Bush Administration Says U.S. Intelligence Agencies Having Problems Spying With No FISA Bill ( Amnesty )

   Bush, ATT, Verizon and others must be crying in their crib because the U.S. House didn't give them ( telecoms ) amnesty for all of the illegal spying that they did under orders from Bush. FISA got no extra time for debate because Bush and his Republican assholes wouldn't allow the extension (21 days ) to go forward, so it is Bush who is helping those mean ole terrorist out. I'm not sure about you, but I think that I was not killed after the FISA bill expired last Saturday. I feel pretty much alive still, don't you?

  Back to point.

   On Friday, Silvestre Reyes ( House Intelligence Committee Chairman ) received a  letter ( PDF ) from two of our favorite terrorist fear-mongers, Mike McConnell and Michael Mukasey stating that since the temporary Protect America Act expired last week that some of their partners ( telecoms ) in intelligence operations have become less cooperative. We all know that that is a bunch of crap but I guess that we have to let the children amuse themselves once in a while.

  Both McConnell and Mukasey say that after the PAA stopped being in effect, partners ( telecoms ) "have delayed or refused compliance with our requests to initiate new surveillances of terrorist and other foreign intelligence targets under existing directives issued pursuant to the Protect America Act."

  We all know this is crap since the telecoms have no choice when requested by the government to help as long as the request and the help is a legal request. It would appear that only Qwest's lawyers understood that the Bush Crime Syndicate was doing something illegal so Quest did the right thing and told the government to come back with the proper warrants.

  More of this letter from the two hoods:

"Although most partners intend to cooperate for the time being, they have expressed deep misgivings about doing so in light of the uncertainty and have indicated that they may well cease to cooperate if the uncertainty persists."
Mukasey and McConnell say that they are currently "working to mitigate these problems and are hopeful that our efforts will be successful." But they add that unless Congress passes a version of a new electronic surveillance bill, approved by the Senate, which includes the controversial retroactive lawsuit immunity for telecom companies, "the broader uncertainty caused" by the temporary spy law's expiration "will persist." The letter adds that: "This uncertainty may well continue to cause us to miss information that we otherwise would be collecting."    Newsweek

  Keep in mind that...

The claim that telecoms will cease to cooperate without retroactive immunity is deeply dishonest on multiple levels, but the dishonesty is most easily understood when one realizes that, under the law, telecoms are required to cooperate with legal requests from the government. They don’t have the option to “refuse.” Without amnesty, telecoms will be reluctant in the future to break the law again, which we should want. But there is no risk that they will refuse requests to cooperate with legal surveillance, particularly since they are legally obligated to cooperate in those circumstances.

Source

  Remember what the main issue is with the Protect America Act

Mike McConnell, director of national intelligence, told Renee Montagne the main issue is liability protection for the private sector.  ( emphasis mine )    Source

      Silvestre Reyes, Jay Rockefeller, who voted yes on the Senate Version of FISA, and others had something to say about this letter from the two clowns in the hood.

  "Further politicizing the debate, the administration today announced that they believe there have been gaps in security since the Protect America Act expired. They cannot have it both ways; if it is true that the expiration of the PAA has caused gaps in intelligence, then it was irresponsible for the President and congressional Republicans to openly oppose an extension of the law. Accordingly, they should join Democrats in extending it until we can resolve our differences."      Source

   As noted once before, this wouldn't be an issue had Senator Harry Reid and the others passed the House version in the first place instead of bringing forth their own " junk "  bill.

   Bush's arrogance, and the Senates need for telecom cash is the only reason that we are having this discussion. If a few of the Senate Democrats had had some balls ( Rockefeller is one ) and actually believed in protecting your rights as an American, this would all be on just Bush's lap for what would have put aside ( veto ) by Bush.

Technorati Tags: FISA, Protect America Act, telecom amnesty, fourth amendment, Mike McConnell, illegal wiretaps, George Bush, Silvestre Reyes, Michael Mukasey

John McCain And The Lobbyist Group

In 2000, when McCain set out to seek the Republican Party's presidential nomination, his campaign charter jet landed in New Hampshire early on with some lobbyists aboard.

