The Senate Should Say "No" to Telecom Immunity

Since 9/11, there's been a consistent collision in the United States between fighting terrorism and protecting the civil liberties of American citizens both through law and through judicial oversight.

That collision moves into stark contrast this week with the U.S. Senate's vote on the extension of the Protect America Act (PAA). The PAA was put into place last year as an update to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, also known as FISA.

For the last several years, telecommunications companies have turned over to the federal government the records of millions of Americans. These records were released under no warrant or judicial oversight. Only President Bush, his closest advisors and the telecom companies know the extent of this warrantless surveillance.

Right now, the U.S. Senate is deciding whether or not to extend the Protect America Act (PAA). The current version, supported by President Bush and Republican members of Congress, would provide legal amnesty for those companies that may have illegally turned over records. This amnesty for telecom companies would shield them from any legal accountability for violating our civil rights.

On my campaign website, I've had a petition up for the past week asking individuals to tell Gordon Smith to reject this immunity for telecommunications companies. Please stop by and sign the petition. Let Gordon Smith know that Americans will not sit still while their right to privacy is eroded.

Congress must stand up and protect the rights of American citizens. They must restore the balance of power by returning oversight to the judiciary. The courts, not the President, should decide whether these actions were legal.

Comments

[PatRyan]

There are precious few senators in either party that seem willing to straight out do the right thing and be guided by the fourth amendment on this thing. Senators Wyden and Dodd have been on the correct side of most of the Bill of Rights, while Senator Smith has been perfectly happy with our devolution into totalitarianism.

The guy defineitely deserves a smack down for his willful ignorance, so a shout out to Speaker Merkley for taking this shot, as he has otherwise had to put his campaign on hold while running the February special session of the Oregon legislature.

[Macready]

I have signed and forwarded . . thank you . . . the Senate must not grant immunity to telecoms . . . they knowingly broke the law and they have to suffer the consequences . . .

[realitytrumpsbull]

I think there's a 'they', and they've been doing what they do for decades, and they'll keep doing it, and now there's corporate 'mini-they's that all kind of work together. Kind of like Standard Oil, but with no oil. There's always smoke signals...

[sarahlane]

Thank you for speaking out on this issue. We cannot let these companies receive immunity, we cannot put a company's financial and legal interest over the constitution. If we give them immunity, what does that say about how our government views the laws of the land?

I signed the petition and I hope others join in. We not only need to put pressure on Gordon Smith, we also need to work at unseating him. If you were our current Senator here in Oregon, we'd have another progressive standing up for our rights. I hope we will have you representing us in 2008!

[PreemptiveKarma]

Look, this is REALLY simple. Whether anyone thinks that it should NOT have been illegal at the time to do so, these telecom corporations broke the law - hence the "immunity" being discussed.

Retroactive immunity, particularly for spying, is an offense to the very premise that this great nation was founded upon.

[rixhex56]

It seems likely to me that there will be immunity for these lawbreakers. The mere fact that this is even a debate indicates that likelihood.

The overwhelmingly obviously right thing to do is to NOT give immunity, and to launch a full investigation of this crime, which would help discover evidence of other crimes committed by this Bush administration. However, congress has shown its hand already -- there is not enough support in congress to override this immunity measure; if there were, there would be no need for all these exceptional efforts by just a few ethical senators and representatives, who are outnumbered heavily in congress.

I hope I'm proven wrong on this point, but I'm connecting the logical/realistic dots and this is where they lead. Our congress has become an equal accomplice in Bush's crimes. Immunity will be given.

[UltraClassic]

Let me see if I get this straight. You want to sue companies for violating federal law based on requests they filled for federal law enforcement.

Yep, this is why liberalism and business shall never meet.

Are you sure in your heart of hearts that this is not just about feeding more business to our poor, neglected and malnourished trial lawyers?

[hopeless277]

Not if they want their cushy lobbying jobs after they wreck the country. The Dems are in on the crime. The Telecoms are paying Handoverou­rliberties Harry and Jello Jay to give them immunity. I wonder how much it costs to be above the law these days. Probably not much. Dems are cheap.

[greivel]

The Bush administration has been lax about protecting our civil rights. It's important for the Senate to put a stop to this assault on our liberties and not let the telecom companies off the hook for their actions. I'm proud to be supporting Jeff Merkley in his campaign for the U.S. Senate, because he'll work hard to protect our civil rights and fight for working Americans.

[bdunn]

Its good to see Jeff Merkley keep up the public pressure for stopping telecom amnesty that he started with his citizen petition in support of Senator Dodd's filibuster. I signed it and so should you! Those who trade their liberty for temporary security deserve neither. It will be great this November to trade Bush's rubber stamp in Gordon Smith for a Senator like Jeff Merkley who will protect our rights.