Letters to the Editor
bamage
Published Letters: 1318
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I'm guessing Arne might have something to say about this
[Read the article: What Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer and Fred Hiatt mean by "bipartisanship"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]http://balkin.blogspot.com/2008/06/guide-to-new-fisa-bill-part-i.html
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Guest Blogger
David Kris
Marty Lederman and Jack Balkin invited me to submit a post on the FISA modernization bill (H.R. 6304) that was passed on Thursday by the House of Representatives, and that appears to be on the verge of becoming law. To understand this new legislation, I think you need to appreciate three matters:
(1) some elements of the current version of FISA, which are what is at stake in the (soon to be concluded) debate over modernizing the statute;
(2) the main legal and operational arguments for and against modernizing FISA; and
(3) the Bush Administration’s actual efforts to modernize electronic surveillance, beginning with the NSA’s Terrorist Surveillance Program (TSP) in 2001, and ending with the new legislation.
Even in abbreviated, non-technical form, these three matters require some heavy lifting, so I’ll cover the first two today, and then address the third in a separate post that will appear tomorrow. Most of what I say in both posts comes wholesale from a previously published whitepaper and my book , both of which discuss these issues in much greater detail. (This allows me to avoid separate prepublication review of these posts; the government’s reviewers are usually very responsive, but it’s tough for them to keep up with the pace of the blogosphere, especially on a Friday night.)
1. Background on FISA...
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WT
[Read the article: What Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer and Fred Hiatt mean by "bipartisanship"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]When I was in college, my girlfriend gave me a little red lapel pin she'd acquired on a trip to Moscow. It bore an image of "Baby Lenin". I wonder where that darn thing is?
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Pow Wow @ 8:59
[Read the article: What Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer and Fred Hiatt mean by "bipartisanship"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]RE: Senate update.
Sysprog yesterday on Obama, and you today on the Senate. "Thanks" fer kickin' this baby in the face. Somebody's got to do it, I guess.
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EEVRYONE ought to read Pow Wow's post, here (from previous thread)
[Read the article: Obama's support for the FISA "compromise"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]or click sig for linky
http://letters.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/06/20/bipartisanship/permalink/1f75d8b6455b032e229230d2b3e4b7b9.html
If you think this FISA thing is NOT a done deal, w/ every last one of the $%^&ing mother*&&^%ers OK with it, think again.
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Casual O - You had best read Pow Wow's post
[Read the article: Obama's support for the FISA "compromise"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]which I referenced a little earlier
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Reid asked for and rec'd unanimous consent
[Read the article: Obama's support for the FISA "compromise"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]to have this pig go directly to the calendar.
There aren't going to be any steenking holds. Not from Dodd, Feingold, or anybody.
No filibuster. Nada.
Stick a fork in the forking Democraps. I'm through with them.
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Paul_L
[Read the article: Obama's support for the FISA "compromise"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I'd encourage everyone to follow your link in support your "GG 'race-boated'" [your term] HRC.
You reveal yourself as a buffoon.
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Paul_L
[Read the article: Obama's support for the FISA "compromise"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]My previous
I'd encourage everyone to follow your link in support your "GG 'race-boated'" [your term] HRC.
was missing an "of" and an "allegation". But you get the gist, I'm sure.
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casual_o
[Read the article: Obama's support for the FISA "compromise"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]My post @ 11:38 was intended as a response to your query @ 11:30ish
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Casual_O
[Read the article: Obama's support for the FISA "compromise"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Regarding PROCESS, Kagro X seems expert, although I imagine Pow Wow is pretty adept as well.
Kagro X outlined the POSSIBLE, here
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/6/19/15338/6112/466/538538
or click sig.
My comments as to predicted outcome are predicated upon what I've (via Pow Wow) seen so far...
