Comments on: Amending the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2008/01/amending_the_foreign_intellige.html Secrecy News from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy Thu, 24 May 2012 10:04:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Gordon L. Nelson http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2008/01/amending_the_foreign_intellige.html/comment-page-1#comment-986 Gordon L. Nelson Tue, 12 Feb 2008 02:33:04 +0000 http://fasweb.beacontec.com/blog/secrecy/2008/01/amending_the_foreign_intellige.html#comment-986 This bill, if passed, would grant immunity to any and all telecommunciations companies who knowingly and illegally facilitated eavesdropping and electronic surveillance of literally millions of Americans over a four or five year period. The federal judge in this matter, Judge Walker, has already declared that there is no way AT and T legal staff could have possibly been under the illusion that this surveillance was legal. To grant retroactive immunity to these companies is to trample upon basic 4th amendment rights guaranteed to all Americans. This Democratically-controlled senate should be ashamed of itself if it permits this bill to go forward. This bill, if passed, would grant immunity to any and all telecommunciations companies who knowingly and illegally facilitated eavesdropping and electronic surveillance of literally millions of Americans over a four or five year period. The federal judge in this matter, Judge Walker, has already declared that there is no way AT and T legal staff could have possibly been under the illusion that this surveillance was legal. To grant retroactive immunity to these companies is to trample upon basic 4th amendment rights guaranteed to all Americans. This Democratically-controlled senate should be ashamed of itself if it permits this bill to go forward.

]]> By: Richard http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2008/01/amending_the_foreign_intellige.html/comment-page-1#comment-944 Richard Fri, 25 Jan 2008 13:32:48 +0000 http://fasweb.beacontec.com/blog/secrecy/2008/01/amending_the_foreign_intellige.html#comment-944 Let’s not forget Bush’s 1,000-plus signing statements (which make debate about any proposed legislation academic) and the Cheney-Bush administration’s blatant and unrequited violation of the law when it comes to secrecy and spying on U.S. citizens. Also, it seems that immunity for privacy lawsuits for the telecoms will not be part of any updated FISA package. The impotence of the Democrat-controlled Congress is an ever-growing source of frustration and disappointment for those who expected the restoration of habeas corpus and our other rights after the last national election. It seems that when conflicts do occur between the executive and legislative branches, they are power struggles between the two -- to which our rights are incidental. Let’s not forget Bush’s 1,000-plus signing statements (which make debate about any proposed legislation academic) and the Cheney-Bush administration’s blatant and unrequited violation of the law when it comes to secrecy and spying on U.S. citizens. Also, it seems that immunity for privacy lawsuits for the telecoms will not be part of any updated FISA package.

The impotence of the Democrat-controlled Congress is an ever-growing source of frustration and disappointment for those who expected the restoration of habeas corpus and our other rights after the last national election. It seems that when conflicts do occur between the executive and legislative branches, they are power struggles between the two — to which our rights are incidental.

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