20 June 2008

Rep. Ron Paul, M.D.

Madam Speaker, I regret that due to the unexpected last-minute appearance of this measure on the legislative calendar this week, a prior commitment has prevented me from voting on the FISA amendments. I have strongly opposed every previous FISA overhaul attempt and I certainly would have voted against this one as well.

The main reason I oppose this latest version is that it still clearly violates the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution by allowing the federal government to engage in the bulk collection of American citizens’ communications without a search warrant. That US citizens can have their private communication intercepted by the government without a search warrant is anti-American, deeply disturbing, and completely unacceptable.

In addition to gutting the fourth amendment, this measure will deprive Americans who have had their rights violated by telecommunication companies involved in the Administration’s illegal wiretapping program the right to seek redress in the courts for the wrongs committed against them. Worse, this measure provides for retroactive immunity, whereby individuals or organizations that broke the law as it existed are granted immunity for prior illegal actions once the law has been changed. Ex post facto laws have long been considered anathema in free societies under rule of law. Our Founding Fathers recognized this, including in Article I section 9 of the Constitution that “No bill of attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.” How is this FISA bill not a variation of ex post facto? That alone should give pause to supporters of this measure.

Mr. Speaker, we should understand that decimating the protections that our Constitution provides us against the government is far more dangerous to the future of this country than whatever external threats may exist. We can protect this country without violating the Constitution and I urge my colleagues to reconsider their support for this measure.

Great job! I hope the DNC is paying the gas bill for this super bus. Have you also provided carbon offset credits? Just askin’

On June 26th, 2008 at 12:10 am, Mark Jaquith said:
Furthermore, it offers immunity to companies who illegally assisted the government in tapping domestic communications without a warrant.

Not again. Lefties opposed telecom immunity not out of any love for privacy, but because the bill denies tort bar parasites–major fundraisers for the Dems–access to the telecoms’ pockets.

Should you ever be audited by the IRS, you’ll lose more privacy in a day than the NSA could expose in your lifetime. Ever hear the left or trial lawyers complain about IRS audits–except when they’re on thereceiving end? Nah.

On June 25th, 2008 at 9:19 pm, scottthong said:
Hindu monkey god endorses Obama

Great post. I also read that article. But you’ve got to be careful. Use “monkey” and “Obama” in the same sentence and every fart-lighting troll in the TPD (Thought Police Department) will be all over you “like a monkey on a cupcake.” (Thanks, Ray Romano).

On the bright side, this may be just what’s needed to get nyk, les, TheOtherSide, Rusty, Dark Knight and mistressjustice on the first flight to Calcutta to investigate this insidious act of racism.

the unreality-based FISA reform opponents who “sit in their basements wearing tinfoil hats and who believe 9/11 was an inside job.”

I’m not a FISA reform opponent (nor a 9/11 conspiracy kook). I think it should absolutely be made clear that foreign-to-foreign calls that are switched within the United States can be intercepted without a warrant. But this FISA bill goes beyond that, legalizing mass warrantless wiretapping of Americans’ international communications. As someone who makes international phone calls, that makes me nervous. Furthermore, it offers immunity to companies who illegally assisted the government in tapping domestic communications without a warrant. As someone who makes domestic phone calls, that makes me nervous (they can keep on doing it and just count on the government to make their crimes vanish when they are found out).

http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/06/telecom-amnesty.html

Democrats who switched from opposing to supporting legal amnesty to telecoms that aided the government’s warrantless wiretapping program received twice as much money, on average, from telcom political action groups than Democrats whose opposed the idea in March and again last Friday, according to an analysis of campaign donations by Maplight.org.

Biden (D-DE)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Dodd (D-CT)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Harkin (D-IA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Wyden (D-OR)

Six partisans from the East coast, three from the West coast, and four from mid-America. Of course this is only a partial list of anti-Americans on the American payroll….Security first, indeed!

NEW DELHI: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama can now expect help from an unexpected quarter — Lord Hanuman.

All-India Congress Committee member Brij Mohan Bhama has organised a 11-day religious ceremony at Karol Bagh here for his success in the U.S. elections.

The idea of sending an idol of Hanuman dawned on him after friends in the United States mentioned a “prominent American politician who carried a miniature Hanuman idol in his pocket for luck,” Mr. Bhama said speaking on the first day of the ceremony on Tuesday.