US House Rejects Telecom Amnesty

The US House has just approved a new bill that rejects the retroactive immunity to telecommunication businesses and denies most of the new powers for the US President to spy on citizens without a warrant. "As impressive as the House vote itself was, more impressive still was the floor debate which preceded it. I can't recall ever watching a debate on the floor of either House of Congress that I found even remotely impressive -- until today. One Democrat after the next -- of all stripes -- delivered impassioned, defiant speeches in defense of the rule of law, oversight on presidential eavesdropping, and safeguards on government spying. They swatted away the GOP's fear-mongering claims with the dismissive contempt such tactics deserve, rejecting the principle that has predominated political debate in this country since 9/11: that the threat of the Terrorists means we must live under the rule of an omnipotent President and a dismantled constitutional framework."

Comments

Reallity hasn't sunk in yet I see...

[dewright_ca]

It is fascinatning to watch and hear these debates. When all this will accomplish is boiler plate FISA requests being prepared and carried around. All they have to do is request the wiretap and they can begin, they don't need to have the approval which can take minutes or weeks.

So yes the Phone companies won't be able to say 'We were threatened with losing our huge federal subsidies so we consented.' Now they can be sued by the 'Americans Communist Liberties Union' so they can suck up more of our tax dollars with federal lawsuits instead of helping with the core issue. That being people that want to take American Civil Liberties, like the right to Life, and cut your head off with a serated knife on video.

Don't fool yourself into thinking this is just about Bush versus Pelosi/Fienstien; this is about the protecting the American way of life versus those imposed on us by someone wtih a bomb-vest like happened in Israel last week.

It is ok to worry about someone listening to your phone call.. but you have to ask yourself.. What do I have to hide? If they can listen to 10 million phone calls (really??) and stop 1 more Oklahoma City, or 1 more Bali Hotel and it is not hurting me in the least. What do I have to worry about?

No, if you want to call up people in Irag/Iran/Afgahnistan/Pakistan and discuss the 'the bomb' and you are not talking about the latest J-Lo album being 'the bom' then you might have to be worried.

Re:Impressive editorializing

[EQ]

True enough. There are few of the "original hardcore science/computer/linux/whatever nerds" left here. I remember when this place used to lean libertarian, and the political crap like this seldom was seldom presented - and certainly was presented much more objectively than this bilge article (I went Reuters, AP and a few online sites to get objective and far more informative coverage). Now its all trendy collectivist/leftist crap and a few rightist sniping at the obvious fools in the huge herd of conspiracy leftists that have become ./'s core demographic (kdawson, et al, editors). Its rather sad that so man here wallow in ignorance, supposing the half truths and spin they cherish and get here to be the whole of the matter.

Vox populi, Vox Dei I guess. At least Taco can afford a nice house and car now. Until the collectivists come and take it "for the good of the people".

What I wonder is when they will realize that this bill ALLOWS the intelligence gathering operations to go on as before?

The only net gain is for the trial lawyers to barrage telcos with civil suits. Its all politics. In the end only enriching the trial lawyers, who are amongst the Democrats largest contributors, and hitting the Telcos who are probably heavy Republican contributors, and that more than anything else is what is the point of contention. Not right or wrong, but both parties doing the bidding of their money supply masters.