Its been a long while since I have posted here. But I will make it a habit (as much as possible with all the legal/political chaos of my life) and hope to keep in touch with all the wonderful people I met this weekend.

It was a great time.  Just got home and I am exhausted.  I'll post more later - but wanted to send my regards to all those I met and had so many great conversations (and beers) with.

Charlie

First:  This is, more or less, a defense of Senator Obama's ultimate position on FISA, even though I disagree with it.  Yes, the world is a very complicated place.

Second:  A warning.  I'm not doing any research here.  I'm a very, very lazy man.  I could link to documents, quotes, news reports, other blogs, etc, but I won't.

Third:  I waited until heads cooled a little bit before I put this up for a reason.

Fourth:  This is long and rambling.  Key parts bolded for those as lazy as me, so they don't have to read the whole thing.

Okeydoke.  Actual content "after the jump."  I promise.

Last week Congress approved a House compromise package amending the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which dramatically increases the scope of government surveillance of international communications.   Prompted by Bush Administration insistence that new communication technologies require an overhaul of FISA, the amendments allow for bulk monitoring of international phone calls, email, and other electronic media, without any showing of probable or even reasonable cause to believe the communications relate to national security or terrorism.  

There really isn't much more to be said about this other than... If that hack Ashcroft knew that the President's wiretapping order was illegal, then why don't the Dems in the Senate?

All respect due to Senators Dodd, Fiengold, Boxer, Brown, Cantwell, Cardin, Harkin, Kerry, Menendez, and Wyden for upholding the constitution and our Fourth Amendment rights.

Barack Obama doesn’t understand or more precisely does not want t understand any longer what Leadership is all about. It’s quire simple as we all know. LEADERS LEAD as few and far between as they are. Here is a corollary. You can turn leadership on and off as the occasion “calls for.” Either you are a leader or you aren’t. In other words Obama you can’t play at being a leader. You are or you aren’t.

It's easy to think that changes to FISA won't really impact average Americans.  But in the global economy, you are doing a lot more international communication than you realize.

And now all that international communication can be wiretapped or intercepted without a warrant.

Including your phone sex calls.

While the Senate Democrats were busy bowing down to Mr. 26%, capitulating to their irrational fears and surrendering principle and the constitution, it seems the bill they passed was even more damaging than they had thought.

This is breaking, and let's hope the MSM gets on this, because in their haste to surrender any and all principle, the Dems just gave a blanket immunization to the entire Bush administration for all their illegal activities.

Here's the story: Dems Grant Retroactive Immunity to Bush Administration

With an overwhelming majority, Senate Democrats on Wednesday passed a bill that would grant the Bush administration retroactive immunity for its each and every action over the past seven and a half years, as well as preemptive immunity for whichever laws it breaks or dangerous, ill-fated policies it pursues during the last six months of the President’s term.

With the genuflection of the Democratic-led Congress to the Bush Administration for near-unlimited warrantless wiretapping privileges, I thought I would add some historical perspective to the ongoing analysis of this debacle. The fight against executive branch tyranny goes back a long time. The "flip" by Democratic presumptive nominee Barack Obama that led him to vote for the new FISA bill was not an electoral nod to a conservative electorate, but a necessary ticket to be rendered for entrance to the top spot at the apex of the national security state.

I am not trying to pick a fight here, but I would like for someone who knows more about the intricate details concerning this issue to tell me how it will affect me personally.

Within the last 6 weeks, I was listening to NPR while driving and heard an interview by Terry Gross, I think, maybe the FreshAir program. She was talking with a professor who was writing a book about Middle East politics. He had a daughter who was studying in Europe, who he talked to on the phone on a regular basis. He was relating details of an invasion of his college office by the 'men in black'.

The saga continues below:

Sometimes a little history is in order to understand the evolution of U.S. law and the rights we assume have always been ours.  There's some real food for thought in the kernels of history...and those of you who considering the relative importance of the next choice for SCOTUS and POTUS vs. "Our Constitutional Rights" may enjoy (or need) some context.

