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FISA Bill Vote Today, With Telco Immunity

Posted by kdawson on from the freedom-on-the-march dept.

Bimo_Dude writes "Today (June 20), Steny Hoyer is bringing to the House floor the latest FISA bill (PDF), which includes retroactive immunity for the telcos. The bill also is very weak on judicial review, allowing the telcos to use a letter from the president as a 'get out of liability free' card. Here are comments from the EFF. Glenn Greenwald, writing in Salon, describes the effect of the immunity clause this way: 'So all the Attorney General has to do is recite those magic words — the President requested this eavesdropping and did it in order to save us from the Terrorists — and the minute he utters those words, the courts are required to dismiss the lawsuits against the telecoms, no matter how illegal their behavior was.'"

5 of 465 comments (clear)

  1. Game over man, game over! by the_macman · · Score: 5, Informative

    Done and done. The house just voted to pass the bill. Kiss telco prosecution goodbye, kiss accountability goodbye, kiss your civil liberties goodybye.

    I was watching it live on CSPAN, pretty disgusting. Just remember who voted for this when elections come up.

    1. Re:Game over man, game over! by KevinKnSC · · Score: 5, Informative

      This is a vote in the House of Representatives. Obama and McCain are members of the Senate, which voted on this issue months ago. For the short-memoried among us, Obama opposes telecom immunity, and McCain supports it.

    2. Re:Game over man, game over! by Guppy06 · · Score: 5, Informative

      "Obama and McCain are members of the Senate, which voted on this issue months ago."

      On a completely different bill, S. 2248, which passed the Senate but was defeated in the House. This is H.R. 6304, being hailed and endorsed by House and Senate leaders in both parties as a great compromise.

      "For the short-memoried among us, Obama opposes telecom immunity, and McCain supports it."

      If the House can change its mind so drastically in four months, why not these men?

  2. Final vote in the House by Goobergunch · · Score: 5, Informative

    YEA 293
    NAY 129

    The full breakdown, showing which way each representative voted, will be available at Roll No. 437 in roughly an hour, when the Clerk of the House posts it.

  3. Re:IT'S NOT ILLEGAL by KevinKnSC · · Score: 5, Informative

    The roll call is not available on Thomas yet though. It's up now: Roll Call 437