New Energy on FISA

If the MSM hadn't completely abandoned their role as the 4th Estate, the on-going and upcoming FISA vote would be getting more play. As it is the coverage is there but it's thin, reduced to soundbites that are both simplistic and dishonest: "a battle over authorizing the government to spy on terrorists." No, FISA is not about allowing the President to spy on terrorists you gutless drones. Check your facts: that power always existed. FISA is about allowing the President to decide unilaterally to spy on YOU, or someone who looks like you, or doesn't look like you, or who could be related to someone you know. He doesn't have time to be picky, goddammit, he wants it all.

Everyday people actually "get" the FISA issue when the central tenents of the argument are explained. They get instantly how this is contrary to our system of government. If this issue were getting anywhere near a level of attention proportionate to its importance there would be no issue. People would not have it.

But since you can only understand the issue by seeking out information not provided by most of the MSM, we have to become a more effective mouthpiece on this issue. We need to take responsibility to actively promulgate more reaction.

The entire argument in favor of telecom immunity rests on one premise: That, because the President ordered them to do so, telecoms should not be held accountable for their unlawful invasion of the privacy of our communications. Period. End of argument. Not their fault.

I don't remember that argument playing very well for some Vietnam veterans, who were "ordered" to commit atrocities in the name of winning a war and spreading freedom. Those poor men, grunts in the field who were told they would live or die based on the judgment of their commanders were not let off the hook for obeying orders. They were held responsible to decide in the field whether an order given to them was legal. This was also a time of war. Right or wrong, our government held them accountable. This argument alone would assure the defeat of this bill in any system that didn't continue to play the little guys as suckers.

Glenn remembers also:

Even soldiers, for whom the President is actually the Commander-in-Chief, are prohibited from obeying unlawful orders.

That's the whole point of this Administration. The rules are for the suckers. No-bid contracts. Sweet deals for Administration-connected industries in the war machine. Leaks of classified information that would get a powerless person a prison sentence all pardoned away. The rules are for suckers. The Department of Justice of the United States has been completely politicized in direct violation of federal law -- and this Administration thumbs their nose at inquiry. They violate the Geneva Conventions and U.S military law because those were rules made for other people, not for them, and they simply dare someone to challenge them.

And where are the Democrats?

Where are we?

Fax and call time. Christy commands:

Tomorrow is the vote on the FISA bill. What say we welcome back Senators and
their staffs from the 4th of July holiday with a rousing bit of patriotic
support for the rule of law? Last week, Blue America launched a call tool to help you get in touch with Senators regarding
the FISA bill. We'd like you to put it to some serious use today. We are asking
Senators to vote IN FAVOR of the Dodd-Feingold-Leahy Amendment (S.A. 5064 to
H.R. 6304). We're asking for a NO vote on cloture, and a NO vote on the final
bill as well.