For the love of Jesus and all the saints, don’t vote for the shitty FISA law on Tuesday. Yeah, you already voted the wrong way once, and I don’t hold out too much hope that you’ll do the right thing. Still, I couldn’t let myself not write you on this. I couldn’t let myself not be on the record opposing this.
The 4th amendment clearly spells out the notion that, “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” There is no reason to go back on this basic, fundamental, wonderful principal: Not because we’re in a digital age; not because we’re afraid; certainly not for political expediency. So I’m appealing to you morally to do what’s right: don’t weaken the protections in the FISA law, and don’t let those law breaking telecoms get away with violating our rights.
Sincerely,
Carl Ballard
HASeattle
The Framers never expected Congress to respect the Constitution. That’s why they created a Supreme Court. Trouble is, they didn’t anticipate a Court packed with Bushies.
Roger @ 1
Well they sure as hell made Congress take an oath to the Constitution.
McCain Wants To Tax Employee Health Benefits
That’s right, John McSame’s idea of “health care reform” is to make workers pay income taxes on their employer-provided health insurance:
“[H]e would treat employer contributions toward health insurance like income, meaning workers would have to pay income, but not payroll, taxes on it.”
(Quoted from Newsweek under fair use.)
Roger Rabbit Commentary: Hey wingnuts! Still interesting in voting Republican this fall? If so, you’d better practice reaching for your checkbook at tax filing time!
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@2 Unfortunately, we can’t get Congress to enforce the oaths that Bush and Cheney took let alone the oath they took. Maybe what we need is a good old fashioned peasant uprising.
Cripes, if we even can’t get them to vote against unconstitutional laws, how can we expect them to enforce the oath they took by impeaching themselves?
Foolish naive little sheeple.
The democrats fed you a bill of goods about bush that wasn’t accurate. It was all about the dems getting into power.
If you disagree with me, please explain why the democrats have failed to do anything they said they would. Please explain why the democrats are signing whatever bill bush tells them to.
This bill is NOT perfect but it DOES allow criminal prosecutions against the phone companies. Since we now have criminals running the Just – US department, we can’t expect any enforcement of actual laws that matter. When we take over in November, we can and should put on the pressure to put people in jail. Starting with well-known child rapist Marvy!
Bob Barr on THIS WEEK just said George Bush is the greatest threat to liberty in the USA!
This from a person who helped attack President Clinton!
ByeByeGOP @ 7
Assuming that Bush doesn’t just pardon the telecoms who were spying on us. It would be a family tradition.
@Carl he can’t pardon them for FUTURE crimes, nor can he pardon them for criminal prosecutions that have not yet begun. In fact, I think it’s important that we DO NOT pursue charges against WHATADICK Cheney and the rest of the Bush Regime until we have the White House and the super majority we will surely win in Nov. Then there will nobody and nothing to stop us. We’ll fill the prisons with these traitors and there’s not one fucking thing the right wing cowards can do about it.
Carl,
Correct me if I am wrong but the legislation tightens the requirement from now on that the President use the FISA court, maintains criminal liability for anyone .. including the telecoms, that violate the law or have violated it already.
The only thing this law does not do is allow the Telecoms to be sued in civil court.
Is this all true?
If so, I think a good argument can be made for the law. Civil suits are paid by the company, there is no penalty to the perps and the company can pass its costs on. Wouldn’t we be better off with criminal suits?
Also, it seems to me the FISA law itself is not worth a to since so few cases have ever been contested. Moreover, on certainly can make a case for the government’s need to surveil the internet and international calls as a tool to deal with terrorism.
I wonder why we do not have a much stronger law absolutely forbidding misuse by anyone of information gained about a citizen be electronic means? The amount of info that mazin has about you is scary, no? Based on the foourth amanedment, why not have a law that states such information can NEVER be used in anyway that allows identification of an individual?
Interesting that you invoke Jesus and the saints in this plea.
Carl is typical of the Atheist Progressives that slime this Blog. Need lots of obscenities & whipping boys….that is his life. Does Carl really think that Big Brother is watching his every word?
Mr. Cynical is typical of the nutcase religious Regressives that slime this Blog. Need lots of obscenities & whipping boys….that is his life. Does Mr. Cynical really think that the Illuminati is watching his every word?
Roger @ 3,
Don’t believe anything you read in Newsweek. It used to be such a fine news magazine, but it has turned into a propaganda machine for the Neo-socialist, “progressive,” agenda. There’s nothing objective about them.
If PI says it’s bad that means it’s great. Stick with Faux News PI – they give you what you want to hear – which is not remotely related to the truth. They distort – They decide.
BBG,
Please tell me how Newsweek reports the news fairly? I used to subscibe to them years ago, but I got tired of reading their opinions on how I should vote and live my life. They are not a news organization any more: they are a propaganda organization, and their candidate Obama will win in November. It’s clear they’re in the tank of Mr. O.
