Posted on 10/11/2007 10:39:53 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
President Bush, demanding "flexibility" in the pursuit of suspected terrorists, insisted Wednesday he would not sign a new domestic spying bill if it unduly limits the administration's authority to eavesdrop without warrants.
The president is demanding corporate immunity from lawsuits against telecommunications companies that have aided the National Security Agency in a controversial warrantless wiretapping program, as well as authority to secretly monitor suspect communications that pass through the United States.
But congressional leaders, insisting on court oversight of the administration's surveillance, are not willing to give the president the latitude he is seeking. And they are reluctant to release companies from liability for their roles in the government's program without learning much more about the details of this surveillance.
With House leaders planning to take their legislation to the floor next week, a new confrontation with the White House looms over the renewal of the terrorist surveillance law set to expire in February. And the president is entering that debate with warnings about the threat of terrorism.
"Terrorists in faraway lands are plotting and planning new ways to kill Americans," Bush said Wednesday on the South Lawn of the White House as House leaders rolled out their bill. "The security of our country and the safety of our citizens depend on learning about their plans."
See the rest of the story in today's Tribune:
Democrats complain that Bush is playing an old hand.
"Once again the president is trying to use fear and exaggeration to intimidate Congress into granting the executive branch unchecked power that will put the rights of Americans at risk," said Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.).
Since 1978, with the enactment of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, Congress has insisted on oversight of any domestic eavesdropping,
(Excerpt) Read more at weblogs.chicagotribune.com ...
Hey libs, don’t worry...President Bush has no interest in listening in on your idiotic conversations.
The Al Qaeda Bill of Rights
Brought to You by the Democratic Congress
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At a time when Democrats are thwarting reauthorization of FISA, considering habeas corpus rights for Islamic terrorists, and hoping to close the Guantanamo prison, this clever creation mocks how liberals in Congress want to undermine the U.S. intelligence community. I don't know who wrote it, but it deserves widespread circulation.
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of foreign terrorists to communicate with each other outside the United States.
Amendment II
The right of foreign terrorists to freely plan and coordinate attacks on the United States shall not be infringed.
Amendment III
No intelligence officer shall, in time of peace, monitor terrorist communication, without the consent of a court, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by MoveOn.org.
Amendment IV
The right of the terrorists to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against reasonable surveillance to protect American lives, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Amendment V
No foreign terrorist unlawfully waging war against the United States on foreign soil shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Continued on the jump ...
Amendment VI
In all prosecutions of foreign terrorists captured on foreign battlefields unlawfully waging war against the United States, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.
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Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the terrorists by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to MoveOn.org respectively, or to the New York Times editorial board.
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