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Senate Votes Down 2nd Surveillance Amendment
The Senate finally got around to yet another of the amendments to the surveillance bill. This one was sponsored by Sens. Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Chris Dodd (D-CT) and the ACLU provides this description:
A critical flaw of [the Senate intelligence committee bill] is that there is simply no prior court review of any kind of the government’s expanded surveillance. This is only exacerbated by the fact that the little court review there is – which is limited to review of guidelines after surveillance has begun – appears to not be accompanied by the explicit authority to modify surveillance procedures already under way. This amendment allows the FISA court to amend surveillance programs if it finds them to be contrary to the requirements of this bill or the Fourth Amendment, and to limit the use of illegally collected information.
The amendment was defeated 40-56, with Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-WI), Daniel Inouye (D-HI), Tim Johnson (D-ND), Even Bayh (D-IN), Tom Carper (D-DE), and Mary Landruei (D-LA) joined the nays. Here's the roll call.
There will be at least one more vote this evening and in just a few minutes. This one is another amendment by Russ Feingold, one that would prevent "reverse targeting" -- that is, as Feingold describes it, "a practice by which the government gets around FISA’s court order requirements by wiretapping an individual overseas when it is really interested in a person in the U.S. with whom that supposed foreign target is communicating." The amendment requires the government to obtain a court order whenever a significant purpose of the surveillance is to acquire the communications of an American in the U.S.
Update: That second bill went down 38-57, also with a large number of Dems crossing over, Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Inouye, Johnson, Landrieu, Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Mark Pryor (D-AR), Rockefeller, and Ken Salazar (D-CO) among them.
Comments (1)
The events of the past weeks (actions taken in response to the economic crisis, the push to force enactment of the very bad "domestic spying law", the media intimidation and censorship actions by the DoJ, increasing fearmongering, the newly proposed federal budget, the new demands of this President, the pronouncements of those in his administration such as AG Mukasey) have re-enforced the intent by Bush to make the present failed Bush policies permanent. The Democrats despite positions of strength have been unwilling to fight back and continue to cave in to the minority and their procedural obstructions. At this stage of the game it is most important for the Democrats to STOP the Republicans in their quest to enact the repressive and negative Bush program. Bush will do anything to forces his destructive tax policies permanently into place. This must be rejected and his tax cuts must not be made permanent. The new $3 trillion (the largest ever) budget STEALS from the most vulnerable Americans (seniors, the disabled, minorities, children, the poor) to give to the rich, corporations and the few in power. The writing of law by Bush (don't forget about his signing statements that negate the laws Congress passes) and by the DoJ is illegal. AG Mukasey states that what the DoJ says, is the law. This is a perversion, but is being done while the Congress stands by mute, already having been made irrelevant because the Democrats who can, will not act to protect America; and the courts are being packed with incompetent Republican functionaries to lifetime appointments as judges. Bush is demanding the confirmation of his nominees to resut in control the courts. This must and can be stopped by the Democrats. NO MORE CONFIRMATIONS FOR BUSH NOMINEES FOR THE REST OF THIS ADMINISTRATION'S TERM. THE USURPATION OF ALL POWERS OF GOVERNMENT BY THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION IS MOVING THE UNITED STATES CLOSER EVERY DAY TO A DICTATORSHIP.
BUSH, HIS ADMINISTRATION AND THE REPUBLICANS MUST BE STOPPED, AND NOW IS THE TIME TO STOP THEM. THE VERY BAD "DOMESTIC SPYING LAW" MUST BE FILIBUSTERED UNTIL IT EXPIRES. SENATORS DODD AND FEINGOLD WHERE ARE YOU WHEN AMERICA REALLY NEEDS YOU?
LETTING BUSH WIN MAY MEAN THAT AMERICA MAY NEVER RECOVER FROM THE DAMAGE AND DESTRUCTION DONE BY BUSH AND HIS CRONIES TO AMERICA'S DEMOCRACY AND THE AMERICAN CONSTATION.
POSTED BY SAUL B. WILEN ON BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE OF AMERICA 2/7/08,IN THE HOPE THAT THE ONGOING BUSH DESTRUCTION OF AMERICA'S DEMOCRACY AND CONSTITUION WILL BE HALTED AND REVERSED.
February 8, 2008 12:47 AM | Reply | Permalink