HOUSE SESSION - Thread #3:

[pinto]

Thread #2 is here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1505824&mesg_id=1505824

[porphyrian]

1. They've voting on allowing the consideration of the FISA and Minnesota bridge bills now. - n/t

[pinto]

2. kick

:kick:

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

3. K&R Thanks Pinto! nt

[porphyrian]

4. Vote's almost done. Looks like they'll be considering the bills. - n/t

[bonito]

5. Kick

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

6. kick

[pinto]

7. Voting on resolution to consider FISA and Minnesota bridge funds bills.

[pinto]

8. Resolution approved. House is back in.

[rodeodance]

15. It has literally bEEN HOURS to get them to debate this!

[in_cog_ni_to]

9. The DEMOCRATS changed 3 things that the psycho asked to be changed in the FISA laws, but then

someone else (Cheney?) got involved and wanted MORE changed and THAT is what the Dems are fighting against. Cheney must be the one trying to give Gonzo unchecked powers, as dictated to the Director of Intelligience.. Just heard Harry Reid talking about this.

[pinto]

13. Obviously they've talked about this (duh). I think the Dir of Intel

is running point for some faction in the Administration's byzantine structure of allegiances and loyalty. Not sure who?

[rodeodance]

17. yes, they did but then some Repug read a memo from Dir of Intell saying

he did not approve (just a bit ago)------and Hastings got up and said the WH told the Director to send out the memo. whow.

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

10. Oberstar Dem of MN is up talking about the Bridge. nt

[porphyrian]

11. I think he's going to be handing someone their ass here soon... - n/t

[rodeodance]

12. thanks PINTO

[rodeodance]

14. and will REC

[rodeodance]

16. Fisa Bill proposal here:*********************

Forum Name General Discussion
Topic subject What's in the FISA Bill?
Topic URL http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1506210#1506210
1506210, What's in the FISA Bill?
Posted by babylonsister on Fri Aug-03-07 04:01 PM

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/003861.php

What's in the FISA Bill?
By Spencer Ackerman - August 3, 2007, 4:46 PM

From the Bush administration's perspective, the House proposal to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act goes way too far to restrict the intelligence community from collecting crucial information on terrorists. Yet looking at the bill, it's hard to see what the White House's objections could be.

For one thing, as TPMmuckraker reported earlier today, under the bill, the primary role for the FISA Court is in issuing generalized surveillance warrants for "persons reasonably believed to be outside the United States." Those warrants don't have to name their targets, nor locate where the surveillance will take place if the attorney general shows that the surveillance methods used will mostly exclude U.S. citizens and residents. Such warrants will be approved, according to section 105(c)(1)(C), if the FISA judge determines that collecting "foreign intelligence information" is merely a "significant purpose" of the AG's request.

What happens to U.S. persons who may be tapped? There isn't any requirement for a probable-cause-derived warrant to continue surveillance on them. Instead, the attorney general would only have to create "guidelines" for surveillance on people in the U.S. as the result of one of the aforementioned warrants. Every 60 days the Justice Department's inspector general would have to report to the FISA Court and to the Congressional intelligence committees on compliance -- including handing over a list of names of those U.S. citizens and residents under surveillance during that time period. Nothing in the bill indicates any power for either the court or Congress to do anything about any American caught in the surveillance web.

Additionally, for reasons that aren't explained, the attorney general gets one last dalliance with warrantless surveillance: he can authorize surveillance for up to 15 days after the bill's passage if he says there's an "emergency situation," and the court can bless an extension of not longer than another 30 days.

The Bush administration doesn't get everything it wants under this bill. There is still, after all, some role for the FISA Court. There's no post-facto approval of FISA warrants, as Admiral McConnell wanted. And there's no retroactive liability from lawsuits brought against telecommunications companies who complied with warrantless NSA surveillance from 2001 to 2006. But on most issues, the House bill provides a great deal of flexibility to the president, who today said that "so far the Democrats in Congress have not drafted a bill I can sign. We've worked hard and in good faith with the Democrats to find a solution, but we are not going to put our national security at risk."

Update: See Marty Lederman and Jack Balkin for more.

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

18. Alcee Hastings has been wonderful to watch today. This day has been my introduction to him.

I like this gent.

[rodeodance]

20. He has been kicking Repug butt today!

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

22. It's been such fun to watch. Love it! nt

[ChiciB1]

67. And To Think... They Almost Sent Him To Jail Once!

I live here in Florida and honestly I've completely forgotten what it was all about, but I know it was SUMPIN!

He warmed my cockles today!!

[rodeodance]

19. tell that lettle man for R FL to take a hike. This is the first nice thing he has

said all day.

[rodeodance]

21. hey REpug---if we did not have fund the Iraq war-the infrastructure could

begin to get fixed.

