Senate caves on FISA

By John McDaid | Tuesday, 12 February 2008

Retroactive immunity for phone companies complicit in illegal wiretapping. But at least our guys were on the right side. Here's the roll call. Some of the names with (D) after them will surprise you.

Thank you, Senator Reed. Thank you, Senator Whitehouse. I'm very proud that our Rhode Island delegation stood with Chris Dodd on this.

Tags: 
Localblogging, 02871

Comments

Portsmouth Citizen

Tue, 02/12/2008 - 6:20pm

So now we know that in Orwell's vision of totalitarian government, 1984, Oceania didn't have to buy all that invasive surveillance equipment. They just ask the telecommunications companies to do it and the telecoms say, "Sure thing! We love Big Brother!"

By the way, some of those (D) names are a surprise, but this is a surprise too: "Clinton (D-NY), Not Voting." What's up with that? Today's the "Potomac Primary" so she's probably in town. Too busy figuring out how to stop her campaign from hemorrhaging delegates? Not that her vote would have changed the outcome, at 67-31 against.

The real horror of this isn't that the telecoms should be held liable for violation of civil rights past. It's that all companies can now assume that they can do anything the government asks, even if illegal, and their ass is going to be protected. If the huge corporations that finance everything won't stand up to the government, what chance do we have?

Wernerlll

Thu, 02/14/2008 - 5:50am

The subject of course is double-speak, but this is "How Democracy Ends", or as Calvin Trillin once stated "There is the smell of Weimar in the air" (paraphrased). We heard so much double-speak from this Republican Administration; "War is Peace, Saddam was involved in 9/11, the Smoking Gun could become a Mushroom Cloud, Imminent Danger", and, for good measure, the use of the term "WW III". Some people even believe it because our leaders infuse them with fear.

Can we afford to have another war-president who may want to stay in Iraq 100 years and who may "fight other wars"? This all reminds me of the early '70s when we had rusting bridges, pot-holed express ways, black-market gasoline, an angry nation but a nation able to hold a president accountable.

Soon the terror alerts will ring again and perhaps rise up a notch just in case we become too complacent with an election coming up. While blogs and letters to the editor may not change anyone's mind, it serves to vent and illustrate the importance of the First Amendment. While we can still speak freely, depending who the audience is, I'm prepared for anything, cynicism notwithstanding, are you?

John McDaid

Thu, 02/14/2008 - 7:28am

Hi, Werner...
Well said. Isn't that always how they sell you the loss of civil liberties? [fear] We're *protecting* you. [fear] A trillion-dollar war, brought to you by the the same anti-big-government Republicans who yell bloody murder over "tax and spend democrats" (And boy, wasn't McCain's victory speech the other night just a perfect example of that?)

And you're right about blogs. As they used to say, "Freedom of the press belongs to the person who owns one." And now, everyone can.

Best Regards,
-j

ps: Fear. Apply directly to forehead.

Karen

Tue, 02/12/2008 - 10:11pm

I agree, it's disturbing to think that Hillary didn't bother to take a stand on this one. For the record, Obama voted yea. I guess when you're enjoying the margins he's got these days, you can take the time to actually do your job.

I'm so fed up with the Democrats in congress right now. If a Democrat gets elected in November (please, God), would the Democrats in congress even know how to support him or her?