Progressives Vow To Oppose Immunity in FISA Legislation

[marmar]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 8, 2008
11:41 AM

CONTACT: Congressional Progressive Caucus
Bill Goold, Progressive Caucus, [phone]
Cleve Mesidor, [phone] (Lee)
Chris Shields, [phone] (Woolsey)


Progressives Vow To Oppose Immunity in FISA Legislation
Congresswomen Barbara Lee, Lynn Woolsey & Progressives Target Bush Spying Program with Telecomm

WASHINGTON, DC - February 8 - Declaring that telecommunications companies involved in President’s Bush’s domestic spying program “undermined fundamental civil protections and privacy rights of Americans,” twenty-nine House Members today wrote to President Bush to warn him that they will oppose any legislation that grants the companies retroactive immunity.


The telecommunication firms in question, including Verizon and AT&T, surrendered confidential account information without demanding a court order to do so. In their letter, which was organized by Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) and Barbara Lee (D-CA), the House and Senate Members cited the need for a comprehensive judicial review of the companies’ involvement, and faulted the Bush Administration for failing to properly brief the Congress on the extent of the program’s activities.

The full text of the letter is below:

February 7, 2008

The Honorable George W. Bush
President
United States of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

We are writing to inform you that we will not support legislation reauthorizing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that grants retroactive legal immunity to telecommunications companies that cooperated with your Administration’s wiretapping program in violation of the Constitution and applicable federal law.

Corporations that handed over their customers’ records without a valid court order or other legal instrument authorized by statute undermined fundamental civil protections and privacy rights of Americans. Congress as a whole was kept in the dark for years about these activities, and to this day, the overwhelming majority of House Members and Senators have never been briefed on these activities. We cannot be asked to immunize these actions before we know the full extent of what occurred. Retroactive immunity sets a dangerous precedent by placing companies that are legally required to respond only to legitimate government requests for assistance based on the issuance of valid legal instruments above the law.

It is our responsibility to protect innocent Americans who expect that their communications will remain private except in circumstances provided under the law. The courts should not be prevented from ruling on the legality of the actions taken by these companies, and where appropriate, hold them accountable.

Sincerely,

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT); Lynn Woolsey (D-CA); Barbara Lee (D-CA); Rosa DeLauro (D-CT); Raúl Grijalva; Tammy Baldwin (D-WI); Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX); Hank Johnson (D-GA); Jan Schakowsky (D-IL); Peter DeFazio (D-OR); Bob Filner (D-CA); Peter Welch (D-VT); Dennis Kucinich (D-OH); Linda Sánchez (D-CA); Fortney Pete Stark (D-CA); James McGovern (D-MA); Jesse Jackson, Jr.(D-IL); Jim McDermott (D-WA); Betty McCollum (D-MN); Maurice Hinchey (D-NY); Donald Payne (D-NJ); Luis Gutierrez (D-IL); Keith Ellison (D-MN); Danny Davis (D-IL); Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC); Phil Hare (D-OH); Barney Frank (D-MA); Melvin Watt (D-NC); Neil Abercrombie (D-HI).
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http://www.commondreams.org/news2008/0208-02.htm

[L. Coyote]

1. "your ... wiretapping program in violation of the Constitution and applicable federal law"

28 Congress members in one letter saying "You are a crook."

My informant said ALL fiber optic communications are split and sent outside
of US jurisdiction, then they do whatever they want with the data outside
of the reach of US law. They are spying on EVERYONE at once, no exceptions,
EVERYONE, but the crime is the capture of ALL communications and moving them
outside of jurisdiction.

I am still not fully informed on precisely where the spying is done. I have
the names of several nations the cables go through, and an idea of where some
of it happens. Apparently, where waterboarding happens and videos are destroyed,
and hence pointing to CIA installations overseas.

Why are cable failures being reported in the Near East? To force communications
down the series of tubes where our dump trucks are getting the full load?

[VP505]

2. Wonder why I don't

see the signature of Feingold, Dodd, Durbin, Clinton, Obama and the other Senators that claim to be against immunity? Perhaps they need to hear from some DU members asking them to sign on.

[Donnachaidh]

3. I'd like to know which telecomms have given funds to Clinton and Obama

That would be the main reason they won't/haven't signed. BOTH have political IOU's to pay back. No one will pay any attention to that little nugget while the showpony parade is going on.

[VP505]

4. I took a quick look

and couldn't find exactly which companies have given but I did find totals. Obama has received $86,736, Clinton $116,500 from Telephone Utilities. From Telecom Services & Equipment companies a total of $329,230 for Clinton and $172,065 for Obama. Information is from http://www.opensecrets.org

[williesgirl]

5. kick