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

23. Duncan R TN rises in Strong support of this amendment. nt

[rodeodance]

24. Why this Minnesotan will be mailing my Republican Governor a nickel tomorrow

Forum Name General Discussion
Topic subject Why this Minnesotan will be mailing my Republican Governor a nickel tomorrow
Topic URL http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1500563#1500563
1500563, Why this Minnesotan will be mailing my Republican Governor a nickel tomorrow
Posted by MN Against Bush on Thu Aug-02-07 08:29 PM

I have lived in Minnesota my whole life, and never before have I witnessed a tragedy like yesterday's. Today I have been sitting on the internet frequently checking to see if they have released any of the names of those who are dead or missing yet hoping that I won't see the names of any of my neighbors or friends. But I know that 35W is one of the most busy freeways in the state, and I know that many of the Minnesotans I have grown to love over the years travel that road on a daily basis.

Today I think every resident of the Twin Cities area is feeling a little bit of fear because we don't know who is laying at the bottom of the Mississippi River, and we fear that the news that is yet to come will be even more difficult to take than what we have already witnessed.

Those of us who grew up in this state were very privileged. We lived in a state where people took care of one another. We had some of the best social services in the nation, some of the best health care in the nation, some of the best education in the nation, and yes some of the best roads in the nation.

But lately we have watched our great state fall apart. We have a Republican Governor who has been so adamantly anti-tax that he has been willing to sacrifice all the things that have made Minnesota a great state to live in.

Just a few months ago we watched this man veto a transportation bill because it contained a five cent a gallon increase in the gas tax in order provide for better transit and repairs to our crumbling infrastructure.

Today when us Minnesotans reach down into our pockets to pull out some change we will look at the nickels we pull out and think that if we would have spent that extra nickel at the gas station that maybe this problem would have been taken more seriously. The nickel that I will very likely end up throwing into my penny jar and not touch for months or years to come could have been used to save lives, yet the Republicans beat themselves on the chest bragging about how they saved that nickel for us taxpayers.

You know what I want to say to the Republicans? I don't want that nickel, I want that bridge back. I only wish I could have the people who are currently laying underneath that bridge back as well. But I can't have them back, because the Republicans have decided that our nickels are more important than our safety.

No one that I know of thought that the 35W bridge was dangerous, but we were proven wrong and now we just hope pray that we won't be proven wrong again and we hope that all the other bridges we drive over are safe. We hope they are safe, but we know that as long as we have those extra nickels in our pocket we can not have as much confidence that they really are safe.

I want Governor Pawlenty to have that nickel that he saved me on my morning commute. That is why tomorrow morning I will be mailing him a nickel. If he is so proud that he saved me a nickel, well then he can have my nickel I don't want it. I want him to look at that nickel and realize the loss of life that nickel represents. I want him to look at that nickel and think about the bodies at the bottom of that river, I want him to look at that nickel and I want him to think about all the rescue workers who risk their lives swimming in a polluted river and trying to avoid sharp debris while the current pulls them. And I want him to think about all the families right now who are in a state of emotional wreck because of the nickel that he saved them.

Tomorrow I will be mailing my nickel, I would encourage everyone else to do the same.

[rodeodance]

25. FISA fight could drag into next week

Forum Name General Discussion
Topic subject FISA fight could drag into next week
Topic URL http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1506407#1506407
1506407, FISA fight could drag into next week
Posted by babylonsister on Fri Aug-03-07 04:30 PM

FISA fight could drag into next week
By Elana Schor
August 03, 2007

The Senate could stay in session into next week until a deal is reached on giving the administration authority to eavesdrop on terrorist suspects, leaders of both parties indicated on Friday.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told reporters that Democrats would formally offer “a proposal of our own” on Friday. Yet Reid left open the possibility that a bipartisan accord on revising the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) could materialize on Friday “or next week.”

Weighty questions remained unanswered as Republicans continued to insist on keeping the Senate in session until passage of a FISA bill acceptable to Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Mike McConnell.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), appearing with Reid, said her chamber would take up a FISA bill on Friday. But the DNI immediately objected to the Democratic-written measure.

“The House proposal would not allow me to carry out my responsibility to provide warning and to protect the nation, especially in our heightened threat environment,” the spy chief said in a statement. “I urge Members of Congress to support the legislation I provided to modify FISA and to equip our Intelligence Community with the tools we need to protect our Nation.”

President Bush weighed in on Friday as well, challenging Congress to pass “a bill I can sign” and vowing to veto any FISA bill that the DNI does not approve.

more...

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/fisa-fight-could-drag-into-next-week-2007-08-03.html

[rodeodance]

26. she is right on "structually deficient"----- HAS become part of our vocabulary

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

27. Young from Alaska is UP.

Is this the bridge to no where fella?

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

29. OMG. HE IS ASKING FOR A TAX!!!

edit: APPLAUSE from the house!

