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New "JUSTICE" Act Could Roll Back Telecom Immunity
Asmodae writes to tell us about a bill proposed in Congress that could roll back telecom retroactive immunity along with adding other privacy safeguards. The "Judicious Use of Surveillance Tools in Counter-Terrorism Efforts" (JUSTICE) Act advocates the "least intrusive means" of information collection and imposes many limitations on the process. "One of the most significant aspects of the JUSTICE Act is that it will remove the retroactive immunity grants that were given to the telecom companies that participated in the NSA warrantless surveillance program. The companies that cooperated with the surveillance program likely violated several laws, including section 222 of the Communications Act, which prohibits disclosure of network customer information. The immunity grants have prevented the telecommunications companies that voluntarily participated in this program from being held accountable in court."
If you really believe that the left is less intrusive of civil liberties than the right, you just don't have enough experience with the left. Or you're willfully ignoring it. They just usually attack different civil liberties than (some of) the right attacks, but you can bet your bottom dollar that once they have their highest priorities taken care of, they'll go after the rest. One of the first to go will be - no surprise - freedom to dissent. That's neither particularly left nor right, governments of all stripes tend to dislike criticism and will suppress it if they can, by any means they can.
Don't believe any of that? Try living and working in a communist country for a while. It'll open your eyes.
If you really believe that the left is less intrusive of civil liberties than the right, you just don't have enough experience with the left. Or you're willfully ignoring it. They just usually attack different civil liberties than (some of) the right attacks, but you can bet your bottom dollar that once they have their highest priorities taken care of, they'll go after the rest. One of the first to go will be - no surprise - freedom to dissent. That's neither particularly left nor right, governments of all stripes tend to dislike criticism and will suppress it if they can, by any means they can.
Don't believe any of that? Try living and working in a communist country for a while. It'll open your eyes.
Having seen serious combat in many countries and *gagged* by the official secrets act there are some things I would like to post anonymously but am afraid slashdot would get a subpoena for my details so it makes no difference anon or not. Therefore I am going to jump in and tell you what has been occuring at GCHQ http://www.gchq.gov.uk/ because no matter what I do or say on slashdot, I am pretty high up on the radar and my phone calls have been monitored too as I am trained in counter-espionage and ISTAR. Despite what the government tells you, it is easy to end up on a database as a threat or just for speaking your mind. There are secret files held on people and it does not matter whether you use the "Freedom of Information Act" you will never get access to those files. Wiretapping is redundant and "deep packet inspection" has been used by GCHQ for as long as I can remember with my career in the Mil going back to 1985 even on nix SLIP accounts. GCHQ have had the abilitiy to triangulate you using your Mobile/Cell phone since 1992! All your civil liberties are eroded beyond belief. Sorry if I rant too much but my reply to the topic is putting out an Amnesty and then after all the info-gathering getting punished. Remember all governments will and can change their minds without contridicting themselves. I say power to the people.
All cows eat grass!
They seem to be some of the good guys, but they didn't find a republic to co-sign the bill, so this has little chance to go anywhere.
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It's insane to blame Republicans for not being able to pass a bill when the Democrats have a filibuster proof majority, AND a Democrat in the white house!
Republicans might help but if it does not pass it's just as much on the Democrats as the Republicans.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
You're right. While the right attempts to take away our liberties by allowing torture to be used in a law enforcement/intelligence context, by mass surveillance, and ignoring the law of the land, the left also attempts to take our liberties away by introducing universal healthcare and helping people register to vote. It's just terrible.
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
If you're going to paint the U.S. Democratic party with the evils of other governments, then you'll have to assign death camps to the U.S. Republican party.
Neither is particularly fair.
The executive branch *does* have the power to break the law.
So do I.
So do you.
I think what you meant is that they are not exempt from observing it.
Sometimes the executive branch argues that a specific law allows an exemption for their actions.
That argument is either supported or not, before the fact or after.
Reasonable people can disagree about whether or not emergent circumstances justify an exemption.
In the face of an actual terrorist threat - say, a confirmed dirty bomb in a populated area - it would be perfectly reasonable to most people to take extreme actions to prevent catastrophe.
In such a case, I can readily see where laws against torture and mayhem would be determined by a jury to be not applicable in those specific circumstances.
It's risky to rely on jury nullification though, and that's way those in power try to bolster their case through legal gymnastics so they don't have to roll those dice.
Cool.
So when can we prosecute those perform abortions?
Life is not for the lazy.
Any sitting president who would allow some other country to nab a former official and prosecute them for an act made by the government of the US, when the US hasn't even charged him with a crime deserves to be impeached and hung from a tree until dead, no matter how wrong that act may have been.
And the US should go to war immediately with any country attempting to do so. If the actions are that bad, then the US can prosecute them. Not some foreign country that we have been protecting for almost a century. At minimum, using military force to the fullest extent to secure their release and return even if deadly force is warranted.