How much do we really know about this new FISA bill?

[kentuck]

How much do we really know about this new FISA bill other than what we have heard thru the blogs? Is it really in violation of our 4th Amendment rights? Did they actually improve the bill and protect the rights of our citizens also? Are we mostly reacting out of fear and why can't our Congressmen do a better job at explaining the bill to us common folks? In my experiences, if it cannot be explained in a simple and clear manner, it should not be supported.

Does anyone know the details in this new bill. Personally, I only know what I have heard from people whose judgment I trust. People like Dennis Kucinich and the folks in the Black Caucus. But I do not know the exact details of the bill? What does it do and what does it not do? Does anyone know?

[ananda]

1. It gives Bush and telecoms a way out from lawsuits.

It's a total shameful cavein to the pressures
of lobbying and blackmail.

[EFerrari]

2. There was a rep from the ACLU on Washington Journal this morning.

She was adamant about opposing the bill and about urging the Senate not to pass it. She said it was going to kill the lawsuits brought against the companies that violated their customers' civil rights in the past, and that going forward it authorized a dragnet that has shown no evidence at all of catching terrorists. All communications going out and coming into the country can be collected and the bill does not tie that mandate to terrorism at all. She said it was unconstitutional and would be thrown out by the courts -- but not until after the damage is already done, i.e, after the court cases are killed which seek to find out what the government did with the (our)information which they illegally collected.

I believe it's possible to stream that segment at the C-SPAN website. It was the second half hour of WJ this morning. :hi:

[global1]

3. Here's A Link To The Text Of The Bill.......

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c110:1:./temp/~c110pjtDrj::

It is HR 6304.

[kentuck]

4. Link didn't work for me?

Are there some extra characters?...maybe?

[tkmorris]

7. Try this

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c110:1:./temp/~c110I6SEyJ::

[kentuck]

8. Thanks!

But it does not tell us a whole lot without side by side comparison of what has been amended and what has not from the Patriot Act version. Although I did find this one little excerpt interesting:

<snip>
(7) INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY- The term `intelligence community' has the meaning given the term in section 3(4) of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 401a(4)).

`(8) PERSON- The term `person' means--

`(A) an electronic communication service provider; or

`(B) a landlord, custodian, or other person who may be authorized or required to furnish assistance pursuant to--

`(i) an order of the court established under section 103(a) directing such assistance;

`(ii) a certification in writing under section 2511(2)(a)(ii)(B) or 2709(b) of title 18, United States Code; or

`(iii) a directive under section 102(a)(4), 105B(e), as added by section 2 of the Protect America Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-55), or 702(h).

[stray cat]

5. Probably less than 0.05% of the respondents including me have read the entire bill

[madfloridian]

6. I trust the ACLU on this. Here is their FISA bill page.

http://www.aclu.org/safefree/spying/fisa.html

I think our party just gave away some freedoms in order to look tough right before an election.

[comradebillyboy]

9. bingo!

the democratic party's latest profile in courage.