Letters to the Editor
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Not only immunity for FISA lawbreaking but also immunity for other lawbreaking
The proposed immunity is quite broad, and goes beyond FISA.
For instance (from ars technica):
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070913-fbi-accused-of-using-illegal-letters-for-illegal-information-requests.html
FBI accused of using illegal letters for illegal information requests
By Timothy B. Lee | Published: September 13, 2007 - 12:23PM CTAnother apparent violation of the law by Bush administration officials came to light this week, as a Freedom of Information Act request by the Electronic Frontier Foundation revealed that the FBI had sent letters to telecommunications providers requesting that they "provide a community of interest" for telephone numbers the FBI was investigating. The documents were among the so-called exigent letters that the FBI has admitted were "improper" (read: illegal).
- - Timothy B. Lee, ars technica
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We are as fascist now as germany was in 1933
We have a facade of democratic processes barely covering a fascist structure and mentality. Just like in the 3rd Reich circa 1933, dissent and criticism of the government is compared to and depicted as treason and to collaboration with the "Enemy". Individual freedom is curtailed, the right to privacy is disappearing, government power is increased, the court increasingly side with the government in its march to limit and eliminate individual freedom. The opposition is meek scared and cooperative with the authoritarian government. It's hilarious when Americans label Hugu Chaves as "authoritarian". Venezuelans enjoy now more freedom than Americans and their government is less intrusive. Chaves is much more of a democratic head of state than Bush and Darth Vader.
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re: update
UPDATE: I thought the meaning of the last sentence was quite clear, but if enough people fail to understand what was written, the fault, at least partially, sits with the writer. Several commenters on the first page of comments explain the meaning. For those who do not want to look there, the sentence has nothing to do with a critique of the MoveOn ad.
re: fault with the writer--No. Remove stuff like this and you lose your written voice. I appreciate that you must balance style with effective communication. But I hope most would agree that readers come here not just for content, but for voice.
re: pagination--I strongly urge you to abandon paginated 'letters to the editor' and adopt a single-page comment section. Like a blog.
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Tell your local congress critters to support Ed Markey!
(Another item from the same ars technica article.)
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070913-fbi-accused-of-using-illegal-letters-for-illegal-information-requests.html
By Timothy B. Lee | Published: September 13, 2007 - 12:23PM CT
Markey calls for FCC investigation
Yesterday, Ed Markey, the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, wrote a letter to FCC chairman Kevin Martin urging him to begin an investigation of the numerous allegations of illegal activities by the FBI, NSA, and other intelligence agencies. Markey has been urging Martin to act for more than a year, and thus far, Martin has refused to begin an investigation, citing the Bush administration's state secrets claims. But Markey suggested that the recent statements of National Security Director Michael McConnell admitting that telecom companies have been assisting the government in its surveillance programs undermine those claims.
Markey could also have cited the July ruling by a federal judge that regulators in five states could launch investigations of carriers' alleged lawbreaking without running afoul of the state secret privilege. In that case, Judge Walker did not rule out the possibility that the government could later invoke the state secret privilege to shield some of the information sought by regulators, but he refused to shut down the investigations before they began.
In a Sunday interview with Fox News, White House Homeland Security Advisor Frances Fragos Townsend responded to questions about the latest revelations by pointing to the creation of a "compliance unit" in the FBI. We thought the Constitution already provided for a "compliance unit": the judicial branch.
- - Timothy B. Lee, ars technica
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Incidentally, the only reason corporations exist in the first place...
...is to protect the investors against a lawsuit in a case like this. If you invested in the AT&T, AT&T passed your confidential info to the government and is being sued for that - there's no chance you are losing your house and your kid's college fund.
Fair enough.
But now, of course, the corporations themselves - the fictitious entities they are - need help. They suffer. They want to be defended and protected from humans, mere mortals. But don't worry, all is not lost - we have the government to take care of them!
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Good intentions (and good faith)
Looking around us at this moment in time, most notably after the last seven years, has it ever been more obvious that the road to hell is indeed paved with these things?
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Formatting a Voice
re: fault with the writer--No. Remove stuff like this and you lose your written voice. I appreciate that you must balance style with effective communication. But I hope most would agree that readers come here not just for content, but for voice.-- casual_observer
The last sentence might have hit more people with the desired tone if it were dropped down to stand alone in a separate paragraph. We pause the narrative in our minds when our eyes have to jump a gap; that gives us time to think briefly about what was written.
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That Explains It
I wondered what the big rush on the FISA bill was, but now that you mention the case in SF which could go against the telecoms, that explains it.
Personally, I've pretty much lost hope.
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Etymology
William Timberman:
The Greeks had it about right -- utter contempt for those who believe they can escape a public life.
Yes. Idiots, indeed. I was quite proud of the fact that registering to vote was one of the very first things my daughter did once she turned 18. She's chomping at the bit to vote in her first Presidential election.
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Highways to hell
"has it ever been more obvious that the road to hell is indeed paved with these things?"
I disagree. I believe we're bumping over 5/4 supreme court decisions. The hand-basket lid is kind of obscuring my view though.
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Well that does it: I'm switching to Qwest.
& somebody call the Law, Glenn.
bah.
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all so hilarious
Thank you to the poster of the Naomi Klein clip on Colbert Report. I used to find Daily Show, Colbert, Bill Maher extremely funny. I still do but also realize that it isn't funny, it's actually quite depressing. Losing our rights is not funny. Yet by making jokes of it, I think they do more harm then good. People don't take it seriously because they make jokes of it. It's all so hilarious, so don't worry about it. It can't happen here. America land of the free forever and ever.