Letters to the Editor
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If it is wrong?
If the rumors are wrong, boy does blogtopia have egg on its face.
Ché Pasa
How does he know this? The response from Reid's staffers mentioned in the comments here seem to suggest Reid is not doing this. Any possibility Glenn is mistaken?
John of Ventura
It won't be just blogtopia that has egg, this was covered in the New York Times editorial this morning, and the ACLU and the ACLU locals have been beating the drums.
At this point, what we might be seeing it Harry Reid doing a very complicated kind of backdown and try another strategy. The original stories out of ACLU had him pushing the SSIC version through over the weekend with no scrutiny. Now there is scrutiny, so any hold overrides will get noticed, any dead of night just got Klieg lights.
He probably hasn't given up though. Most likely his aides are condemning the blogosphere under their breath, and not happy about the phone ringing.
Is it possible the White House intends to keep the Senate in session until there is a bill passed?
By the way: The Intelligence committee bill contains all the minimization, targeting, and continuation that the White House wants, and they have been railing against the SJC version because it doesn't and because it requires rollbacks. Not to beat a dead horse, but in case the telecom amnesty becomes the tipping point for this (Senator Dodd's hold is on bill containing that amnesty, not on anything else), please read the following excerpt from the SSIC version, on how to dispose of data from an "emergency" surveillance ordered by the AG for which a court warrant was subsequently denied (after, of course, a 30 day correction period, and an appeals process, all during which collection can continue). It provides only that no one sees or uses the data, not that the data be destroyed. Understanding? If no further access is made to the data, but no rollback of learning algorithms and links and conclusions is ordered, its effects are permanent, regardless of the illegality of its capture. This effectively immunizes telecoms and the NSA proactively. Senator Dodd's hold is only for retroactive. It isn't good enough. The data collected while the program was illegal, if it had been ordered by the AG or DNI, if it has been processed and learned, will be good to go, preserving the results of the illegal snooping even without the telecom amnesty. Neat, isn't it?
(5) In the event that such application for approval is denied, or in any other case where the electronic surveillance is terminated and no order is issued approving the surveillance, no information obtained or evidence derived from such surveillance shall be received in evidence or otherwise disclosed in any trial, hearing, or other proceeding in or before any court, grand jury, department, office, agency, regulatory body, legislative committee, or other authority of the United States, a State, or political subdivision thereof, and no information concerning any United States person acquired from such surveillance shall subsequently be used or disclosed in any other manner by Federal officers or employees without the consent of such person, except with the approval of the Attorney General if the information indicates a threat of death or serious bodily harm to any person.
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Support Cindy Sheehan's campaign
If the Democratic "leadship," can't act like there's one testicle amongst them, we've got throw their sorry asses out. Granted, it's entirely too difficult to upend a Congressional incumbent.
Fortunately, Cindy Sheehan is running to boot Pelosi, and she at least has enough "star power" to conceivably mount a credible campaign in a district that should be sympathetic to her. Of course, she'll have to get her campaign together.
I've arrived at this point reluctantly. I loathed the Greens in 2000, claiming there was no difference between Dems and the GOP, and I still hate Nader. Throughout much of Bush's terms, I've felt liberals need to rally around the Democratic party. But good Christ! If the Democrats can't lead, if they can't fight, get someone in there who will.
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What a Surprise! What a Shock!
Are you truly surprised by any of this, Glenn?
Again I say, Help us Obi-wan Huckabee. You are our only hope. Only a Baptist pastor traditionalist conservative with the mindset of Edmund Burke and John Locke has any hope of rolling the trend towards executive authoritarianism back, as only a Nixon could go to China. Only such an outsider would even consider rolling executive branch power back. The beltway gang clearly want it.
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Dodd will pay for your call
Chris Dodd's campaign has re-activated the system where his campaign will pay for your call to other Senators to support Senator Dodd's filibuster of retroactive immunity in FISA. Go to http://chrisdodd.com/filibuster/ and follow the links to either call or email Biden, Clinton and Obama to follow through with their previous pledge to support the filibuster.
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Phone Call
to Harry Reid's office, got the clipped-voice staffer who knew nothing, as well.
Give 'Em Hell, Harry, my ass.
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Democrat or Republican -- Uphold your oath of office
The ideal notion of a Senator is a person who will uphold the Oath of Office (i.e., allegiance to the Constitution) and use good judgment and principle to make decisions in a reasoned and deliberate manner.
The most important goal of a Senator is NOT reelection.
Where are the Senators who stand for principle in the face of defeat? Where are the Senators who will go to battle for what is right, not what is expedient?
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is it about monitoring calls?
the scary part is .who is going to monitor all those transection that wall street depends on?
can anyone be safe in protecting the money of investors if they have their phone or computer monitored. who depends on that info to make big gains at the expence of us all. while every week millions of americans feed the beast driving the market ever higher( we bitting our stocks up and up with our money)if the market is high now is the time to buy market is going higher . if market dips now is time to buy
u have heard it buy low sell high but most american cant sell yet they still need to be invested but diversified . what a joke by the time baby boomers go to cash in
the smart money i bet as done the plundering.