NYT: Looks as if the House if going to give Bush a FU with the FISA bill

[kpete]

Looks as if the House if going to give Bush a FU with the FISA bill..(I hope)

WASHINGTON — In continued defiance of the White House, House Democratic leaders are readying a proposal that would reject giving legal protection to the phone companies that helped in the National Security Agency’s program of wiretapping without warrants after the Sept. 11 attacks, Congressional officials said Monday.

Instead of blanket immunity, the tentative proposal would give the federal courts special authorization to hear classified evidence and decide whether the phone companies should be held liable. House Democrats have been working out the details of their proposal in the last few days, officials said, and expect to take it to the House floor for a vote on Thursday.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/11/washington/11fisa.html?_r=1&ei=5088&en=5845d224f9e72156&ex=1362974400&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1205252159-fRZBsMISmrpNpD+/H+nXQg

[Selatius]

1. I can see this as a backdoor way to giving them immunity. Just get a rubber stamp court to hear it.

I'd much rather that no immunity is given at all. They did not go through the proper channels of obtaining court-issued search warrants.

[VP505]

2. I agree,

and guess who the Federal Court Judges are appointed by.

"the tentative proposal would give the federal courts special authorization to hear classified evidence and decide whether the phone companies should be held liable"

[jody]

3. The House is more responsive to voter interests because of two year terms. Senators with their six

year terms are less vulnerable and small states have a disproportionate impact, e.g. Wyoming with about 522 thousand people has two senators as does California with nearly 37 million people.

That means a Wyoming senator's vote is about 74 times as powerful as a California senator's vote in terms of people represented.

It also means special interests with deep pockets can buy a senator from the seven smallest states with about 5 million people much cheaper than buying senators from the seven largest states with over 134 million people.

[peacetalksforall]

4. What good does that do if the declare Martial Law - it's more incentive to

declare Martial Law. Perhaps the telcoms can use their employees to help out the BW-SS and prisons.

BW-SS = Blackwater fascist police. Blackwater owning and directing our current police.

[NashVegas]

5. YES!

I hope they hold the line.

[acmavm]

6. Letting a bush** picked federal court decide. OHHHHHH! That's

showing 'em.