David Broder, dean of the political writers, was aboard that plane. And he duly noted the presence of Ken Duberstein, the lobbyist and former chief of staff for Ronald Reagan, aboard the plane of the senator running as the anti-establishment candidate.

Yours truly was on that plane, too, and duly noted the presence of Tom Panza, a Florida-based lobbyist for GTech, the lottery-management company that has mopped up contract after contract in the states running lotteries and provided lucrative employment for a lot of former state workers in the process.  Source

  Want to know who has the most lobbyist and who those lobbyist represent in the corporate world? Then go to The Swamp

Technorati Tags: John McCain, Republican Party, David Broder

Renzi Indicted For Land Scheme And Money Laundering

      Another corrupt Republican politician on the indictment list. This time it is Arizona Republican Rick Renzi who was indicted.

    Northern Arizona Congressman Rick Renzi was indicted today on charges of extortion, wire fraud, money laundering and other matters in a scam involving an Arizona land swap.

The indictment says that as part of the alleged scam, Renzi and James Sandlin concealed at least $733,000 that the congressman took for helping seal the land deals.

Renzi and another business partner, Andrew Beardall, are accused of embezzling more than $400,000 in insurance premiums to fund Renz's first congressional campaign.    AzFamily

  He's not running for reelection as he announced last August that he would not seek another term. That's probably a good thing for him since it would be just a little difficult to serve in Congress while you are serving in prison.

Technorati Tags: Rick Renzi, indictment

Republicans Abort FISA Meeting

   Let's get back to the ongoing FISA bill, shall we. I mean, we night as well get back to it because the Republicans most certainly aren't going to do it.

  Today was supposed to have been a bipartisan working meeting on FISA but the Republicans stopped their staff from attending the meeting. The meeting was about modernizing the FISA, and Majority Leader Hoyer had something to say about the Republicans not allowing their people to be present.

           Steny Hoyer

    “I am disappointed that House and Senate Republicans apparently instructed their staffs not to participate in today’s bicameral meeting on modernizing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The decision to not participate, coupled with their vote against an extension of their bill - the Protect America Act - only serves to reinforce the perception that Republicans prefer to have a political issue rather than a strong new FISA bill in place as quickly as possible. Certainly Republicans do not really believe that the role of the House is to simply rubberstamp whatever bills the Senate passes.

    “I am hopeful that Republicans will reconsider and join us in crafting a bipartisan FISA bill that protects our nation and our civil liberties. It is time to come together and work in the best interests of our nation’s security.”

    The Judiciary Committee chimed in with their own statement also, as did the House and Senate Chairmen.

     “In what should have been a bipartisan, bicameral meeting, staff members of the House and Senate Judiciary and Intelligence Committees met today to work in good faith to reach a compromise on FISA reform. As we have said, we are using this week to work on a compromise that strengthens our national security and protects Americans’ privacy. Unfortunately, we understand our Republican counterparts instructed their staffs not to attend this working meeting, therefore not allowing progress to be made in a bipartisan, bicameral way. While we are disappointed that today’s meeting could not reflect a bipartisan effort, we will continue to work and hope Republicans will join us to put our nation’s security first.” Source

   For one thing, I think that for Intelligence Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) to be a part of this statement is sort of a two-faced put-on by this man. Let us not forget that Rockefeller did vote for amnesty for the telecoms and if he and a few other democrats had done their jobs right in the first place, this shit wouldn't be an issue in the first place!

Technorati Tags: Jay Rockefeller, Republicans, Democrats, FISA, Protect America Act, Judiciary Committee, Steny Hoyer, telecom amnesty, George Bush

The Woes Of John McCain Continue

  I'd really hate to be Senator John McCain today, or tomorrow, or the next day for that matter.

  It is bad enough that the NYTIMES put out the story on what might have been an improper relationship with a lobbyist. Of course, this was denied by McCain

  Bit now it seems that Senator McCain's people have been incompetent when it comes to getting him on the Indiana primary ballot.  BlueIndiana blogger  Thomas noticed that McCain was a little short in some districts when it comes to getting 500 signatures from each to be placed on the ballot.

