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Harry and Gabby fight the fear
If you are anything like me and sometimes spend an odd amount of time watching television in the afternoons, you might have noticed an ad recently calling on Congressman Harry Mitchell and Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords to support the Republican-backed bill to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The ad, paid for by Defense of Democracy, runs like any other GOP scare tactic, claiming our intelligence efforts against international terrorism have been crippled and that our representatives have irresponsibly left us vulnerable from terrorists.
Of course, like any other GOP scare tactic, the ad is not based in reality. The government is still legally able to wire-tap suspected terrorists and they can do so without a warrant for up to 72 hours, as provided by the original FISA law. The bill is not about being able to gather intelligence on our enemies, but to give the telecommunications industry retroactive immunity from prosecution for any illegal activity they might have done on behalf of the Bush Administration. The non-partisan group FactCheck.org even posted an article debunking the fear tactics and arguments made by Defense of Democracy.
Representatives Mitchell and Giffords are correct in opposing this bill. The telecom companies must be held responsible for invading the privacy of millions of Americans. The Bush Administration should not be allowed to indiscriminately spy on Americans without warrants. The blatant abuse of power on the part of the Bush Administration and telecom companies cannot be tolerated, and I’m happy our Democratic representatives are not tolerating it either.
Instead of being scared or nervous, be glad that Harry Mitchell and Gabby Giffords are standing up for our Fourth Amendment rights. Take a minute and thank Harry and Gabby for standing up for our Constitutional rights! And tell them to keep up the fight against this reckless encroachment on our civil liberties!
Posted By: Tim Wilson @ Mar 7, 02:43 PM
Comments
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Every time George Bush and the Republicans in Congress want to violate the Constitution, expand executive power, and spy on American citizens they fabricate an “imminent threat” to national security that requires we do everything they say.
This is not about national security—the intelligence community already has the tools to conduct legal and affective surveillance. This is about giving telecom companies immunity from giving Bush whatever he asks for, whether it’s legal or not. Our Democratic members of Congress have stood up for our rights to privacy while ensuring our right to security. No right wing special interest group can buy enough ads to hide the truth.
— Cole Mar 7, 03:13 PM Permalink