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This is interesting
[Read the article: Time magazine uncritically prints Nancy Pelosi's "justifications" for the FISA "compromise"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]http://balkin.blogspot.com/2008/06/guide-to-new-fisa-bill-part-ii.html
or click sig for linky, much more there
It is interesting to compare the pending legislation to the TSP as it may have been implemented just prior to, and just after, the January 2007 FISA Court orders. There appear to be two main differences. First, the pending legislation applies only to targets located abroad, while the January 2007 orders may have allowed surveillance of targets in the U.S. (as long as they were making international calls). Second, more importantly, the pending legislation focuses only on the target’s location (or the government’s reasonable belief about his location) not his status or conduct as a terrorist or agent of a foreign power. In other words, there is no requirement that anyone – the FISA Court or the NSA – find probable cause that the target is a terrorist or a spy before (or after) commencing surveillance. This may well be a reaction, or perhaps an over-reaction, to the FISA Court’s April 2007 order, which appears to have frustrated the government by requiring more, or more frequent, reporting about the status of certain surveillance targets...
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How many things does Harry Reid say in this article to tick YOU off?
[Read the article: Time magazine uncritically prints Nancy Pelosi's "justifications" for the FISA "compromise"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=aRF8NHQ_eSeY
or click sig for linky
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Can you hear it? Filibuster? NO!
[Read the article: The New Republic syndrome]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]http://rawstory.com/news08/2008/06/23/feingold-farce-wiretap-deal-could-be-hiding-impeachable-offense/
or click sig for linky
Later during a question and answer section, Feingold was asked specifically whether he or Dodd would filibuster the FISA update this week. He said the two met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Friday to request that the bill not just be “rammed through” the Senate.
“We’ll be requiring key procedural votes, and also taking some time on the floor this week, to indicate the problems of this legislation,” he said. “We’re not just going to let it quickly pass.”
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RMP
[Read the article: The New Republic syndrome]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Looks like that settles that - I'm not going now either.
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Horton [interview w/ GG] worth hearing
[Read the article: Hoyer hails FISA bill as "a significant victory for the Democratic Party"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Thanks for the linky Chris Sinnard.
@GG, re: the fundamental implications of the Bill...
Damn! It's even more depressing (I mean that in a "good" way) listening to you verbalize the ramifications than it is reading your posts.
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Barack "L.O.T.E."* Obama can KISS MY ASS!
[Read the article: Chris Dodd's speech and a glimmer of hope for stopping the FISA bill]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/06/obama_on_fisa_telecom_immunity.php
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*Lesser of Two Evils
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I listened to KO up until Alter made his inane "restoring the 4th" comments
[Read the article: Keith Olbermann: Then and now]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Then I turned the teevee off. And it's staying off. I'm done w/ KO permanently. The plus side is, I now have an extree 1/2 hour M-F.
And LOTE Obama can still Kiss my ASS!
Oh, and Edung? STFU!
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Apologies for going way O/T, but "Oh, no! Not Lara!"
[Read the article: Keith Olbermann: Then and now]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/25/lara-logan-sex-scandal-cb_n_109271.html
or click sig for linky
If anything, this makes me think she's even hotter!
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"Principles... I haven't had one since High School"
[Read the article: Keith Olbermann's reply and Obama's secret plan to protect the rule of law]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Can we attribute that quote to McSame, LOTE Obama, and the Corporate Media?
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David Gregory is far gogger ASSH*LE than KO
[Read the article: Keith Olbermann's reply and Obama's secret plan to protect the rule of law]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Watch this clip of Joe Scabrous and David Gregory attempting to tag-team a LOTE Obama foreign policy advisor (who more than holds her own, BTW)
You expect this crap from Scabrous, but listen to Gregory's jaw-dropping reiteration of RW talking points... (7+ minutes, Gregory chimes in during the latter portion)
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/06/28/morning-joe-obama-advisor-sets-scarborough-straight-on-bushs-diplomatic-failures/
or click sig for linky
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gogger?
[Read the article: Keith Olbermann's reply and Obama's secret plan to protect the rule of law]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Bigger.