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New FISA Bill Would Grant Telcoms Immunity; Vote Is Tomorrow

Posted by timothy on from the difference-between-legal-and-right dept.

An anonymous reader writes "This just in: a new 'compromise' FISA Bill (PDF) was just made public, which, the Electronic Frontier Foundation reports, 'contains blanket immunity for telecoms that helped the NSA break the law and spy on millions of ordinary Americans.' The House vote is tomorrow, June 20. After all the secret rooms and everything ... if they get immunity and the public never finds out what happened, the only other logical next step is to convince everyone I know not to get an iPhone." CNN covers this get-out-of-lawsuit play as well.

7 of 496 comments (clear)

  1. Call Barack Obama by Protonk · · Score: 5, Informative

    He can put a stop to this.

    866-675-2008 option 6, if you don't get a person then, press 0. If you get a voicemail, leave a message, then call back and dial 0 during the voicemail prompt to get a human.

    Let them know:
    -You are a progressive.
    -Civil lawsuits are the ONLY remaining route to disclosure for the spying the bush administration perpetrated on americans.
    -What the telecommunications companies did was ILLEGAL.
    -He should call Hoyer and Pelosi to stop this RIGHT NOW. One phone call from the head of the democratic party should kill this nonsense.

    If you have donated in the past, let them know that you will seek to have your donations returned if he does not speak out on this issue. If you haven't, let them know that you will refuse to donate or organize in the future if he refuses to take the lead on this issue.

    The first step to making democrats strong on national security is standing up to republicans.

    1. Re:Call Barack Obama by Protonk · · Score: 4, Informative

      I thought Howard Dean was the head of the Democratic party. head of the DNC. the presidential nominee is basically the head of the party in notion and title.
    2. Re:Call Barack Obama by QCompson · · Score: 5, Informative

      Except we all already know exactly how both of them are going to vote: They're not. When asked about it, they'll claim that they were "too busy campaigning" to bother voting on this "minor" issue. Too busy despite the fact that the primaries are over, and the real campaigning won't start until after the respective party conventions in August. You can look forward to both candidates taking that stand on issues. At least McCain has been in the senate long enough that he has a real voting record. Obama's a complete unknown, and you can bet he's going to work his hardest to stay that way.
      Except just a few months ago, during the campaign, Obama voted against a similar bill that would have given telecoms immunity. Hillary is the one that didn't show up. Sorry to interrupt your preconceived notions.
    3. Re:Call Barack Obama by damn_registrars · · Score: 5, Informative

      At least McCain has been in the senate long enough that he has a real voting record. Obama's a complete unknown, and you can bet he's going to work his hardest to stay that way.
      A complete unknown? Which talking points are you reading from? Obama was elected to the US senate in the 2004 elections, and therefore has over 3 years of voting experience in the senate. The US Senate even tracks the voting records for senators, and you can read Barack Obama's voting record if you really want to.

      Not sure how you can call that a "complete unknown", when its right out there in plain view for the whole world to read.
      --
      Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
  2. Re:Politicians will vote for the law by palegray.net · · Score: 5, Informative
    So it goes like this:
    1. Slashdotters identify policitians who represent a clear danger to civil liberties.
    2. Slashdotters attempt to spread the word about these problems.
    3. The vast majority of the voting populace either doesn't hear the message, doesn't understand it, or doesn't care.
    Generally, people only care about liberty when it's their own freedom being directly threatened.
    --
    512 MB RAM, 20 GB disk, 200 GB transfer, five datacenters. $19.95/month.
  3. Re:The message this would send by BobMcD · · Score: 4, Informative

    As an aside, did you notice that the bill also makes it illegal to even INVESTIGATE what happened?

  4. You fools, so fixated on Bush... by tjstork · · Score: 4, Informative

    Haven't even bothered to notice that Chris Dodd has slipped a provision into the housing bill that requires all internet businesses and payment providers to report their transactions to the IRS.

    just all financial transactions

    So you guys are all worrying about Bush wiretapping a few conversations so you can sue AT&T, while the government just grabbed all the financial data.

    Way to go Democrats! You guys are the best!

    --
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