Alternet: Spineless Dems To Capitulate on FISA

[SHRED]

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Tell me that the Democratic Party won't stand for this.

:banghead:

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Spineless Dems To Capitulate on FISA
By dday, Hullabaloo
Posted on June 4, 2008,

I congratulate Barack Obama on his primary win and think he has the opportunity to bring forward meaningful change in America. In fact, he can start today. He can go to the well of the Senate and demand that the party he now leads not authorize new powers to spy on Americans and immunize corporations who broke the law with their illegal spying in the first place.

The House Intelligence Committee's top Democrat disclosed late Tuesday that he is ready to accept a Republican-brokered deal to rewrite the nation's electronic surveillance laws, signaling that a long-running congressional impasse could soon be coming to an end.
House Intelligence Chairman Silvestre Reyes told CongressDaily that he is "fine" with language offered by Senate Intelligence ranking member Christopher (Kit) Bond and other Republicans to overhaul the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

Notably, the GOP language, which was offered a day before the recent congressional recess, would leave it up to the secret FISA court to grant retroactive legal immunity to telecommunications companies that have helped the Bush administration conduct electronic surveillance on the communications of U.S. citizens without warrants <...>

"It's about finding middle ground and we have middle ground," Reyes said of the compromise offered by Republicans. "It's not going to please everyone but let's get on with it."
Reyes said he believes enough Democrats will support the proposal to pass it in the House.

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/87048/#more


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[Mojorabbit]

1. Time to start filling up their mailboxes

and tying up the phone lines with calls again.

[zonmoy]

2. That will only work if the people are still the masters of either party.

something that is definitely not a safe assumption.

[rhett o rick]

3. Sad day for democracy. I must say I am disappointed in the Democrats that think

it is necessary to find "middle ground" with the law breaking republicans. They republicans have not found middle ground on anything the Democrats have raised.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

6. THE IS NO MIDDLE GROUND WITH THESE FREAKS.

[Bozita]

4. GOP is on the edge of doom and Reyes wants to find a middle ground? Sit on your ass, Silvestre!.

These Dems are unfuckingbelievable.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

5. THERE IS A WAR GOING ON

AND IT IS IN THE OLE U S OF A.

THESE NEXT FIVE MONTHS WILL DECIDE FREEDOM OR SLAVERY.

[JDPriestly]

7. Obama needs to speak up for our civil rights on this issue.

We are entitled to know what the Bush administration did to us. We are entitled to know how the Bush administration violated our constitutional rights. Any compromise on this will be the beginning of an era of disrespect of the law by corporations that will destroy what is left of our democracy.

[tbyg52]

10. Now there is a fine idea! Make this an OP, would you, please? nt

[depakid]

8. If Pelosi were actually a leader instead of a pawn, this wouldn't see the light of day

As to Reyes -given his record, it just boggles the mind that the Democrats allow him a chairmanship.

Unless, that is- one realizes that Nader was right about a lot of things....

[tbyg52]

9. I just talked to his office

and the person I spoke with said his position had been misrepresented and that negotiations were ongoing.

I told him that you can't negotiate with thugs, that the American people were entitled to know what their government was doing, and that the only acceptable position was to let the lawsuits proceed in the open.

The person I talked to seemed a little flustered and defensive - perhaps they have been getting lots of calls.

[MasonJar]

11. Below are some toll-free numbers for Congress; call him and your own

state's dem reps asap. Toll free numbers are 1-800-828-0498 or 1-800-459-1887 or 1-800-614-2803 or 1-800-283-8983. I think these are all still valid.