The long fight on Capitol Hill centered on one main question: whether to protect from civil lawsuits any telecommunications companies that helped the government eavesdrop on American phone and computer lines without the permission or knowledge of a secret court created by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
The White House had threatened to veto the bill unless it immunized companies such as AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. from wiretapping lawsuits. About 40 such lawsuits have been filed, and all are pending before a single U.S. District court.
Numerous lawmakers had spoken out strongly against the no-warrants eavesdropping on Americans, but the Senate voted its approval
after rejecting amendments that would have watered down, delayed or stripped away the immunity provision.The lawsuits center on allegations that the White House circumvented U.S. law by going around the FISA court, which was created 30 years ago to prevent the government from abusing its surveillance powers for political purposes, as was done in the Vietnam War and Watergate eras. The court is meant to approve all wiretaps placed inside the U.S. for intelligence-gathering purposes. The law has been interpreted to include international e-mail records stored on servers inside the U.S.
"This president broke the law," declared Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis.
The Bush administration brought the wiretapping back under the FISA court's authority only after The New York Times revealed the existence of the secret program. A handful of members of Congress knew about the program from top secret briefings. Most members are still forbidden to know the details of the classified effort, and some objected that they were being asked to grant immunity to the telecoms without first knowing what they did.
WTF, Senate? This is smelling more and more like when you idiots voted for us to go to war with Iraq...even though most of you didn't even read the fucking 9-11 Commission Report. You granted immunity when you don't even know which laws they broke or how many times they did it?
Dick Nixon just came back from the grave demanding to know where you fucksticks were during Watergate? I mean, that's the whole point, they just made what he did, LEGAL. Lucky the law's not retroactive to the 70's or we'd have to cannonize him.
I'm so angry I could spit. Unfortunately, it doesn't help.
3 comments:
hey,rebar.
I work for Qwest. They were the one telcom holdout on granting unlimited access to govt eavesdropping. Quite proud of my corporate management on that one.
I wish I had the ability to break the law, then, change the law so that I no longer am guilty. Awesome.
Well, score one for the good guys...even though the bad, spineless guys are getting away with it. Bah!
Mayhaps I'll right a letter to the CEO of Qwest telling them that they are A-Ok in my book. And to keep up the good (ethical) work.
Egads. I think I'll shut my eyes and think about 9-11 again. While I may experience some repressed shock, at least I won't feel like I do today.
I want to take a shower every time I read about all the corporate and govermental shennanigans - where they bend the Constitution over and take her from behind.
yeah, I hear ya. Qwest is no corporate angel, but, they got this one right.
Dick Notebaert was the CEO at the time. He retired and still lives in Chicago, actually. His wife's name is Peggy- as in the Peggy Notebaert Butterfly Museum in lincoln park....neato.
I wrote him an email about it and he responded with a thank you. Cool guy....for a CEO.
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