Dodd on FISA: "What we will have is a government that has sanctioned lawlessness. "

[dailykoff]

SEN. CHRIS DODD: AGAINST THE FISA EAVESDROPPING BILL
Thursday, 26 June 2008
The Santiago Times

(Ed. Note: The following speech opposing enactment of a bill authorizing government spying on U.S. citizens – the FISA bill – and immunity for the TelComs that did it - was made Tuesday in the Senate by Sen. Chris Dodd, a strong opponent to the legislation.)

Mr. President: I rise — once again — to voice my strong opposition to the misguided FISA legislation before us today. I have strong reservations about the so-called improvements made to Title I.

But more than that, this legislation includes provisions which would grant retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that apparently have violated the privacy and the trust of millions of Americans by participating in the president’s warrantless wiretapping program. If we pass this legislation, the Senate will ratify a domestic spying regime that has already concentrated far too much unaccountable power in the president’s hands and will place the telecommunications companies above the law.

I am here today to implore my colleagues to vote against cloture in the morning.

And let me make clear, at the outset of this debate, that this is not about domestic surveillance itself. We all recognize the importance of domestic surveillance – in an age of unprecedented threats. This is about illegal, unwarranted, unchecked domestic surveillance.

And that difference — the difference between surveillance that is lawful, warranted and that which is not — is everything.

{snip}

In this push for immunity, secrecy is at the center. We find proof in immunity’s original version: a proposal to protect not just the telecoms, but everyone involved in the wiretapping program. In their original proposal, that is, they wanted to immunize themselves.

Think about that. It speaks to their fear and, perhaps, their guilt: their guilt that they had broken the law, and their fear that in the years to come, they would be found liable or convicted.

They knew better than anyone else what they had done — they must have had good reason to be afraid.

Thankfully, immunity for the executive is not part of the bill before us. But the original proposal tells us something very important: This is, and always has been, a self-preservation bill.

more at link: http://www.santiagotimes.cl/santiagotimes/2008062514041/news/editorial-opinion/sen.-chris-dodd-against-the-fisa-eavesdropping-bill.html

[dailykoff]

1. Repeat, "This is about illegal, unwarranted, unchecked domestic surveillance."

How ANY Dem could get behind this bill -- not just the Telecom immunity -- is a question, because there's no excuse for giving cover to the criminals who have been flagrantly abusing us the last seven years.

:shrug:

[madfloridian]

2. But in a way it WILL immunize the executive....cause we can't find out what he did.

Recommended, thanks for posting. Chris Dodd has been strong on this subject.

[dailykoff]

4. Yes and I expect more of the same on torture, Guantanemo,

and the rest of the Bush-Cheney crimes against humanity, all swept away by a few strokes of his pen and with a little help from his Dem lapdogs in Congress. :grr:

[slipslidingaway]

3. K&R n/t

[MBS]

5. a fine speech and statement by Dodd. thank you, Senator Dodd and the other

14 Dem senators who have stood up for the Constitution. Here are the 15 principled souls who did what was right:
Biden (D-DE)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Dodd (D-CT)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Harkin (D-IA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Wyden (D-OR)
( I would also guess that Kennedy would have been on this list had he been able to vote)

So where are the others? Most Republicans , and Lieberman are, sadly, lost causes, but the other Dems? or even libertarian Repubs? Where are they? Surely they can stand up to a lame-duck administration with a 20% approval rating? This is neither a "radical" issue, nor a minor issue, but a fundamental issue addressing the fundamental, founding principles of our country. And only 15 senators out of 100 are standing up for us? Huh? What has happened to us? Why has Obama, of all people (constitutional law professor, agent of change . ) caved on this one, along with Clinton and the other Dems? What has happened to our country? and to our party?

[dailykoff]

6. Thanks, there are still a few Senators who haven't gone to the dark side

and Obama used to be one of them. I can't figure out what happened. Maybe Kennedy being out of the picture? All this chumming up with the Clintons is troubling.

:wtf:

[GeorgeGist]

7. That's not news ...

that's been standard Judeo-Christian policy since before Columbus stumbled into the 'New World' and claimed it for Spain.