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Glenn Greenwald's first two posts today blister congress and Obama! for buckling to the telecom giants...
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/
There is a law about spying - when spying is needed a simple emergency request should be provided.
It really is SIMPLE.: Spy on Americans illegally - you broke the law.
WHY are we still here with the stupid immunity bill. WHAT ARE THEY HIDING?
Whoever votes to protect the telecoms and their asses (sorry for my bad language) should be FIRED in the next election.
And that includes Democrats!
republicans receive a lot of scorn and rightfully so. the democrat leadership needs to be put in the same category until we can fire them and get people in there that actually care.
Where does Bob Barr stand on this issue?
The sell-out by the Dems can't even waith for the majority to start acting like Repigs and fucking up the world.
THIS BY DODD
Angelo's Angel
June 19, 2008; Page A14
Give Senator Christopher Dodd credit for nerve. On Tuesday, the very day he finally admitted knowing that Countrywide Financial regarded him as a "special" customer, the Connecticut Democrat also announced that he was bringing to the Senate floor a housing bailout sure to help lenders like Countrywide.
[Christopher Dodd]
How much will Countrywide benefit from Mr. Dodd's rescue? The Senator's plan allows mortgage lenders to dump up to $300 billion of their worst loans on to taxpayers via a new Federal Housing Administration refinancing program, provided the lenders are willing to accept 87% of current market value. The program will be most attractive to lenders and investors holding subprime and slightly-less-risky Alt-A loans made during the height of the housing bubble in 2006 and 2007.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121383295591086...
Not only is he selling out Democracy with this illegal spying NON compromise.
He is also spearheading the efforts to give MORE WAR FUNDS to bush.
OK, I see here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steny_Hoyer
He's from Maryland and has been in the House since 1981.
And he became house majority leader in 2006.
And he's bee reelected with over 60%. shoot!
No wonder these JERKS in the Democratic Party think they can do whatever they want no matter how CRIMINAL their efforts are.
100 years in Iraq
Attack on Iraq which will provoke China and Russian to protect their interests
At LEAST 2 Supreme Court Justices
Zero chance of any accountability for Bush's war crimes
Continued deregulation and consolidation of corporate power
Continued ban on Gay marriage
Overturn Roe v Wade
Continued exodus of US jobs overseas
No change of eliminating the Enron Loophole responsible for the surging gas prices
Global warming "debate" continues
etc, etc, etc
Quit being an idiot!
cave.
I curse them all.
The Democrats, if victorious in November and to secure future victories, really have no choice but to opt for Rooseveltian (Franklin) reforms, modifications, corrections of Bush adlib substitutions and out-right rewriting of federal code.
The old order, sinking ever so slowly deeper into time’s tar pit, will bellow and scream.
My only advice: Don’t let kiddies or the squeamish near the tar pit.
Obama’s decision today (backed up by a transparent accounting) to opt out of public financing wisely reflects this main though subtle story arc of our next President’s successful campaign.
President Obama, to be successful and create near instant change, has to sweep into office with long coat-tails.
President Obama and his spokespeople will be able to say and say proudly (as President Bush and his cronies have not) that this new administration is busy doing what the American people ELECTED them to do
The broken system thrives on the quick and the easy and we would be kidding ourselves to rely exclusively on the potato chips of public discussion as a substitute for the required self study incumbent upon a free voting citizen.
Talk about not handling the truth…The corps and teevee can’t handle the complex…We, on the other hand, have to.
Anyway, when does the revolution start?
"I'd like to underscore the fact that in 2006, when the Congress was controlled by Bill Frist and Denny Hastert, the administration tried to get a bill passed legalizing warrantless eavesdropping and telecom amnesty, but was unable. They had to wait until the Congress was controlled by Steny Hoyer, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid to accomplish that."
"As noted yesterday, Blue Dog Rep. John Barrow of Georgia has been one of the most enthusiastic enablers of the radical and lawless policies of the Bush administration. When running for re-election, he ran ads accusing his own party of wanting to "cut and run in Iraq," and was one of the 21 Blue Dogs to send a letter to Nancy Pelosi demanding that they be allowed to vote for the Rockefeller/Cheney Senate bill to give warrantless eavesdropping powers to the President and amnesty to lawbreaking telecoms.
As a result of all of that, Barrow faces a serious primary challenge in July from State Senator Regina Thomas, who decided to run against Barrow due to -- as she told Howie Klein when she announced -- "Barrow's failure to support his constituents against the encroachments of powerful Big Business interests." As Klein noted yesterday, Thomas' positions on both foreign and domestic policy are firmly in line with Barack Obama's views and with the Democratic base in that district, while Barrow has continuously supported the most extremist Bush policies, as he himself proudly boasts.
Obama just did a radio ad for Barrow...
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/06/...
I just called the Obama campaign and they said they were tracking the calls related to this. I too told them I will not campaign for Obama if he does express outrage against immunity for telecoms who spied on Americans ILLEGALLY.
CALL! (the lady was really nice but still, express your OUTRAGE)
"Barack Obama has cut a deal to allow this bill to pass. He is complicit in this travesty, this monumental sell-out. Read Glenn Greenwald http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/. Call the Obama campaign (866) 675-2008 [Dial 6, then 0, on the menu] and tell them if he allows Telecom immunity to pass you will not vote for him in November. Make it that clear. READ GLENN GREENWALD. The woman I spoke to said essentially they were paying very close attention to Glenn's article and this issue. Obama can stop Telecom amnesty with two phone calls. Its that simple. Do it now. And if it passes DO NOT VOTE FOR OBAMA THE FRACKING SELLOUT."
