Hollywood, FL conservative files suit to stop mass surveillance by gov't

[seafan]

Hollywood, Florida conservative files suit to stop mass surveillance by government

By John Holland
June 28, 2006

snip

The Hollywood woman (Theresa Fortnash) has filed a lawsuit in Miami seeking to stop the government from gathering records on virtually every telephone call made within the United States. She wants a federal judge to block AT&T from handing phone logs to the federal government, even though President Bush says the program is critical to national security.
"I know people are going to say I'm hurting our country, and that's why I thought a long, long time before doing this,'' said Fortnash, a computer database designer and mother of a 10-year-old daughter. "But I love my country, and this program goes against everything our country is about and everything my party has been about."

At the heart of Fortnash's lawsuit is the National Security Agency's attempt to build a giant database of telephone calls made by Americans, hoping to find patterns that will root out terrorists. Fortnash is the first to file suit in Florida, her lawyer said, joining a list of plaintiffs around the country, including the American Civil Liberties Union, who say phone companies are illegally sharing the information with the federal government.

snip

Her lawsuit, which is seeking class action status, says the government and AT&T have ignored existing laws that allow for phone records to be turned over when a warrant or subpoena is issued.
"A government that doesn't abide by its own laws is a government that's out of control,'' said Fortnash's attorney John Gillespie, of the law firm Broad and Cassel.

snip

"The courts have been deferring to the Administration repeatedly when it comes to national security, but every time you exert a privilege like state secrets, it makes it harder for courts to get at the truth,'' said Clark. "The privilege is an important one, but it also can have the effect of immunizing a government if it should engage in unconstitutional or even illegal acts.''

Fortnash said she filed the suit because of that potential for abuse.

"I'm extremely passionate about this, because I work with data and build databases every day, so I know how much the federal government can do with a person's telephone information,'' Fortnash said. "I've been a Republican my whole life, and that's why I think it bothers me more than it would any liberal Democrat, because this goes against everything I've ever believed in."

[SpiralHawk]

1. I'm afraid the Fascist Republicon Cow is already out of the barn

Ms. Fortnash.

You and the other cons slept while the "elite" stole America from the people.

You are way too freaking late.

[zreosumgame]

2. NOW your 'passionate'?

where were you while Jeb was purging tens of thousands of blacks for the crime of attempting to Vote While Black?

where were you when RNC Storm Troopers raids polling places to disrupt the counts?

where have you been while more then 2500 of our guys and god only knows how many thousands of men women and children have been bombed, burned and buried?

NOW YOU ARE FUCKING PASSIONATE?

bite my ass bitch.

[DoYouEverWonder]

5. If someone sees the light

I'm willing to cut them some slack.

It's the arrogant ones like DeLay and Rove that you should reserve your wrath for.

[Ecumenist]

7. H-E-L-L-O!! Preach it Zreosumgame!!

NO really, can you tell us what you really feel??!! LOL!!:bounce: :applause: :rofl:

Thank you for your honesty and reality. BTW welcome to DU. I'm right proud to have you here and have no doubt that you will have alot to contribute to the ransoming of this country and the restoral of America that we all grew up with. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!!:patriot: :hi:

[darch115]

8. Pretty harsh

I must admit, I was very surprised at the venom tossed in my
direction on the mere fact that I am and have always been a
republican.  I think at this very critical time in our
democracy, it is very important to note that government is not
a team sport.  This is not the Super Bowl and the Democrats
are not Playing the Republicans from some inane trophy.  The
stakes are MUCH higher then that.  I am a data architect and
have been for many years, and as such have a pretty good idea
what our government is trying to do.  And it scare the heck
out of me! And that is why I filed suit.  That is why I put
myself out there for all of you to criticize and trivialize.
Because Democracy is not a team sport and each and every one
of us has a sacred duty to protect it anyway we can.   If we
do not stand together - -we will all fall into the abyss.  
To those of you who want to know why I still consider myself a
Republican, please read the Supreme Courts Kelo decision.  I
live in a redevelopment neighborhood and I fail to see how
stealing my property and giving it to a billionaire developer
benefits the “public Good” . Please note – the 4 justices that
agreed with my opinion were – Rhenquist, Scalia, Thomas and
O’Connor.  
I believe in the constitution.  I will put myself on the line
and accept whatever venom you care to throw my way (as well as
whatever my government wants to hurl at me) to protect it.
But I would ask,  as you vilify me and make such eloquent
statement as “bite my ass bitch” remember --- I filed suit.  I
put my “ass” on the line.  I have little to gain and
everything to lose.  I filed suit and  I would do it again for
each one of you – no matter what names you choose to call me
---- it is THAT important!!!!!  