America tells an enthralling tale of liberty and justice and rights.  And no, even some of the ones you take for granted now (like the Fourth Amendment protection against wiretapping) weren't always rights, even in my lifetime.

to you I write this diary. Do you seriously think we live in a democratic republic? Do you think ours is a good government that fell off the bus when Bush came along? Do you think that the old FISA means, or meant, anything? Do you think we live in a country that values the free enterprise system? Well I've got some bad news for you. We don't.

These are the types of lines that I have been seeing lately and it really makes me sick: Obama moves to the center

This write-up and others similar really diminish the truth in its reporting. The real reason why Gore and Kerry lost is because of the media and the party they represent. When the charges came up that Gore said he invited the internet, the media ran with this republican falsity as a valid issue and easy story. As a democrat, my party did not defend against it full bore. When the swift boat stuff happened, again the media took it on as a valid issue, created questions, and the republicans were right there, writing the script. Now as Obama is being attacked over his religion, patriotism, citizenship, liberalism, non-liberalism, etc. where is my left wing media bias?

Helping the anti-Obama folk out of course. Note: but I do love Webb and the General this time, fighting back baby! In fact, I think they have both exposed themselves as the only 2 viable options at VP, bar none. I just hope that women can find it in their heart to forgive the unforgivable things Webb has said in his past. Its tough.

More after the bump........

Below is newsletter from Privacy Forum I subscribe to. The author has given me permission to quote these in toto, given it is published as a public newsletter electronically via a listserv that anyone can subscribe to, and the whole point is, after all, to try and get people to pay attention to the threats to their privacy that loom larger and out of control in our society every day.

There is little to say about it other than, well, is anyone surprised anymore at the arrogance of the corporations like AT&T? They have Congress eating out of their hands after pouring tens of millions of dollars into Congress' pockets.

Congress is going to pass a bill that unconstitutionally exempts them illegally and ex post facto from investigation for their crimes, committed at the behest of the Bush / Cheney administration.

The vast majority have not even read, and do not even know what is in the law that is about to be passed. They just know that in their secret meetings with the telecoms, as the money changed hand's they were assured is was best for them, and of course, best for America.

Ever since the House’s approval of the FISA capitulation and Obama’s subsequent embrace of it, those of us who care about the Constitution, the Fourth Amendment and accountability have been told by many on this site to essentially "sit down and shut up." Then we're told we also need to keep giving our money and time. That sounds too much like a mugging to me.

In my last diary, I called for a variety of face to face approaches to our Senators while they're back in their home States over the recess. After hearing from various folks, I'm narrowing it down, to Operation Read the Bill. Print the thing out, all 114 pages (pdf) LINK FIXED, and hand it to your Senators.

Best if you can say "I've read it, I expect you to take the time to do so yourself." For extra credit, take a highlighter to the printout and mark up the sections you consider problematic.

UPDATE: Bring an accomplice with a vidcam. An admission that they haven't and won't read the bill makes nice youtube, come re-election time.

With the Congress in recess, members typically return to their States and Districts for the Holidays. Many hit the Parade and Picnic circuits. We should be there.

Options include lining the route with signs, trying to march as contingents, cornering the Members for personal pleas, and, my favorite, cutting old tapes into 5 foot segments and using it as confetti, or 'tickertape.'

If you're able to find an appearance by your Senator, print out a copy of the bill, ask if they've read it yet, and if nolt, hand them a copy.

Please look on your Senators' and Reps websites and campaign pages, search local papers, etc. and list their holiday appearances as comments.

Also spread this call to action to other sites, especially local once you've identified times and places.

If you can't find your DC representatives' parade schedules, work your local one anyway.

WIRETAP THIS M#*&@-$>@^"RS!

Facebook event page

According to an analysis by MAPLight, a non-partisan group that tracks campaign contributions, The 94 Democrats who voted YES on the FISA Bill received on average $8,359 in contributions from Verizon, AT&T and Sprint from Jan. 2005 to March 2008.
The 116 Democrats who voted NO received an average of $4,987 from the Telecoms during the same period.
God only knows what the average Republican Congressman skimmed off the Telecoms.

So take note, all you future Congressman buyers, for just $8,000 they'll strip the Constitution for you. God only knows what $9,000 would buy you in favors. Your pocket change may be enough to land you your own Off-Shore oil rig - or maybe an Ambassadorship (I've got dibs on Switzerland).