  To my surprise, I noticed that John McCain -- the presumptive front-runner for the GOP nomination -- was just a little short in a few districts, including my precious 4th, despite the fact that Attorney General Steve Carter had already turned in their petitions. I made a few phone calls, and one by one I found out that the McCain camp had got the job done across the state.

Except in the 4th District.

In the 4th District, they are short.      Read More

    The DNC had something to say about this as well.

    Source

Despite the fact that the McCain campaign clearly failed to qualify for the ballot, Republican Attorney General Steve Carter and Republican Secretary of State Todd Rokita (who recently endorsed McCain) rubberstamped it anyway, trying to sneak McCain onto the ballot. Clearly, the Republican Culture of Corruption is alive and well within the McCain campaign.

  Do we need another half-assed Republican and his buddies running this country when they can't even run an election right? I think not.

Technorati Tags: John McCain, Indiana primary, ballot signatures, Republicans

John McCain's Economy

  There is no story here. I thought that I would put this picture up just for the hell of it so that you would know what our economy will be like under a McCain presidency. Plus, I thought that it is funny and that we can all use a good laugh!

 

Technorati Tags: John McCain, economy

News In America: In Case You Missed It

   The following are some links to news story's that you may be interested in reading.

   In Mesa, Arizona the Arizona State University committee is thinking about requiring that students submit their mental health histories in order to combat acts of potential violence on campus. This is one of several new programs being considered.    Source

  Another one from Arizona, this time in Tucson where one of the country's top fighting pit bull breeders has been arrested and 110 of his dogs confiscated Mahlon T. Patrick has been charged with dog fighting.

"We have dismantled a group of people at the upper echelon of dogfighting," said John Goodwin, manager of animal fighting issues for the Humane Society of the United States. "This will be felt by people in the blood sport nationwide."   Tucson Citizen

The Associated Press

OAK PARK, Mich. --

A former TV news anchor in Detroit and Lansing, Mich., was arrested Wednesday and charged with embezzling $149,000 from a man she had dated and advised financially.   Source

   In North Carolina, Elizabeth Dole (R) has decided to run for a second term in the U.S. Senate. She has no Republican challengers but there are 4 Democrats seeking nomination from their party to take her on.  Source   I hope that this woman gets her ass handed to her on a rusted platter!

Technorati Tags: Elizabeth Dole, Arizona State University, pit bulls, Democrats, Republicans, mental health

John McCain Have An Affair With Telecom Lobbyist?

  If this is true then John McCain may be in a world of shit.

     From the NYTIMES

   A female lobbyist had been turning up with him at fund-raisers, visiting his offices and accompanying him on a client’s corporate jet. Convinced the relationship had become romantic, some of his top advisers intervened to protect the candidate from himself — instructing staff members to block the woman’s access, privately warning her away and repeatedly confronting him, several people involved in the campaign said on the condition of anonymity.

Mr. McCain, 71, and the lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, 40, both say they never had a romantic relationship.  Read more

  It is funny how all of these so-called ethical Republicans keep messing around and getting called on it. What else would McCain do but deny everything? At the least, Iseman was to influential with McCain and probably got many telecom deals settled for her clients.

Technorati Tags: John McCain, Vicki Iseman, telecoms, lobbyist

Will Firefighters Be Spying On You?

  Only in a United States democracy could this happen.

   Keep in mind, after reading the following article, that it is rumored that amnesty for the telecoms isn't the only kind of amnesty that will be happening if this piece of legislation is left in the FISA Bill. It is noticed that anyone, or any entity that helps the government with spying activity, will not be able to be sued or prosecuted for the help even if done without the proper warrants. That could be your neighbor, landlord, pest control professional, or whatever.

February 18, 2008

FDNY Spies

By Colin Meyn

    In New York City, the Department of Homeland Security is training New York City firefighters to assist in gathering intelligence information during routine inspections and emergencies.

In November, the Associated Press reported that in New York, Homeland Security was testing a program called the Fire Service Intelligence Enterprise (FSIE) to help identify “material or behavior that may indicate terrorist activities.”