Peace Out

Theresa

[w4rma]

9. As a note, the NAACP sided with the landowners in the case.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/23/AR2005062300783_pf.html

They are not, by any means, friends of the Republican Party as it is Republicans in government who 99 times out of 100 fight them on anything they try to do. The Republican leadership is even studying how to defeat renewal of the Voting Rights Act and has been stalling on it's renewal.

I think, also, that Republicans would have more of a tendency to actually use that eminent domain law for the benefit of big buisness, even though it was the progressive wing of the Supreme Court that said they have the power to do so.

Nonetheless, thanks for filing the lawsuit, but you, imho, should also remember to thank the other folks who are opposing this type of thing, most of whom are Democrats.

[Mandate My Ass]

10. Welcome to DU

If you are who you say you are then thank you for taking action. There are Republicans out there who put party before country and vilify Clinton for doing things much less drastic and unconstitutional than the Bush gang, to whom they willingly give up the rights of the rest of us which aren't theirs to give anyway.

Like you, I also consider Republicans my fellow Americans. Whenever I march in protest of Bush policies, I do it for my country, which includes those same republicans you claim as your own. It was my sacred duty and I was called a traitor for doing it.

Yes, you will get flamed here and I hope not to be one of those who add to the fire. I think what you are doing is principled, and yes, it carries risk. But I also resent that you feel you and your fellow Republicans are more betrayed by the shreddding of the Constitution than liberal Americans. Why does being republican give you more cred unless you feel you're more patriotic (not nationalistic) than Democrats in general and liberals in particular?

The ACLU unqestioningly jumped to service when it came time to defend Rush Limbaugh, and rightly so, even though I consider him a toxic and hate-spewing bigot. That's what civil rights are about, the right to be obnoxious and offensive and provacative without government intervention.

So, good luck. All of those who respect the Constitution respect what you're doing. But some of us believed the Bush gang were up to no good long before this, and even with evidence that Bush did not respect a majority of Americans and certainly not the opposition party, all protesters were shouted down as "Bush haters" and partisans. I could cite a dozen cases of this, but I'll spare you.

I still don't see anything rising to the level of the 8-year-long Clinton hate that I experienced and remember well, but criticism of an agenda that is unamerican to its core is not hate.

[Autumn]

11. Welcome to DU

and I think the lawsuit is a good idea, so thanks for putting your "ass" on the line.

[WhiteTara]

12. darch115 You definitely have ovarios!

not only did you file suit against the wiretapping -- Thanks (I do wish you would have done this when Choice Point was shredding the constitution in Florida in 2000), but better late than never. And that you posted your first message after you had been flamed, well, I'm proud of you.

I hope you will frequent democraticunderground. I think that you may read other many things that will help you become passionate about saving our democracy. The best way to do that is to vote democratic. I hope that you will soon change your registration and become part of the party. But read, learn, debate here. Most of the time, you will feel enlivened. You will learn for sure what we think of repugs; like an ex-smoker, you may not be able to stand the rhetoric.

Meanwhile, if you think comments on DU were harsh, wait till you hear from Ann Coulter. Take deep breaths and remember the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. I hope that you will soon include your passion to the removal of the dicator and illegal president in the White House.

:hi:

[Lochloosa]

14. I applaud your desion to contest this...but siting the Kelo decision as a

reason to remain a repub is the equivalent to an ostrich hiding his head in the sand.

[orleans]

15. theresa--your party has left you in the dust. the republican party

has been taken over by fundies and neocons

it's time to jump ship--and this lawsuit is your first step

they are destroying our country and giving republicans a bad name
any one who stands with them is just as guilty

and with all the damage the gop has done it's hard not to be bitter toward people who blindly supported this crap simply because they call themselves republicans

thanks for the lawsuit

what kind of response have you gotten from republican message boards?

we might be bitter but we're glad for the lawsuit. how are the rest of the pukes responding to you?

[annabanana]

16. Thanks for the text, darch115!

(Can you find us a link?)

AND, Welcome to DU!
:toast:

We love facts here.

[denverbill]

19. I'm surprised you actually ventured here to defend yourself.

It's not what you are doing that bothers anyone at DU. 99.9% of all true liberals support you. It was that last line of the article:

"I've been a Republican my whole life, and that's why I think it bothers me more than it would any liberal Democrat, because this goes against everything I've ever believed in."

#1, what makes you think that it bothers you more, being a Republican, than it does us liberals and/or Democrats? Don't you think that's a tad belittling, condescending, and presumptuous?