[rodeodance]

34. i wonder if the Repugs clapped??

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

35. LOL!

[rodeodance]

36. k

[rodeodance]

28. Young from Alaska *Repug-----he is the one under investigation!--pretty self-rightous

[rodeodance]

30. OH MY GOD----he said to fund infrastructure with a TAX!!

[rodeodance]

32. hey bud----just repeal that upper tax cut (that bush wants to extend!!)

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

31. Pelosi is up. nt

[rodeodance]

33. hey Pelosi is on the floor (behaving now aren't they)

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

38. Applause at the end of her speech. She looks lovely in that cream color.

That woman just knows how to dress. Always looks good.

[rodeodance]

37. pelosi did good

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

39. Repub Bachmann up. Don't let * get to close to this one!

[WinkyDink]

40. MY EYES!!! This needs a WARNING!!!

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

42. Sorry!

Is that Fox hanging on also?

[rodeodance]

41. that is so SICK

[rodeodance]

43. Hey Repug-no we can not spend $$ on infrastructure until we get rid of the war!!

[rodeodance]

44. bill is passed on voice vote, (NO NAY)----yet Florida REPUG wants a REcorded voice.

[rodeodance]

45. I am cynical, as I think he just wants to be sure he gets credit.

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

46. I don't think you're cynical, you're just reality based.

But then, being reality based, would tend to make one cynical. Did I just talk myself into a circle?

[Chichiri]

47. Who the hell voted against the bridge repair bill?

Two people voted nay -- both pukers, of course.

ETA: One person changed his vote to yea, I'll assume that was just hitting the wrong button.

Who the hell is the other puker?

[rodeodance]

48. BRidge bill is Passed. Now Jr. can go to Mpls tomorrow with $250 MILLION present.

[KoKo]

50. YES..but it really WAS Bi-Partisan ...no matter how the Screaming Chimp describes it!

So, this is a "Win/Win." No?

[rodeodance]

49. Now they are Re-playing Jr. "cold blooded killers who want to come to our homeland"

[rodeodance]

52. Jr can only thinking of KILLING. nothing else hits his peebrain

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

54. Three Yellow Ties press conference. nt

[rodeodance]

55. yup, he had his big gun behind him Dark Vader!

[rodeodance]

57. Journal stands approved (from yesterday)-----

[buzzard]

51. DId I just hear that Bush would veto any Bill not endorsed by the DNI??

[rodeodance]

53. YUP. and now he says he worked in good faith-yet they kept adding and adding

[buzzard]

56. How accurate do you think this is??

http://www.worldaffairsbrief.com/

RUSH TO CHANGE SURVEILLANCE LAW BASED ON A LIE
Suspiciously, a convenient crisis has arisen that demands Congress "fix" the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) by giving broad powers to the Attorney General to authorize a wider spectrum of warrantless surveillance. The coordinated push for "emergency" legislation was triggered by an secret order by a secret FISA judge (we are supposed to take the government's word that such an order exists) supposedly prohibiting the government from listening in on any foreign call routed through US lines or equipment. Suddenly, National Intelligence Tzar Mike McConnel is saying our intelligence forces are blind to a significant portion of foreign communications. That's the big lie. In fact, the NSA constantly analyzes ALL telephone traffic without a warrant, and then uses the information already gathered to seek a few token warrants–to make it appear as if they are acting within the law. For a one-time sample copy of these briefings, send an email to "[e-mail]" and request it.

[rodeodance]

63. It is my understanding that the one judge thought to many calls were being

listened into at at once (requested with the single warrent)---'basket"----and they the approvals needed to be separated out.

[rodeodance]

58. oh oh------Resoltuon Priveleged at the Desk

[mikelgb]

59. Privileged Asshole resolution from Boner

[Chichiri]

60. What the hell is this thing being read?

[rodeodance]

64. its like a ruler rapping the Dems (tor percieved transgression last night)---this is NOT

the time to have a fit when they all just want to go home.

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

61. Okay, who is the lady in the mint green suit? She is back in the chair.

I'd like to see a thread on fashion do and dont's on the Hill every week. Would anyone here read such a thread?

[mikelgb]

62. Rep Taucher

I believe

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

65. Tauscher ~ I like her style. Smart and sharp.

[rodeodance]

70. thanks

[rodeodance]

66. no, not much interested. (btw----i asked who earlier and got no response)

[mikelgb]

68. oy Hoyer

[rodeodance]

69. they did this this am also--that is when Health wilson got up and motioned for

an adjournment

[rodeodance]

71. Hoyer is giving a long detailed explanation on why he thinks last nights

vote is fair

[rodeodance]

72. Roy Blunt is blunting away

[rodeodance]

74. He does not want to be IRrelavant

[rodeodance]

75. $ 4 thread here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=389

[Madspirit]

73. k&r...n/t