The Fire Department of New York (FDNY) and Homeland Security hosted a September 2007 conference in New York City to discuss plans for the new intelligence program. There, chief officers from fire departments in Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and 12 other U.S. cities met with NYC fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta and officials from the Homeland Security Office of Intelligence and Surveillance. “Real-time intelligence and information leads to a heightened state of situational awareness,” Scoppetta said at the conference. “And situational awareness is key to saving lives.”

“We are not training firefighters to be intelligence gatherers or special agents,” says Jack Tomarchio, Homeland Security’s deputy undersecretary of intelligence and surveillance. “We are helping to provide crucial information to those people who are often the first responders.”

In 2002, the Bush administration proposed having bus drivers, mail carriers and telephone repair personnel spy on the American public as part of Homeland Security’s “Citizen Corps” initiative. The program, called TIPS (Terrorism Information and Prevention System), never made it past Congress. But because the FSIE is managed at the city level, it has bypassed federal regulation altogether.

The FDNY says the program is demanding nothing new from firefighters. “There has always been an expectation that if they see suspicious behavior they should report it,” says FDNY Press Secretary Jim Long. “Now we are just trying to share information between other cities with the help of Homeland Security. If we know that they are convenience store owners, and they have maps and blueprints of the Empire State Building, it is obvious that something isn’t right.”

But the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) are troubled by the program. “When you start recruiting from every government agency for super intelligence, I think we run the risk of lots and lots of false alarms and distracting our firefighters from the job at hand,” says Donna Lieberman, executive director of the NYCLU. “If there is a fire in their homes, and people have to make sure there is nothing that will give rise to suspicion—like, in some people’s eyes, perhaps the Quran, or in other people’s eyes, a left-wing newspaper—that is a matter of concern.”

Civil liberties experts say this method of gathering intelligence may violate the right to proper search and seizure. Mike German, a former FBI agent and current ACLU Policy Council on National Security, said on MSNBC’s “Countdown with Keith Olbermann,” “There is actually still a Fourth Amendment.”

Technorati Tags: Fire Service Intelligence Enterprise, Department of Homeland Security, FDNY, Jack Tomarchio, ACLU, NYCLU

John McCain for President? Let's Hope Not

    John McCain says that he is the only one of the presidential candidates who has the experience which is needed to be a wartime commander in chief and that he is the only one who can reform Washington, D.C. ( LMFAO )

   This from the man who pretty much did a back-flip because outgoing President Bush's daddy is supporting McCain as the next president. What is even worse than this is McCain getting all giddy because the Idiot in Chief, young George, is also going to help him out to win the White House. I'd like to know how McCain intends to reform Washington when most of his advisors and certainly all of his incoming campaign money will be coming from those same people and groups who need to be reformed in the first place. Is McCain going to lock soon to be former President Bush and Dick Cheney up for the massive crimes which they have committed against our own country and others around the world? I think not. If McCain wishes to reform Washington then he should take his old, sorry ass back to the state of Arizona and then stay the fuck there! That would be one corrupt creep who wouldn't be in Washington any longer.

    And what's this shit about being the only one with experience to be the wartime prez? Hate to tell you this John, but being a P.O.W. for five or six years does not give you the experience to lead a country. Not this one! On top of that, we wouldn't need a wartime president if you and your bosses hadn't cooked up info and lies about Iraq and WMD  to get us into this mess in the first place. What this country now needs is an anti-wartime president, not some washed up Bush ass kissing old coot from the desert. No one with an IQ over 1 would want another 4 years of Bush and the rest of you criminals. Eight years was more than enough, thank you!

He wasted no time going after Democratic front-runner Barack Obama, the senator from Illinois, promising to "fight every moment of every day ... to make sure that Americans are not deceived by an eloquent but empty call for change that promises no more than a holiday from history and return to the false promises and failed policies of a tired philosophy that trusts in government more than the people."    Source

  Is this old piece of crap serious? McCain must be a little light on his meds again! Reader, I do not know about you, but for the last eight years I have seen nothing but false promises and failed policies from McCain's Republican Party. It has been one lie after another on an almost daily basis along with what seems to have been one crime after another, also on a daily basis. You Mr. McCain, are the " empty call for change that promises no more than a holiday from history..."

    A vote for John McCain is an absolute vote for absolute stupidity.

Technorati Tags: John McCain, Barack Obama, Iraq war, George Bush, Democrats, Republicans

Cuba's Fidel Castro Resigns

  Ole Fidel has finally called it quits and has resigned the Cuban Presidency  at the age of 81.  Castro has been in power for 49 years.

"My wishes have always been to discharge my duties to my last breath," Castro wrote in a letter published Tuesday in the online edition of the Communist Party daily Granma. But, he wrote, "it would be a betrayal to my conscience to accept a responsibility requiring more mobility and dedication than I am physically able to offer."

The end of Castro's rule — the longest in the world for a head of government — frees his 76-year-old brother Raul to implement reforms he has hinted at since taking over as acting president when Fidel Castro fell ill in July 2006. President Bush said he hopes the resignation signals the beginning of a democratic transition. YahooNews

    Of course, our own President Bush has promise the Cuban people to "help the people of Cuba realize the blessings of liberty."

"The international community should work with the Cuban people to begin to build institutions that are necessary for democracy," he said. "Eventually, this transition ought to lead to free and fair elections — and I mean free, and I mean fair — not these kind of staged elections that the Castro brothers try to foist off as true democracy."  

    As if Bush would know anything about a true democracy in the first place.

   Not to sure how this will play out in Cuba since Fidel's brother Raul will more than likely be taking over things as of this coming Sunday.

Technorati Tags: Fidel Castro.Raul Castro, Cuba, George Bush

Superdelegates? Lay Them To Rest

   I ran across an interesting article at  CommonDreams that deals with the history of the Democratic Party's superdelegates. Some very interesting information to be had.

   For instance:

   Walter Mondale is the principal creator of the superdelegate system which was created in 1964.

The superdelegate system, as we know it, came from the backlash of the 1980s. In January 1982, supported by Mondale, the Hunt Commission and Democratic National Committee reversed grassroots reforms. They rewrote the rules, not to make elections open and fair, but to make sure that centrist (right-wing) candidates maintained hegemony over nominees and party affairs. It was out of fear of new uncontrollable voters that the Commission created a block of uncommitted delegates drawn from a primarily white, male establishment. Mondale, the same insider who prevented elected Mississipppians from taking their seats in 1964, played the pivotal role in creating hundreds of unelected delegates in 1984. Superdelegates comprised 14 percent of the convention in 1984, and eighty-five percent of the superdelegates picked Mondale. Not long after superdelegates picked “the sure winner,” Mondale was trounced in the presidential election. Nevertheless, the superdelgate number passed the 600 mark by 1988. The Jesse Jackson campaign, especially the massive victory over Dukkakis on Super Tuesday, electrified the party and the country. Jackson won 7 million primary votes in 1988, more than Mondale won as the nominee in 1984. Many party regulars were gripped with panic, and some superdelegates organized a stop-Jackson movement within the party. Jackson protested the role of superdelegates, but his challenge went unheeded. Party leaders continued to look for ways to blunt the growing power of grassroots movements. While they could not stop voters from voting, they could dilute the impact of the reform movements by manufacturing added voters as a countervailing force.

Mondale was quite open about the undemocratic aims of the superdelegate system. In a number of talks, he acknowledged that superdelegates were created with the explicit aim of preventing voter insurgencies. He espoused his anti-democratic sentiments in the New York Times, February 2, 1992, where he called for expansion of superdelgate numbers:

“The election is the business of the people. But the nomination is more properly the business of the parties….The problem lies in the reforms that were supposed to open the nominating process….Party leaders have lost the power to screen candidates and select a nominee. The solution is to reduce the influence of the primaries and boost the influence of the party leaders….The superdelgate category established within the Democratic Party after 1984 allows some opportunity for this, but should be strengthened.”  Source

  I love that last paragraph. What you read here is basically Walter Mondale telling both you and I that we are to stupid to choose who our nominee's should be, so the superdelegates may have to do it for us.

   This would mean that no matter how many regular delegates Senator Obama may end up with, and even if he wins the primary, that our smarter superdelegates may decide that Senator Clinton is the one that they wish to run as Presidential nominee, because, after all, they know what they're doing and you and I do not.

Today, faced with enthusiastic, grassroots support for Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton now espouses the old Mondale position (in the guarded, euphemistic language of a candidate), pitting the party regulars against the danger of the popular vote. I do not intend here to compare the merits of the candidates. But there is a question of principle involved in the superdelgate controversy. The very integrity of our elections is at stake. No vote is safe when a self-appointed group can nullify the results of a primary election that displeases them.

All Democratic members of the House and Senate become superdelegates automatically. Let us not forget that George Bush led the vast majority of Democrats by the nose into pre-emptive war, implicating most of the current superdelegates in the biggest catastrophe of recent decades. What makes these individuals wiser than nurses, technicians, custodians, lawyers, teachers, athletes, fire fighters, proprietors-all who voted in good faith in the recent primary? Why don’t the superdelegates do the job they were elected to do-end the war-and let the voters do their job in the primaries-select the next nominee?

   I would hope that our so-called superdelegates are at least moral enough to do the right thing and to let the people's wishes stand. If Obama wins with the popular support and the superdelegates choose Clinton, the shit it going to hit the fan and you can bet your asses that John McCain will be the next president, not Clinton. Not to mention the fact that all of the new, younger voters will be totally turned off by politics once again, and if they do decide to vote, they will run to the Republican side of the fence. The Democratic Party will be finished as a legitimate political entity.

Technorati Tags: superdelegates, Walter Mondale, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, DNC, democratic party

Barack Obama: ”We are who we’ve been waiting for.”

    I am not here to push Barack Obama as the next President of the United States. But, I will say that the more that I listen to this man and the more that I research him, the more that I am beginning to like him. If you think about it, it has been ages since the American people have had anyone who has wanted to be the President speak the way that Barack Obama has and still does.

   That being said, the following are some of the quotes from Senator Obama. you'll never hear anything like this from Hillary Clinton and certainly not from old man John " Bush Republican " McCain.

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.

BARACK OBAMA, speech, Feb. 5, 2008

My job is not to represent Washington to you, but to represent you to Washington.   Here

Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it's only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential.    Here

I don't oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war.  Here

What Washington needs is adult supervision.

BARACK OBAMA, fundraising letter, Oct. 2006

Americans ... still believe in an America where anything's possible -- they just don't think their leaders do.

BARACK OBAMA, fundraising letter, Sep. 1, 2006

Technorati Tags: Barck Obama, Democrat, quotes, government

Who Will The Superdelegates Vote For? Follow The Money

   While I was browsing around the Internet, I ran across some interesting pieces on the superdelegates and the part that they may end up playing in the nomination of either Clinton or Obama.

  In particular. I came across the money that both Clinton and Obama have given to them in the 2006 and 2008 campaigns that many have had/having.

  And while it would be unseemly for the candidates to hand out thousands of dollars to primary voters, or to the delegates pledged to represent the will of those voters, elected officials who are superdelegates have received at least $904,200 from Obama and Clinton in the form of campaign contributions over the last three years, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

Obama, who narrowly leads in the count of pledged, "non-super" delegates, has doled out more than $698,200 to superdelegates from his political action committee, Hope Fund, or campaign committee since 2005. Of the 82 elected officials who had announced as of Feb. 12 that their superdelegate votes would go to the Illinois senator, 35, or 43 percent of this group, have received campaign contributions from him in the 2006 or 2008 election cycles, totaling $232,200. In addition, Obama has been endorsed by 52 superdelegates who haven't held elected office recently and, therefore, didn't receive campaign contributions from him.