#2,I have no clue what is included in 'everything' you've 'ever believed in', but in case you hadn't noticed, it's liberals and the ACLU who have ALWAYS fought against invasions of privacy like this and conservatives who always support it.

Meanwhile, the folks over at FreeRepublic and other right-wing sites assail us and call anyone who dares to speak up against stuff like this or TIA or the bank records database search 'traitors' 'anti-American' or 'pro-terrorist'.

So don't get your feelings too hurt by 'bite my ass'. It beats being called a traitor.

[gratuitous]

20. This can be a harsh board

I can appreciate your filing a lawsuit, and wish that more folks had this avenue available to them to stop this particular government's depradations. Unfortunately, they have done a first-rate job of persuading a lot of people that going to court is somehow an underhanded tactic to use, though they are quite prolific with lawsuits when it suits their purposes.

I won't vilify you, except to wonder why your loyalty to the Republican party hinges on one single, very narrowly-drawn Supreme Court decision (Kelo). The people that run the GOP are working very hard to transfer the wealth of this country in a way that benefits a select few at the expense of the many. If you are a data architect, I suspect you don't make oodles of money every year. If you benefited at all from the Republican tax cuts, you have probably spent whatever pittance you saved many times over in increased fees for government services, higher prices for consumer goods (such as gasoline), and a stagnant salary that lags behind the pace of inflation.

I will close with the observation that the GOP sees every electoral contest as a referendum on their mandate for enriching the wealthy at the expense of the rest of us. Given their unfettered power during the last few years, it's good that you're alarmed by their snooping through your private records. If they continue to enjoy electoral success, they may just succeed in closing the courthouse doors to lawsuits like yours. I would strongly urge you to reconsider your party affiliation -- because the GOP really does think the system is set up to be a game that solely rewards them and their campaign contributors.

[texastoast]

3. I might join her lawsuit, but I would have to hold my nose

"I've been a Republican my whole life, and that's why I think it bothers me more than it would any liberal Democrat, because this goes against everything I've ever believed in."

It goes against everything I've ever believed in too, Miss Elite. Not to mention the Founding Fathers. You and your ilk deserve this. The rest of the nation which has not voted Repukian all their lives do not.

[Kelvin Mace]

4. What's the matter?

Don't like what you voted for?

[Vidar]

6. Good--every disaffected republican is a potential democratic vote.

[drm604]

13. Okay, I was with her until that last sentence.

"I've been a Republican my whole life, and that's why I think it bothers me more than it would any liberal Democrat, because this goes against everything I've ever believed in."

Ms Fortnash, you obviously have no idea what liberal Democrats are all about if you think this bothers you more than it bothers them. I think you may have been buying into the silly caricatures that have been promulgated by the mass media. You actually may have more in common with those Democrats then you think.

[darch115]

21. Bothered was not the right word -- Betrayed would have been better

I can see where that quote would trouble you.   The rest of
what was said had to do with the fact that because I am a
republican I am put in a position where people often ask me to
defend these people.  But their actions are completely
indefensible.  The current leadership is hoping to create a
theocracy (the same thing they are afraid of in Iraq I might
add) and so her I am, a Republican Woman trying to explain to
friends that  these are not Republicans --- they are fascists.


Please understand, the comment was never meant to question the
commitment or patriotism of Democrats.  During the 2004
election I became a member of moveon and spent many weekends
canvassing my neighborhood for John Kerry. I took one of my
very few vacation days on election day 2004 to drive people to
the polls and call others on my moveon lists to let them know
when there were no lines.

I thank God for all the committed people that want to take our
country back, Democrat, Republican, Independent, Libertarian –
and any others I might have missed --- everyone committed
enough to care.

Thank you for you comments

Theresa

[MasonJar]

17. I would love to join your lawsuit. I have already changed my

computer from Bellsouth and hope to drop my phone too. We need to boycott these corporations who take our money and treat us like dirt. Stop using them! Never buy gas from Exxon, etc. Today in Louisville gas went to $3.09. There is nothing amusing about that, and with all their massive profit, the company still refuses to pay for the oil spill in Valdez. We must stop admiring the big, wealthy crooks and the shady, moneychangers in the Congress and the White House. Can you imagine the uproar from the Pugs if Clinton or Gore had given their former co. unbid contracts like Cheney/Bush? I got two letters from my idiot congresswomanm(Anne Northrup) this week. I did not open them; I sent them back return to sender and told her not to send me any more mail with the taxpayer dollar until she votes one time against a Bush proposal. Ditto Jim "halfabrain" Bunning. He will get his back too; I tore McConnell's up or so would he. We have to replace these idiots. Impeach Bush/Cheney/Hasert/etc.

[devilgrrl]

18. kick

:kick: