Posted on 07/09/2008 1:05:04 PM PDT by shrinkermd
WASHINGTON — More than two and a half years after the disclosure of President’s Bush’s domestic eavesdropping program set off a furious national debate, the Senate gave final approval on Wednesday afternoon to broadening the government’s spy powers and providing legal immunity for the phone companies that took part in the wiretapping program.
The plan, approved by a vote of 69 to 28, marked one of Mr. Bush’s most hard-won legislative victories in a Democratic-led Congress where he has had little success of late. And it represented a stinging defeat for opponents on the left who had urged Democratic leaders to stand firm against the White House after a months-long impasse.
“I urge my colleagues to stand up for the rule of law and defeat this bill,” Senator Russell D. Feingold, Democrat of Wisconsin, said in closing arguments.
But Senator Christopher S. Bond, the Missouri Republican who is vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said there was nothing to fear in the bill “unless you have Al Qaeda on your speed dial.”
Supporters of the plan, which revised the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, said that the final vote reflected both political reality and legal practicality. Wiretapping orders approved by a secret court under the previous version of the surveillance law were set to begin expiring in August unless Congress acted, and many Democrats were wary of going into their political convention in Denver next month with the issue hanging over them—handing the Republicans a potent political weapon.
So instead, Congress approved what amounted to the biggest restructuring
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Ever more reason why your and our informed votes are so precious, aren’t they?
But then I’m sure you wouldn’t mind if your city or family were decimated by terrorists, as long as no government agency had, God forbid, listened into their plotting before hand.
It’s already been posted here but it bears repeating: “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety”
When the Dems declare pro-lifers, NRA members or conservative blog posters “domestic terrorists” maybe then you will wake up. Until then , enjoy your police state.
BYE idiot troll.
It really is a sad day in America when so called conservatives cheer for a bill that is not conservative at all. No wonder the GOP is in such a sad state, you all have forgotten the basic principles that the party was founded on.
I am calling my aunt when I get home to get her apple pie recipe.
I feel really bad because now Bush (with his super secret ear-phones) is going to listen in and the secret recipe will be out.
So you honestly feel that it’s good that the government can listen to your phone conversations? You trust the government that much? The founding fathers certainly didn’t that’s why they put so many restraints on the government.
Why? Obama isn’t going to attack him for not voting on it, and his vote wasn’t needed.
What I don’t understand is why Obama voted. It was bad enough for him that he promised to filibuster and then didn’t, but to actually vote FOR something he vowed to stop 7 months ago is pretty brazen.
Of course she’s still running. It ain’t over yet. I’m not counting her out.
I just got off the phone with Obama. He thanks you all for the cool new powers he gets to use starting next year. The Constitution was just a stupid piece of paper anyway.
“Senator Christopher S. Bond, the Missouri Republican who is vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said there was nothing to fear in the bill “unless you have Al Qaeda on your speed dial.”
Which is why the rats killed the potential of Able Danger.
In my limited understanding a pen register is an electronic device which records all numbers dialed from a particular phone line. While a trap and trace device records the originating phone numbers of all incoming calls on a particular phone line.
Seemingly, "wire tap" is not what this bill is about or they are now calling pen register devices and trap and trace devices as wiretaps.
Much of the discussion on this seems to be highly emotional and based on an insufficient understanding of what the Bill actually did.
This is their leading thread on DU, “’This fight is not over.’ ACLU will challenge FISA update in court.”
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3387853
hear that popping noise??? it’s the exploding heads of the lunatic liberals as they get steamed which is causing the air between their ears to heat at an uncontrollable rate....
I wondered at first too, and then I came to the same conclusion you did. I think she is still holding out hope that she can snatch the nomination.
Myself, I’m glad it passed. I think it’s good to be able to monitor conversations with potential terrorists in order to prevent another 9/11 style attack on this country. As long as one isn’t communicating with terrorists about how to plan an attack, one should be fine.
“Myself, I’m glad it passed. I think it’s good to be able to monitor conversations with potential terrorists in order to prevent another 9/11 style attack on this country. As long as one isn’t communicating with terrorists about how to plan an attack, one should be fine.”
I don’t think it’s so bad. I am not sure “who” will be doing the listening. Do we have hordes of people just sitting with earphones on listening randomly to any conversation out there? I don’t think so. I think if anyone listened to my phone conversations they would barf after hearing my teenage daughter call everyone “dude” 100 times during a conversation, or they would fall asleep at the majority of family update phone calls.
“’This fight is not over.’ ACLU will challenge FISA update in court.” (DUmmies ship donations to ACLU instead of the Obamessiah)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3387853
“Sorry folks. It isn’t OKAY that Obama failed us on FISA.”
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x6472174
I will put it to you in words you might be able to understand:
THEY ARE NOT LISTENING TO MY PHONE CONVERSATIONS
Nobody is listening to me.... nobody is listening to you.
I want you to name one person, ONE PERSON that has had their rights infringed upon because to this bill.
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