Remember when the Freeps were all up in arms over FISA

[BR_Parkway]

because the Mighty Clenis was going to spy on them, abuse the program and have no Congressional oversight? My, how the hypocracy flows. Read it, bookmark it and enjoy it in your daily freeptard beatdowns.

From an excellent Kos Diary

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/2/11/233148/167

The possibility of FISA-sanctioned fishing expeditions was only one of the potential abuses that alarmed legal scholars and people concerned with civil liberties. It's absolutely ripe for abuse, said New York City defense lawyer Ron Kuby. There are hundreds of solidarity groups that American citizens work with, and all of those groups could be targets under FISA. 16 These groups and individuals, engaged in legitimate dissent and solidarity work with the victims of U.S. foreign policy around the world, fear that their First and Fourth Amendment rights will be eroded.

Others worry that under cover of secrecy, the court would exceed even its own broad legal mandate. Clearly the FISA court was strengthened to allow the government to conduct searches they would not be allowed to conduct under the traditional constitutional provisions, said Turley. That means the government could attempt and fail to secure a search warrant under traditional constitutional arguments, then go to the FISA court and convert the case artificially into a national security investigation and secure approval for the very same search.

click the link for so, so much more!

The comments are even better, though.

• This is beyond frightening. Thank you for this find.
  
• This does not bode well for continued freedom.
  
• Any chance of Bush rolling some of this back? It sounds amazing on its face. Why didn't Wen Ho Lee just "disappear" into one of these Star Chambers, never to return?
  
• I don't see that as a possibility. This is wherein the danger lies in the precedent set by the Clinton criminal administration. God only knows who will be in power next, but there are no checks and balances anymore. This is exactly the SORT of thing I've been protesting all along. Libs just don't see this!
  

[JeffR]

1. "God only knows who will be in power next...

but there are no checks and balances anymore."

Unreal!

Great catch!

[Roho]

7. freeps 2006 re 2000 story

buried in the equivalent of our 9/11 dungeon.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1577138/posts

comments are few and far between but this is a gem.....

Of course, to be fair, I must point out that today we are at war, whereas when this thread appeared, we were not. That's a nontrivial difference. Also, the defenses I have heard (at least, the reasonable ones) of the current NSA data-mining (or whatever it is, exactly) all rest on a Chief Executive's inherent authority during wartime. They're not even based on FISA at all (which Bush may in fact be violating); instead, the argument goes that FISA is partially unconstitutional, in that it attempts to restrict powers which constitutionally belong to the President and which Congress cannot take away at all.

This argument may or may not hold water (I think it's pretty sound, but there's an interesting debate to be had), but it wasn't even available to defenders of Clinton's actions back then.
5 posted on 02/12/2006 12:24:15 PM PST by Dr. Frank fan

[ThoughtCriminal]

2. I can't say they were wrong

"This is wherein the danger lies in the precedent set by the Clinton criminal administration. God only knows who will be in power next, but there are no checks and balances anymore. This is exactly the SORT of thing I've been protesting all along. Libs just don't see this!"
----

OK, now imagine how bad it could be if the President didn't even bother to get a FISA warrant. God only knows...

[proReality]

3. "...Libs just don't see this!"

Now we know for certain that they really haven't heard a single thing we've been saying.

Don't you just love how they take credit for things!

[Webster Green]

4. Unbelievable!

Their hypocrisy is overwhelming!:rofl:

[AtomicKitten]

5. I'm sorry, that only applies to Democratic presidents.

Republicans presidents can do whatever they hell they want. And do.

[benddem]

6. Keep this kicked

this is one of the best examples of the rights extreme hypocrisy!!!!

[BR_Parkway]

8. I'd love to find ReThug Senator and House quotes from that time

frame - it was Clinton - you know someone on that side of the aisle had to be claiming the end of the world - and they're probably the one's on every pundit show now telling how it's mandatory the Shrub use this and the rest of us should just STFU

[BR_Parkway]

9. Perhaps the best quote from the entire board

As quietly as possible (although it sometimes breaks out into the open, usually with the sound of gunfire and the death of innocents), a "shadow government" has been set up all around us my friend. It's foundation is not the constitution, but Executive Orders, Presidential Procalamations, Secret Acts, and Emergency Powers.

It has all the tools to be an absolute tyranny and those behind it (on both sides of the aisle) who crave power and their form of "governance" continue to move towards it while we are distracted by so many other goings on.

13 Posted on 12/01/2000 05:31:21 PST by Jeff Head (jeffhead@xxxxxxx)
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