given out to the children how did what you asked.

[SeattleGirl]

14. Thank you for violating my civil rights.

NOT!

[Jack Rabbit]

15. It would have been more patriotic to stand by the Fourth Amendment

The telecoms who assisted the junta should be litigated into bankruptcy.

Bush (whose penchant for veracity is well known) says that the NSA/telecom program saved lives. I challenge that statement. Collecting that volume of data, most of which is useless to the matter at hand, and sifting through it for any relevant inteliigence would be so cumbersome that by the time a threat is determined to exist, the data is stale. If I'm wrong, I want proof. There would have to be a great many lives saved to justify a wholesale violation of the Fourth Amendment. Otherwise, more conventional, less intrusive means would have done just as well.

[AzDar]

17. He is an Un-American Monkey-Fuck. Jeebus Christ, I DESPISE that confused little Asshat.

And that goes DOUBLE for any DEMS who sell us, and our Constitutional Rights, down the proverbial river!
Gahhhhhh!:mad:

[L. Coyote]

18. Me thinks they don't want to talk about torture! TORTURE, war crimes = death penalty!

[jmondine]

19. That reminds me... got to make an appt. for my annual "patriotic service" with my proctologist

[HuffleClaw]

20. what madness, why not thank a mugger as well?

he is ONLY desperate to SAVE HIS OWN ASS. this has NOTHING to do with the telecoms.

[mojowork_n]

21. Thanks to "Blue Dog" Democrats in the House, it's looking like we will

There was a thread on this yesterday (Studs Terkel), to which I posted an update, earlier:

I can't copy and paste the link, anymore, but here's a link to the update, which can take you to the full text:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2951277&mesg_id=2958598

Wiretap Compromise in Works
FISA Update May Hinge On Two Separate Votes

By Ellen Nakashima and Paul Kane
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, March 4, 2008; A03

House and Senate Democratic leaders are headed into talks today that they say could lead to a breakthrough on legislation to revamp domestic surveillance powers and grant phone companies some form of immunity for their role in the administration's warrantless wiretapping program after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

A senior House Democratic aide said a bill could be sent to President Bush as early as next week. But significant issues remain, including those surrounding immunity, said Wyndee R. Parker, general counsel of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence...

<snip>

...Highlighting the party's struggle to heal its internal fractures, today's meetings will involve Democratic staff from the House and Senate intelligence and Judiciary committees, the House Democratic leadership, and then the House Democratic caucus. The dilemma faced by Democrats is that Republicans and the administration oppose any bill other than the measure passed by the Senate that includes full retroactive immunity for the telecommunications companies.

"This is not amnesty," Wainstein said at the meeting. "This is targeted immunity" for companies who meet requirements specified in the Senate bill that include having received an attorney general's certification that their assistance was determined to be lawful.

A group of several dozen moderate to conservative House Democrats, known as "Blue Dogs," has pushed Hoyer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to approve the Senate bill. Some aides on Capitol Hill were discussing the potential for the House passing the Senate version but breaking it into two votes: one on the portion of the bill that deals with revising FISA provisions and a second on the immunity measure.

This procedural move would allow many Democrats to vote against immunity but still make its approval all but certain, since almost every Republican and some centrist Democrats would vote in favor..."

[catnhatnh]

23. I agree with the Presidents request.....

and have no problem with him and the congress thanking the telecoms should they desire to do so.Immunity on the other hand would be an outrageous infringement of the right of judicial redress of nearly 300 million Americans, most of whom appearently had their Constitutionally guaranteed civil rights violated....so do what you must,George-thank them, stroke them, fluff them like porn stars if you must...Congress can behave as cravenly as they choose, but with the clear understanding that we, the voters are watching.I personally have been violated not only in what they MAY HAVE HEARD OR RECORDED but in the inhibition of my God and First Ammendment given right to openly and freely speak.You asked, Mr. Bush, and they (mostly) complied.You are a traitor and they are your accomplices.I sleep easier at night knowing your fear and loathing of the judgement of your fellow citizens will disturb you for the balance of your life and will wager you will opt for an undisclosed and unmarked grave.Oh yeah-5th K&R....

[dysfunctional press]

27. speaking of constitutional guarantees...

why isn't retroactive immunity itself un-constitutional as a law of ex-post facto? :shrug:

[guitar man]

24. I will not thank the bastards!

However, I want to thank a real patriot, Dennis Kucinich for a real act of patriotism, having the spine to introduce articles of impeachment...:patriot:

[truebrit71]

25. For spying on us BEFORE the planes hit the WTC in 2001?

Two words for you chimpy, 'fuck', and 'off'.....

[damntexdem]

26. Thank you for screwing me over and destroying my privacy.

And thank you for enabling our War-Criminal-in-Chief.