So your "solution" to the problem is hold a gun to Obamas head and say think the way I think on this one issue or you get nothing from me? It should also be noted that Obama has come out pretty regularly against telcom immunity. Has something changed? Did Greenwald sight some change in the Obama camps stance because I overlooked it if it was mentioned?
Glenn Greenwald was absolutely right when he asked what's the difference between a Republican run Congress and the Democratic run Congress, especially when it comes to standing up to Bush Jr or holding him accountable for any of his BS and raping of our Constitution.
The only reason I'm not more infuriated about this Dem cave-in to W is that Bush Jr would still openly break the law no matter how it's written.
But that's the real irony for the Bush Jr fucktard lackeys, President Obama will get to utilize ALL the unchecked, imperial powers W has grabbed for himself, and something tells me those W sheeple won't be bleating a happy tune when it's their turn under the warrantless-spying microscope.
So either help roll back those unchecked, imperial powers by election day, or, Bush Jr supporters, don't dare whine when you're on the receiving end of an over-active Executive Branch run by President Obama.
I officially surrender.
Spy on me. Make me pay for corporate theft. Make me pay for an illegal war and all its components. Force me to work until the day I die because you've spent all the SS benefits that I helped pay into. Deny me healthcare. Hell, just go ahead and put me on a cattle car to the nearest railhead.
I even just removed my Obama yard sign as I won't be voting at all. I mean, why fucking even bother? I supported him and now even he won't support us against FISA and the telcoms? I give up. There's not an honest person in the whole of Congress and anything that we do simply does not matter. They pay us nothing but lip service.
I surrender.
They played you, but you only got played because YOU allowed it.
I hope that you're right as well. You know I went whole-heartidly for Obama months ago and have been nothing but an avid supporter both financially and vocally for his campaign. But if he is supporting this, then any hope that I had that he was the one who could save our nation from this travesty is gone and their just wouldn't be another to support. Sorry, but I'm so pissed over this.
If we are going to trust, then we have to trust even when he doesn't meet all of our expectations.
I hope you're right. And yes, Obama better come out against this strong, in front of the cameras and use language that indicates he will fight against this.
I just called the number you provided, and thank you for posting it. Unfortunately the "Obama for America" campaign cannot take any messages at this time, nor can/will they provide an operator to speak to directly. Apparently they have already decided it's best to ignore callers than to vote against immunity for the the telcoms. It figures, I guess...
Just a thought.
I gave it four tries and got the same thing each time. Yes, I do understand that they system might overload (not my first trip through the patch). But c'mon, I want to see a public statement. A strong public statement. With that, I would withdraw my surrender. I just want to see a national leader like Sen. Obama take that step and strongly voice opposition to this.
do it.
Call Barack Obama and urge him to make a public statement reiterating his opposition to telco amnesty. His opposition could kill this deal: Phone (202) 224-2854, Fax (202) 228-4260
Call Steny Hoyer and tell him this is a bad deal: Phone (202) 225-4131, Fax (202) 225-4300
Call Nancy Pelosi and urge her to pull the bill from the House schedule: Phone (202) 225-4965, Fax (202) 225-8259
Call your representative and tell them to vote no on the FISA rewrite tomorrow.
Will try again though.
Don't give up, it took me 8 tries before I finally got through. Good to see you.
Earlier I had the same reaction as you: ready to give up. That's how tense we all are.
Now go put that sign back in your yard! :)
The proposed FISA deal is not a compromise; it is a capitulation. . . . The House and Senate should not be taking up this bill, which effectively guarantees immunity for telecom companies alleged to have participated in the President's illegal program, and which fails to protect the privacy of law-abiding Americans at home.
Allowing courts to review the question of immunity is meaningless when the same legislation essentially requires the court to grant immunity. And under this bill, the government can still sweep up and keep the international communications of innocent Americans in the U.S. with no connection to suspected terrorists, with very few safeguards to protect against abuse of this power.
Meanwhile, has anyone seen Barack Obama?
The two presumptive presidential nominees have differed over the issue. A senior aide to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., recently indicated the senator would support granting immunity to the phone companies. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., was among the most vocal opponents of immunity in the Senate debate last year. . . .
A spokesman for the Obama campaign didn't return phone calls or emails seeking comment for this article.
If Obama remains missing much longer, it may be necessary to issue an Amber Alert for him.
Finally, D-Day reports that the House leadership is working to vote tomorrow on the war funding bill and the FISA "compromise" at the same time. As he puts it: "The final indignity. Funding for endless war AND etching out the 4th Amendment will be combined into the same bill to force enough compliance from [Blue Dogs] to get this bill passed." Did I mention that the Democrats currently control both houses of Congress?
i talked to a young woman answering the phone in Steny Hoyer's office...she sounded harassed. after i hung up i wished i'd thought to offer her some encouragement like... hang in there, it's not your fault Steny Hoyer's an idiot.
It is now time for Obama to show leadership and stop this invasive government shit train in its tracks by blocking it in the Senate. If Obama goes silently on this one he loses a substantial amount of credibility.
Not to be denied, I called the Greenbelt office (301-474-0119) and a real human woman answered. After I gave her my name and address (I really am in Hoyer's district), I told her that if FISA with telecom immunity passes I will dedicate myself to putting Hoyer out of office. She sounded kind of downbeat - or beat down - btw. So be nice.
Also, I've had problems pulling up FDL this afternoon, although I'm not ready to start yelling about DOS just yet.
Anyway, especially if you live in MD's 5th CD, give the above number a call and let 'em know how you feel.