A note from Patrick Leahy on the FISA bill

[mmonk]

Dear (mmonk),

For many months now, the Leahy for Vermont community and online activists everywhere have urged Congress to fix FISA the right way: by passing a bill that protects both our national security and our civil liberties. Together, we have had a huge impact on this debate, calling for legislation that protects Americans from the Bush-Cheney Administration's relentless assault on the Constitution, and we should be extremely proud of these efforts.

But after months of negotiations, the House today unveiled a new FISA bill that I cannot support. While I applaud the fact that this legislation includes some of the important surveillance protections we wrote into the Senate Judiciary Committee bill last year, it fails to hold the Bush-Cheney Administration accountable for its illegal wiretapping program.

I will oppose this new FISA bill when the Senate votes on it next week. We must do everything we can to protect Americans from the Bush-Cheney Administration's erosion of our civil liberties and callous disregard for the rule of law -- and this new FISA bill fails that test.

Thank you for all that you have done -- and all you will continue to do -- to help America protect our security while honoring our core values and respecting our fundamental rights. As the Supreme Court wrote in its habeas decision last week, "Security subsists, too, in fidelity to freedom's first principles."

Sincerely,

Patrick Leahy
U.S. Senator

[global1]

1. K & R .......nt

[DeepBlueC]

2. Good for him nt

[muntrv]

3. If Obama wins, how about Sen. Leahy for Attorney General?

[mmonk]

5. Good idea except we would lose him in the Senate.

But we wouldn't have to worry what actions would be taken against the Constitution anymore for awhile.

[midnight]

4. If it fails to uphold the law it fails. Since Bush/cheney broke the law

they need to be held to the law. "it fails to hold the Bush-Cheney Administration accountable for its illegal wiretapping program." No one should be on board with this administration for breaking the law for a war they created.

[DarthDem]

6. Nice

But will his opposition matter? Do we have 40 votes to prevent this from coming to the floor in the Senate? Sounds like it's a done deal. Another sellout by our astonishingly spineless Senate "leadership."

[Gabi Hayes]

7. will he filibuster? is there any reason to pass this bill until after the election?

what am I missing here?

[rpannier]

8. As I recall Dodd tried to filibuster in the Senate before

and there were not enough votes for it.

But, I could be mistaken... God knows it wouldn't be the first time.

[Gabi Hayes]

9. he did threaten, and I don't know if that's the reason it didn't pass then.

he's spoken out against it this time.

see the thread re: Turley/Olbermann saying some dems are covering their own asses in this game, and that's why it's going to pass in the current form?

[rpannier]

10. "...covering their asses..." This is what I don't get

These idiots are willing to give a man that people don't trust and dislike pretty much whatever he wants because they're afraid of fallout from????

I mean, if this had been Bill Clinton I could have understood because Bill could use a press conference or a speech quite effectively.

But DUH-bya??? Everytime this guy puts himself out in the public spotlight for more than 10 seconds his popularity declines and the issue he's stumping for finds it's support among the public plumeting.

It's baffling.
Maybe one day the Penguin on Tom Tomorrow will explain it to me.

[NC_Nurse]

11. Leahy is a man of integrity. Thank God there are some left. This whole thing

is SO depressing. I'm appalled at some of our Dem leaders. :(

[JDPriestly]

12. I wrote a protest e-mail to my Congressman.

I read the amendment and then explained precisely why it should not be passed. It's a mess.
It's a really sloppy bill.

It amounts to censorship of foreign news sites and blogs. Those of us who visit them will be subject to surveillance. And the Attorney General and NSA can pretty much target the communications of all news sites and blogs and businesses as they wish.

[mmonk]

15. I will still gather information from foreign news sites.

I'd love for a court case on that issue.

[alfredo]

13. I've written another letter to my Blue Dog congresscritter.

[alfredo]

14. If they want to ignore the laws, then maybe it is OK for us to ignore them.

Our government has turned their backs on us.

[bdamomma]

17. I would love if the Hague would ignore our laws so they could

arrest these SOB's, the * SOB's.

[alfredo]

19. If they do try to bring him before the court and we refuse to extradite

him, it would do (more) severe damage to our standing in the world.

[malaise]

16. Thanks Pat

Will Teddy Kennedy be voting?

[mmonk]

18. Good question.