Time to check your balance Mr. President
Finally! Someone had the gall to call the President out on the FISA issue. Vaughn Walker, the chief judge of the Northern District of California said the constitutionally Bush has no legal right to just spy on citizens whenever he feels like…much less grant immunity to telecom companies doing it for him.
This provision and its legislative history left no doubt that Congress intended to displace entirely the various warrantless wiretapping and surveillance programs undertaken by the executive branch and to leave no room for the president to undertake warrantless surveillance in the domestic sphere in the future.
Unfortunately this had all impact of spilling a slurpee on someones pants. Embarressing for Congress, but not debilitating. Too recover from this slap on the wrist by Judge Walker, Congress is voting to keep Walker from examining whether the nation’s largest telecoms massively violated federal privacy laws by helping the government spy on Americans. They then are planning to retroactively “forgive” the telecom court cases.
I’m so ashamed that this is my government.
Add comment July 6th, 2008
