Blacknell on FISA: Dems position “indefensible”

8 Responses to “Blacknell on FISA: Dems position “indefensible””

1. 

   From my post on VirginiaDem:

   I congratulate Congressman Jim Moran (VA-08 ) and Bobby Scott (VA-03) along with those listed below who today stood up for the Constitution, the rule-of-law, and the American people when they voted against the approval of H.R. 6304, or The FISA Amendments Act of 2008:

   Unfortunately other members of the House ignored the majority of Americans who adamantly opposed warrantless wiretapping and telecom immunity and capitulated to President Bush passing the legislation by a vote of 293-129. Those members who voted for the legislation voted to shred the Fourth Amendment and allow warrantless wiretapping and immunity for telecoms spying without a warrant in this country.

   Glenn Greenwald aptly concluded: “[W]e’ll have a new law based on the premise that the President has the power to order private actors to break the law, and when he issues such an order, the private actors will be protected from liability of any kind on the ground that the Leader told them to do it — the very theory that the Nuremberg Trial rejected.”

   Posted by Shawn O'Donnell | Sunday, June 22, 2008, 12:26 pm
2. 

   How can all those that was hollering about Bush taking their rights now stand tall with a straight face and vote for Obama who supports the warrantless spy bill?
   http://goodtimepolitics.com/2008/06/22/col-oliver-north-slaps-the-kfc-out-of-barack-obama/

   Posted by goodtimepolitics | Sunday, June 22, 2008, 12:42 pm
3. 

   Shawn – I reformatted your comment. Hope you don’t mind. (Also, I see you’re having a problem with the 8 ) being interpreted as a smilie. Put a space between the 8 and the ).)

   gtp – not sure what your post about North has to do with the FISA bill.

   Posted by vjp | Sunday, June 22, 2008, 12:51 pm
4. 

   Repeal FISA is up and running. Anyone who wants to is welcome to sign up and become a Poster on it. The purpose of the blog is to organize a drive to repeal the FISA laws and all laws that pardon or give immunity from prosecution anyone who has violated the Constitution during the Bush Administration.

   That is why we want everyone to be able to Post so they can start a conversation about an idea they have to make this happen.

   Stop on by and check it out. By all means leave a comment and sign up to blog with us as we figure out what needs to be done to return our Fourth Amendment Rights and our rule of law.

   http://repealfisa.wordpress.com/

   Posted by xoites | Sunday, June 22, 2008, 1:25 pm
5. 

   Thanks for the workaround Vivian

   Posted by Shawn O'Donnell | Sunday, June 22, 2008, 1:58 pm
6. 

   Aside from his three points being 1, 1, and 1, it’s a good article.

   The second point 1, “It is a Constitutional question,” misses what I consider a prime constitutional question. Article I, Section 9, Clause 3 states, “No… or ex post facto Law shall be passed.”

   This is clearly an ex post facto law. The reason prohibition is in the Constitution is not just so people cannot be punished for doing something that was not illegal when they did it, but to prevent people from gaining an advantage by breaking the law, and then having the law repealed. (The same principle applies, of course, to immunity for unlawful aliens and their employers.)

   Posted by Anon E. Mouse | Sunday, June 22, 2008, 8:05 pm
7. 

   P.S.: Why doesn’t the ACLU sue to overturn the immunity on the basis of the above?

   Posted by Anon E. Mouse | Sunday, June 22, 2008, 8:06 pm
8. 

   Mmm, mmm, mmm. I agree with both MB and Mouse. It had to happen eventually.

   Posted by spotter | Monday, June 23, 2008, 8:45 pm