Please help pressure Hoyer on illegal spying!

[Truth2Tell]

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/16/congress-nears-deal-on-surveillance-bill/">Various news reports today are suggesting that Democratic leaders in Congress are close to a so-called "compromise" deal on a previously blocked bill that would broadly extend Bush Administration warrantless spying and provide retroactive legal immunity to telecommunications companies involved in previous illegal spying.

In addition to being an abomination against the Constitution, the proposed bill would derail all ongoing attempts to learn the full extent of the past lawbreaking, which has been reported to include not only warrantless wiretapping but also http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/02/sen-rockefeller.html">wide-ranging data mining referred to as "drift netting."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3472595">As babylonsister tells us, The Hill reports that Senator's Durbin and Rockefeller believe the votes are there in the Senate to pass the compromise bill. No surprise there, as http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2833683">the complicit Rockefeller has the most to lose if this crap passes.

But the fight may not be over yet on the House side. Blue America PAC vs Retroactive Immunity (with the support of a range of progressive blogs) is http://www.actblue.com/page/fisa">trying to raise cash through ActBlue to run ads pressuring Steny Hoyer, the House Majority Leader leading the charge for an immunity "compromise". Please help. It may not be too late.

Glenn Greenwald at Slate expounds on the purpose of the campaign against Hoyer:

Steny Hoyer and other House Democrats are about to block the court from ever ruling on those issues and, instead, hand the telecoms something that no ordinary citizen would ever receive: namely, complete immunity without their ever having to answer for their conduct in a court of law. It is corruption in its most extreme and transparent form.

The message of the campaign we are going to launch will be that ordinary Americans who run afoul even of the pettiest laws, such as alleged minor drug possession offenses and the like, have the full weight of the criminal justice system smash mercilessly down upon them. People and small businesses who are sued in court are required to defend themselves no matter the expense. Steny Hoyer and his comrades do nothing to oppose that.

Instead, Hoyer spends his time in Washington expending enormous amounts of his political capital and energy working to obtain amnesty for the nation's richest and most powerful telecom corporations which, for years, broke far more serious laws in enabling the Bush administration illegally to spy on Americans. Hoyer is working to perpetuate a two-tiered system of justice in America where rich corporations with lobbyists and big campaign contributions are literally allowed to break our most serious laws and receive retroactive amnesty, while ordinary citizens have their lives destroyed over the pettiest offenses, as America turns itself into the world's largest prison state.

More: http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/06/17/hoyer/index.html">here

We are not alone in this fight. Senator's Feingold and Dodd have written http://feingold.senate.gov/~feingold/releases/08/06/20080610f.html">a letter to Congressional leadership begging them to stand form against the destruction of the Constitution:

...The Senate bill authorizes widespread surveillance involving innocent Americans and does not provide adequate checks and balances to protect their rights.

-snip

...please know that we will strongly oppose any legislation that includes a grant of unjustified retroactive immunity and that does not adequately protect the privacy of law-abiding Americans.

Full letter http://feingold.senate.gov/~feingold/releases/08/06/20080610f.html">here

Another filibuster anyone? Anyone?

Again, http://www.actblue.com/page/fisa">here's where to contribute. Let's keep the pressure on!

Edit to add: Here's where to http://hoyer.house.gov/contact/email.asp">email Congressman Hoyer

[Truth2Tell]

1. OK fine.

I'll just kick it myself. :P

[chill_wind]

2. Thank you. A big kick and rec. And more needed. n/t

[VP505]

3. I have, I did, and I will do again

and again and again. House Dem's finally win one and Hoyer, Rockefeller and a few other are determined to turn it into a loss, unbelievable!

[chill_wind]

4. Was looking at some of Hoyer's top $ campaign contributors

at opensecrets.org

ManTech International has been in his top 5 since 2004.

ManTech:


Top 100 Federal Prime Contractors: 2007

Army, Navy, U.S. Agency for International Development, Defense Department and Homeland Security

"ManTech is a subcontractor on the $4 billion U.S. Army Infrastructure Modernization program. The 10-year IDIQ contract supplies telecommunications and support to government and military agencies around the world, including switching and networking technologies, installation and support services and logistics. The company also supports a Defense Department group's interagency anti-terrorism missions, which include research and development. The contract is worth $89 million."

http://www.washingtontechnology.com/top-100/2007/31.html

website
http://www.mantech.com/


CUSTOMERS:

Intelligence Community
Dept. of Defense
Dept. of State
Dept. of Homeland Security
Dept. of Justice
Space Community
Foreign Governments
more

[chill_wind]

6. Opensecrets.org shows AT & T one of Rockefeller's Top Five contributer$. n/t

[Truth2Tell]

8. Yep, and it's not just the $$$$, these guys are

complicit! They knew about this shit. It's no different than if they knew about any other crimes and did nothing.

If Jay Rockefeller was briefed by an administration official about a child prostitution ring operating at the Justice Department - and he did nothing - he would also be a criminal. This is no different.

[slipslidingaway]

5. K&R thanks n/t

[Supersedeas]

9. and here's another K&R

[chill_wind]

7. ...

[Truth2Tell]

10. Thanks chill_wind!

I guess the "Fuck Tim Russert" threads are burning up all the oxygen on DU.