Posted on 12/19/2005 10:45:48 AM PST by demlosers
why have FISA warrants if you're not gonna use them?
I read somewhere that 758 were applied for and the same # granted, so why not go through the warrant process?
just wondering.
I understand no president from any party has ever been quoted saying "I have too much power and I'd like to give some back to the people", but the arguments like 'I have nothing to hide so I don't care' and/or 'Clintoon did this ,too and more...' are getting tiresome.
I'm reminded again: no matter who you vote for , the gubmint always wins.
House Passes Deficit Cuts to End Year
WASHINGTON - House lawmakers opened the way for oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and approved $29 billion for hurricane relief during an all-night session Monday bringing their legislative year to a close.
The House also narrowly passed a plan to cut deficits by almost $40 billion over five years in legislation hailed by GOP conservatives as fiscal discipline and assailed by Democrats as victimizing medical and education programs for the poor.
The ANWR provision was attached to a major defense bill, forcing many opponents of oil and gas exploration in the barren northern Alaska range to vote for it. The bill, passed 308-106, devoted money to bird flu preventive measures and $29 billion to hurricane relief, including funds for reconstructing New Orleans' levees.
The deficit measure, passed 212-206, carried an extension of expiring welfare laws and repealed a program that compensates companies hurt by trading partners who "dump" their exports in this country.
The votes came before sunrise as bleary-eyed legislators struggled to wrap up their work for the year. Democratic anger over the process was put aside briefly as lawmakers greeted Rep. Joe Barton (news, bio, voting record), R-Texas, who returned to vote after suffering a heart attack Thursday.
While House lawmakers were heading for the exits, the end was not in sight for the Senate, which can't leave for Christmas until it deals with spending bills and the deficit-cutting package and overcomes a filibuster on renewing the Patriot Act. A Senate vote on the deficit reduction bill could come Monday.
A $453 billion defense spending bill became the flypaper for issues that have eluded congressional compromise. Those included, along with the ANWR provision, $29 billion in federal aid for victims of Katrina and other storms; an additional $2 billion to help low-income families with home heating costs; and $3.8 billion to prepare for a possible bird flu pandemic. Of the defense money, $50 billion is for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Also in the bill is the compromise language worked out between Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record), R-Ariz., and the White House banning the cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment of prisoners in U.S. custody.
Democrats and moderate Republicans have for years blocked drilling in ANWR, and its inclusion in the defense bill exposed that bill to a possible filibuster in the Senate that can only be broken with a 60-vote majority.
Democrats complained that they were being forced to accept ANWR drilling with their vote on military spending and hurricane relief.
Rep. David Obey (news, bio, voting record) of Wisconsin, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, denounced the ANWR provision and another last-minute addition sought by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn.: liability protection for vaccine makers in most circumstances, coupled with a compensation fund to individuals harmed by the shots they receive.
"There is something especially outrageous about the willingness of the majority party leadership to allow the Defense Department bill, in a time of war, to be held hostage to totally unrelated special interest items," Obey said.
GOP conservatives, disturbed that their party has overseen a surge in government spending and massive federal deficits, applauded a provision in the defense bill that would cut all discretionary federal programs, except those affecting veterans, by 1 percent in fiscal 2006, producing savings of $8.5 billion.
They also hoped to take home news of the $40 billion deficit-cutting bill, which will hardly make a dent in the nation's $8 trillion debt but would be the first time since 1997 that Congress has reined in the growth in spending on federal benefits programs.
"Tonight the Congress will renew our commitment to the principles of fiscal discipline and limited government that minted this majority," said Rep. Mike Pence (news, bio, voting record), R-Ind., who leads a group of House conservatives.
Republicans originally put the savings at $41.6 billion, but that figure was later reduced to $39.7 billion with restoration of Medicare payments for oxygen patients, a late concession to lawmakers with interests in the durable medical equipment industry.
Planned spending on Medicare was estimated to fall by $6.4 billion and Medicaid by $4.8 billion. Another $13 billion would be saved from student loan programs, in part by establishing a fixed 6.8 percent interest rate instead of maintaining lower variable rates.
The largest single savings in Medicare would reduce anticipated federal funding for the private HMOs established under 2003 Medicare legislation.
Officials said the changes to Medicaid include an attempt to make it harder for the elderly to transfer their assets to children or others in order to qualify for federal nursing home benefits.
Lawmakers had to abandon other measures that would have expanded the deficit-cutting package. They agreed, at a cost of $7.3 billion, to eliminate a scheduled 4.6 percent cut in physician payments under Medicare.
The House early Monday passed, on a 374-41 vote, a separate defense bill that sets Pentagon policy and authorizes military programs. Action on the bill was held up by resistance to an attempt by Republican leaders to attach language, eventually removed, to limit individual political donations to independent organizations, a source of financing that proved especially valuable to Democratic candidates in 2004.
The bill contains a 3.1 percent pay raise for military personnel, an increase in the death gratuity for the families of active duty personnel to $100,000 and an increase in the enlistment bonuses for active duty to $40,000.
cool. I see the war is "all about oil",but when you put something trying to lessen our foreign dependence on oil in
a defense bill, then it is said to have nothing to do with defense.
make sense to me (if I were a demonrat)
Not only that, but FISA allows for retroactive warrants. If time is critical, the government can wiretap for 72 hours without a warrant and then apply for the search warrant later. If that wasn't enough time, then the administration should have asked for modifications to the law.
Given these two facts:
1. A court that grants all requested warrants almost without exception.
2. The ability to get retroactive search warrants.
I haven't seen any compelling reason for not following the law.
758 applied for, 758 granted. how hard could it be?
Right, but it's to bad we never broke the conundrum machine.
We're long past the legality of the act. Attorney General Gonzales has already said Congress has given President Bush the authority for domestic surveillance after 9/11. Both Pelosi and Reid have now admitted that they were briefed on this as long as 4 years ago. In 1993, former Clinton CIA director confirmed that Clinton had been using ECHELON - a super-secret survailance program - to collect phone calls, private emails, etc, to collect economic intelligence, all this prior to the catalyst of 9/11.
If you get your way, and there is another terror attack, as you lay there dying, look over at your wife and childrens as they slowly bleed to death and say "at least I know the government wasn't listening to the terrorists phone calls or reading their e-mails".
I don't recall stating "my way".yep, I've been outted. I'm a liberal.
you know I have a wife and children? are you spying on me? ;)
Actually, now that I think about it, you probably DON'T have a wife and kids. At least, I certainly hope you haven't reproduced.
BTW, where are you getting these 2 facts?
could you provide a link or chapter and verse?
It was an act of treason.
They should be hung by the neck until dead.
there are alot of freepers who are already onboard the "impeach Bush" bandwagon over this, which is revving up in the MSM already, apparanetly with Feingold leading the way.
its going to be an interesting 2006.
One more rifle, two more boxes of ammo.
The should start the investigation with the Senate
"758 applied for, 758 granted. how hard could it be?" And that proves what? It only proves that the Government lawyers picked their cases and arguments well. I submit that from what I have heard that you need an amount of evidence such as you would in a regular court of law to obtain permission and the cases in question did not reach that level. Just because you are talking with a terrorists does not mean the courts will automatically let you listen in.
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