Washingon DC. Following a vote in the House of Representatives
sanctioning warrantless wiretapping and handing immunity to
telecommunications companies for their role in domestic spying, the
American Civil Liberties Union expressed outrage at representatives
who voted for the unconstitutional legislation. The bill, H.R. 6304,
or The FISA Amendments Act of 2008, passed the chamber by a vote of
293 (yes) -129 (no), and is expected to be voted on in the Senate next
week.
Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU's Washington Legislative
Office said: "It's Christmas morning at the White House thanks to this
vote. The House just wrapped up some expensive gifts for the
administration and their buddies at the phone companies.
Watching the House fall to scare tactics and political maneuvering is
especially infuriating given the way it stood up to pressure from the
president on this same issue just months ago. In March we thought the
House leadership had finally grown a backbone by rejecting the
Senate's FISA bill. Now we know they will not stand up for the Constitution.
"No matter how often the opposition calls this bill a 'compromise,' it
is not a meaningful compromise, except of our constitutional rights.
The bill allows for mass, untargeted and unwarranted surveillance of
all communications coming in to and out of the United States.
The courts' role is superficial at best, as the government can
continue spying on our communications even after the FISA court has
objected. Democratic leaders turned what should have been an easy
FISA fix into the wholesale giveaway of our Fourth Amendment rights.
"More than two years after the president's domestic spying was
revealed in the pages of the New York Times, Congress' fury and shock
has dissipated to an obedient whimper. After scrambling for years to
cover their tracks, the phone companies and the administration are
almost there. This immunity provision will effectively destroy
Americans' chance to have their deserved day in court and will kill
any possibility of learning the extent of the administration's lawless
actions."
"The House should be ashamed of itself. The fate of the Fourth
Amendment is now in the Senate's hands. We can only hope senators
will show more courage than their colleagues in the House."
by the American Civil Liberties Union, www.aclu.org
Since this was covered extensively last week, we now know that the Senate did approve the same bill. Now they are just waiting for President Bush to sign this into law.
This is just reprehensible that we have let our country be effectively ruled by special interests groups and big business of corporate America. It's bad enough that the President gets to do whatever he wants, but now the government is giving immunity to companies for going along with his actions. It looks as though democracy really is "mob rule".
When will we demand these actions to stop?
As always, the choice is yours.
The following scripture is very appropriate to the last couple posts. It describes the Jewish leaders looking to place Jesus in prison.
Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, "Why didn't you bring him in?"
"No one ever spoke the way this man does," the guards declared.
"You mean he has deceived you also?" the Pharisees retorted. "Has any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them."
Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, "Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?" John 7:45-51 (NIV)
If you have comments or questions, please feel free to contact me at the address below.
Email: DeltaInspire@panama-vo.com
No comments:
Post a Comment