Here's the latest today from the ACLU about the FISA bill...better than it was.

[madfloridian]

ACLU Statement on RESTORE ACT, ACLU Urges Congress to Include Individual Warrants for Americans

Washington, DC – Today the Democratic leadership unveiled the RESTORE Act. What follows are the ACLU’s comments on that draft.

The following can be attributed to Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU’s Washington Legislative Office:


“The ACLU sees one major flaw in the RESTORE Act. As drafted, the RESTORE Act still allows for the US government to collect phone calls and emails from Americans without an individual warrant.

Program warrants - sometimes called basket warrants, sometime called blanket warrants - included in the draft bill are a crucial sticking point. There is no specific target when you use basket warrants, which contradicts the heart of the Fourth Amendment. Essentially, a basket warrant really means no real warrant.

Program warrants are the 21st century version of King George’s heavy-handed intrusions on individual privacy. We would not tolerate allowing government agents to sit in our living rooms recording our personal conversations, so why would we permit it to monitor us remotely and without our knowledge? The Fourth Amendment requires individual warrants if Americans are involved and without them, the RESTORE Act won't pass constitutional muster.”

More at the link.

[robinlynne]

1. why not just undo the august bill? We now know they were lying about needing it.

(We always knew, but now it is official.)

[liberalla]

2. Randi had Caroline Fredrickson from ACLU on her show today

I thought I heard her say that another FISA reform plan was being offered by Rush Holt and that it's better for protecting our 4th Amendment rights.

Did anyone else hear that? I can't find anything about it online... I checked Randi's message board and didn't see it there...

A warrant must be required for wiretapping. Don't let them skip over that!