Iirc, the telecoms can get immunity by going through the FISA court.

[EFerrari]

Is that right? I'm trying to keep up with the Thuggery's lies and it's a hard slog.

We know the wiretapping started in January 2001, so the national security argument is bs.

But, don't the telecoms get immunity if directed to assist the Feds by the FISA court? Because that zeros out this whole "they won't be willing to help" bs.

[Selatius]

1. Did the spying start before or after Sept. 2001? I was under the impression it started after?

Or did he start it with cooperation from the telecom companies way before the attacks occured?

[kirby]

4. I've heard conflicting answers... n/t

[EFerrari]

6. It started in January 2001. It's in my bookmarks somewhere.

I''l go find it.

[EFerrari]

7. Link:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=165473

[Buzz Clik]

2. If the warrants are obtained through FISA, then the telecoms have no worries.

This was a big sham, and everyone knows it.

[EFerrari]

8. It's bizarre to me that the Democrats can't convey that

or worse, why they don't. :shrug:

[ThomWV]

10. And they don't even have to get the warrants first, they can get them retroactively.

[Buzz Clik]

11. Retroactively, in huge quantities all at once, etc etc.

One has to wonder what kind of illegal stuff they were doing.

It must have been truly nasty.

[kirby]

3. Exactly...

The problem was that FISA was designed to target an individual. What Bush did was hook up NSA equipment and monitor everything/everyone in bulk. There was no 'practical' way to get a warrant on that, so they bypassed / ignored FISA, and asked the Telco's to let them install classified equipment a their sites. Most telcos said 'okay'.

[EFerrari]

9. The problem is that BushCo is lying about who is under surveillance,

i.e., all of us.

And, I swear, if Junior said in the Rose Garden that we all need to be spied on for reasons of national security, his base would agree. :scared:

[librechik]

5. yes indeed--all they have to do to stay on the right side of the law is get a FISA warrant

and the court has only refused 5 out of 24,000 granted. Gee, I wonder why they are SO RELUCTANT to have anyone look at the names of those they want to eavesdrop on? Could it be because (gasp) they are not terrorists at all, but innocent Americans who happen to be political enemies of BushCo?

That couldn't be. Could it?