BBG,
Shouldn’t you be down a few threads stomping on Jesse Helms now that he’s dead?
re 6: Obviously, because Bush is right about everything, and the courageous Democratic congress is supporting him despite the pleas of the ‘sheeple’ for them not to.
Republican congressman are so smart and courageous that they appeal to all the wise Christaceans who know that the world is 4,000 years old because God told the televangelist so.
@3 RR
Interesting Newsweek article. I stumbled onto this other stuff for Texas Rep who is challenging Senator John Cornyn (R).
“AMA Targets John Cornyn’s Vote Against Texas Seniors”
Oh my, what a fun & juicy read! I guess 10 Repub Senators are catching heck during their recess. Doctors are HOT and Senior Citizens as well.
Edit: in case that link doesn’t work it’s:
“ricknoriega.org/news/press_releases?id=0075”
Testing that link again, think I’m supposed to unlink somehow…
Okay, now ol’ Frack maybe figured it out.
Oh well, guess not. Will try another day. Too tired from doing yardwork today to mess with it more.
@4
I saw the words “peasant uprising” and for some reason thought you were posting about pheasant hunting. Man, those suckers taste good.
I think we are having a peasant uprising of sorts, it just looks different than it did in the past. The Puyallup Farmers Market did 67K worth of business last Saturday. A record day for them. That’s 67K worth of money that wasn’t processed though a credit/debit card gizmo or go to a chain store. And that’s happening all over the country. Seed companies like Burpees and seedsavers.org are having record year as well.
The big Ag big food marketing grip on America seems to be slipping and I really do think that as people rethink their food they will start to rethink everything connected to their food and that’s pretty much everything.
Maybe we should call it the carrot uprising?
Good on ya Carl. I sent Norm Dicks a nasty note about his FISA vote. Not that Norm Dick’s gives a shit what I think, I’m just a peasant after all.
PI please tell me how Faux News reports the news fairly? And while you’re at it, add the New York Post and the Wall Street Journal. They’ve been the tank for FlipFlop McCain forever.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25556072/
One more world record screw up by the Bush regime. Wow you right wing turds must be proud to have selected the single most incompetent human in the world to sit in the White House!
@ 25 BBG
Thanks for the article. Interesting & scary. What a legacy for shrub to leave, huh?
@6 “please explain why the democrats have failed to do anything they said they would”
Because of a little thing Bush has called a “veto,” the solution to which is not electing another Republican obstructionist to the White House. After 7 1/2 years of Republican failure, it’s time to get America moving again; if you love America and want to prosper, vote Democrat!!!
@10 Um, are you sure of that? Jerry Ford pardoned Nixon before Tricky Dick was charged with anything, and the Nixon pardon stuck.
@14 We’ll find out when the stock market opens tomorrow. This will be a big week on Wall Street as the banks report their ever-shrinking profits. Mr. C has $90,000 riding on Wells Fargo’s nose at $24.25 a share. This is going to be, well, unfortunate. Mr. C undoubtedly was looking for WFC’s high yield; but if asset writedowns, higher reserve requirements, and declining profits force WFC’s board to slash dividends, not only will Mr. C’s expected dividend income take a hit, but so will his capital.
@15 Naturally I don’t expect a reality-challenged idiot like you to know real news when it kicks you in the balls, so go right on living in your Wingnut Fantasy World where expropriated Iraqi oil will make gas nearly free and McCain will win 49 states. Hey — you can get great deals on late model SUVs right now!!
@17 Considering the shape America is in now, thanks to gullible fools like you, it’s obvious you should have listened to Newsweek instead of Rush Limpdick and his ilk.
@18 Why should we waste our time on a dead guy when we’ve got you to kick around?
@20 Well well, Republicans are so bad that now Republicans are going after them!! Man it’s fun to watch GOPers eat each other!!!
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@ 33 RR
Actually, it looks like Noriega is a Dem who is also raking in big bucks for his campaign. Sounds like Cornyn is sure giving him a heck of a platform. hehehe!
“Cornyn’s challenger Texas State Rep. Rick Noriega denounced Cornyn’s vote to block H.R. 6331 the “Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008″ as another example of Cornyn’s misplaced priorities – putting special interests over Texas seniors.”
From what I’ve been reading, it’s well worth watching this bill this week (July 15 deadline before Medicare starts docking the docs). There’s going to be conniption fits going on Capital Hill!
‘Dear Senator Murray’….
Please do us a favor and retire, and take your merry band of tax-happy ignoramouses with you.
I wish god could come up with a poison just for liberals and they could drink it at the same time like jim jones
36. paul phipps spews: “I wish god could come up with a poison just for liberals and they could drink it at the same time like jim jones”
This is what passes for conservative Republican political thought? Kill all liberals?
So Paul, explain to me please, how exactly does your comment enhance our understanding of the serious problems we are facing today?