lily
12-17-2007, 11:42 PM
What a bunch of panty waisted wimps. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/17/AR2007121700872.html?hpid=topnews)
Bush's Phone Immunity Demand Wins Initial Senate Vote
By Thomas Ferraro
Reuters
Monday, December 17, 2007; 3:52 PM
WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush's demand for immunity for telephone
companies that participated in his warrantless domestic spying program won
an initial victory on Monday in the U.S. Senate.
On a vote of 76-10, far more than the 60 needed, the Democratic-led Senate
cleared a procedural hurdle and began considering a bill to increase
congressional and judicial oversight of electronic surveillance of suspected
terrorists.
It includes a provision to grant retroactive immunity to any
telecommunications company that took part in Bush's spying program --
surveillance without court warrants of e-mails and telephone calls of people
in the United States -- begun shortly after the September 11 attacks.
Nearly 40 lawsuits have been filed accusing AT&T, Verizon and Sprint Nextel
Corp. of violating U.S. privacy rights.
Backers of immunity, who include some Democrats as well many of Bush's
fellow Republicans, contend companies should be thanked, not punished, for
helping defend the United States.
But civil liberties advocates and a number of Democratic lawmakers argue the
courts should determine if any company violated privacy rights of
law-abiding Americans.
Democrats vow to offer amendments in coming days to remove the immunity
provision while backing a number of proposed new civil-liberty safeguards
that enjoy broad support.
Sixty votes will likely be needed to prevail on any such immunity amendment
in the 100-member Senate. "It's going to be an uphill battle," a Democratic
aide said.
Sen. Chris Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat, interrupted his long-shot
presidential campaign to return to Washington to help lead the charge
against immunity. "For the last six years, our largest telecommunication
companies have been spying on their own American customers," Dodd said.
"That decision betrayed million of customers' trust," Dodd added. "But was
it illegal? I don't know. And if this bill passes in its current form, we
will never know."
The White House said in a statement, "Providing liability protection to
these companies is a just result" and warned that allowing litigation "risks
the disclosure of highly classified information regarding intelligence
sources and methods."
The House of Representatives last month defied Bush and refused to shield
phone companies from lawsuits. Both chambers would have to agree to immunity
before it could be granted.
The 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) requires the
government receive the approval of a secret FISA court to conduct
surveillance in the United States of suspected foreign enemy targets.
But shortly after the September 11 attacks, Bush authorized warrantless
surveillance of communications between people in the United States and
others overseas if one of the parties had suspected ties to terrorists.
Critics charged that Bush violated FISA, but he argued he had the war-time
powers to do so. In January, Bush put the program under FISA's authority.
Terms remain secret.
In August, Congress bowed to Bush's demands and expanded U.S. power to
conduct surveillance without a court order.
The Senate bill would provide new protections of civil liberties, such as
requiring tougher congressional and judicial oversight.
This is the paragraph that really cracks me up:
Democrats vow to offer amendments in coming days to remove the immunity
provision while backing a number of proposed new civil-liberty safeguards
that enjoy broad support.
Hey you bunch of idjits........you promised to take care of this when you gave it a temporary pass before Memorial Day.......do you think we all have that amnesia that seems to be going around in Washington?
Bush's Phone Immunity Demand Wins Initial Senate Vote
By Thomas Ferraro
Reuters
Monday, December 17, 2007; 3:52 PM
WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush's demand for immunity for telephone
companies that participated in his warrantless domestic spying program won
an initial victory on Monday in the U.S. Senate.
On a vote of 76-10, far more than the 60 needed, the Democratic-led Senate
cleared a procedural hurdle and began considering a bill to increase
congressional and judicial oversight of electronic surveillance of suspected
terrorists.
It includes a provision to grant retroactive immunity to any
telecommunications company that took part in Bush's spying program --
surveillance without court warrants of e-mails and telephone calls of people
in the United States -- begun shortly after the September 11 attacks.
Nearly 40 lawsuits have been filed accusing AT&T, Verizon and Sprint Nextel
Corp. of violating U.S. privacy rights.
Backers of immunity, who include some Democrats as well many of Bush's
fellow Republicans, contend companies should be thanked, not punished, for
helping defend the United States.
But civil liberties advocates and a number of Democratic lawmakers argue the
courts should determine if any company violated privacy rights of
law-abiding Americans.
Democrats vow to offer amendments in coming days to remove the immunity
provision while backing a number of proposed new civil-liberty safeguards
that enjoy broad support.
Sixty votes will likely be needed to prevail on any such immunity amendment
in the 100-member Senate. "It's going to be an uphill battle," a Democratic
aide said.
Sen. Chris Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat, interrupted his long-shot
presidential campaign to return to Washington to help lead the charge
against immunity. "For the last six years, our largest telecommunication
companies have been spying on their own American customers," Dodd said.
"That decision betrayed million of customers' trust," Dodd added. "But was
it illegal? I don't know. And if this bill passes in its current form, we
will never know."
The White House said in a statement, "Providing liability protection to
these companies is a just result" and warned that allowing litigation "risks
the disclosure of highly classified information regarding intelligence
sources and methods."
The House of Representatives last month defied Bush and refused to shield
phone companies from lawsuits. Both chambers would have to agree to immunity
before it could be granted.
The 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) requires the
government receive the approval of a secret FISA court to conduct
surveillance in the United States of suspected foreign enemy targets.
But shortly after the September 11 attacks, Bush authorized warrantless
surveillance of communications between people in the United States and
others overseas if one of the parties had suspected ties to terrorists.
Critics charged that Bush violated FISA, but he argued he had the war-time
powers to do so. In January, Bush put the program under FISA's authority.
Terms remain secret.
In August, Congress bowed to Bush's demands and expanded U.S. power to
conduct surveillance without a court order.
The Senate bill would provide new protections of civil liberties, such as
requiring tougher congressional and judicial oversight.
This is the paragraph that really cracks me up:
Democrats vow to offer amendments in coming days to remove the immunity
provision while backing a number of proposed new civil-liberty safeguards
that enjoy broad support.
Hey you bunch of idjits........you promised to take care of this when you gave it a temporary pass before Memorial Day.......do you think we all have that amnesia that seems to be going around in Washington?