Clinton does not appear to have been as openhanded. Her PAC, HILLPAC, and campaign committee appear to have distributed $205,500 to superdelegates. Only 12 percent of her elected superdelegates, or 13 of 109 who have said they will back her, have received campaign contributions, totaling about $95,000 since 2005. An additional 128 unelected superdelegates support Clinton, according to a blog tracking superdelegates and their endorsements, 2008 Democratic Convention Watch.      Capital Eye

  So who has gotten the money?  Go HERE to see

Technorati Tags: superdelegates, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, contributions

Straight Talk? John McCain Not So Straight When It Comes To Matching Funds And Banks

    This could be another reason that Senator McCain wants Senator Obama to only run on federal matching campaign funds. It seems as if McCain might have fucked himself a little while back in the primaries

    From DailyKos:

Did McCain Inadvertently Commit Himself to Public Funding?

by DHinMI

Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 11:29:27 AM PST

The day of the Florida primary I wrote about John McCain's financial dilemma:

Some months back McCain's campaign applied for federal matching campaign funds.  (The money comes from individual taxpayers who voluntarily check off a $3 contribution on their income tax return.)  In December seven campaigns were officially notified that they qualified for matching funds.  However, because of a funding shortfall, none of the federal matching funds have been released.  Apparently the fund reserves the money needed for the general election before it starts to pay out matching funds for the primary, and until monies arrive from this year's tax returns, the fund doesn't have enough money to deliver money for the primary.  John Edwards secured a bank loan against the federal funds, so he is officially locked in to abiding by the spending limits in the event he gets the nomination.

McCain qualified for $5.8 million in matching funds.  He could do as Edwards has done, and get the money now by securing a bank loan against the eventual payment from the US Treasury.  But McCain has been anything but "straight talking" regarding his money; until he receives the money from the Treasury or borrows against it, he's not locked in to the system.  Thus, he's currently trying to evade the federal spending limits if he can raise enough money to stay viable, but holding out the option of taking the federal funds if he can't survive through tonight.  

Here's McCain's problem.  Accepting federal matching funds would limit him to spending no more than $53-$55 million during the primary period.  (The exact figure will be adjusted based on the campaign's fundraising expenses and other expenditures.).  If McCain wins the nomination and accepts the matching funds, the $53-$55 million limit would constrain his spending all the way until the beginning of September, when the Republicans nominate their candidate at their national convention in Minneapolis.

McCain never spent any money borrowed by using his certification for federal matching funds as collateral.  However, he may have committed himself to the spending caps—which would be disastrous for his campaign—by promising to enter the federal matching funds program in order to secure a $1 million loan he ended up not using:

John McCain's cash-strapped campaign borrowed $1 million from a Bethesda bank two weeks before the New Hampshire primary by pledging to enter the public financing system if his bid for the presidency faltered, newly disclosed records show.

McCain had already taken a $3 million bank loan in November to keep his campaign afloat, and he sought from the same bank $1 million more shortly before this month's Super Tuesday contests, this time pledging incoming but unprocessed contributions as collateral. He never used the funds of the most recent loan, because his win in the South Carolina primary helped him raise enough money to compete in Florida, his campaign aides said last night...

McCain's campaign filed the modification to his initial $3 million loan on Dec. 17, seeking an additional $1 million. The bank asked him to produce something more than his campaign's assets as collateral.

"They said, 'You've explained how you can afford to borrow more, and how you can pay us back if things go well. What happens if things go badly?' " said Trevor Potter, a McCain attorney.

The campaign's response, Potter said, was that McCain could reapply in the future for federal matching funds, and would agree to use the FEC certifications for those funds as collateral.

Under the agreement, McCain promised that if his campaign began to falter, he would commit to keeping his campaign alive and to entering the federal financing system so the money he had raised could be used to gain an infusion of matching funds. Had that happened, he would have been forced to abide by strict federal spending caps before the Republican National Convention in September.

Under FEC rules, a candidate who uses a certification for federal funds as collateral for a loan is obligated to remain within the public financing system. "We very carefully did not do that," Potter said.

Cleta Mitchell, a veteran campaign finance lawyer and a McCain critic, said she has never encountered a similar agreement.

"They've clearly got a sweetheart deal with this bank," Mitchell said. "This bank is just a cash register for them."

Think of it like this.  John McCain secured a personal loan by using his home as collateral.  He requested more money be added to the loan, but the bank said it was more than he had collateral to pay back.  McCain countered by telling the bank that his neighbor failed to salt his icy sidewalk, and McCain slipped on it.  McCain got a doctor to say the slip-and-fall hurt McCain's back, he sued the neighbor, and he expects to win a big settlement.  The bank said "sure, OK, that's what happens if you win your court case.  But what if you lose?"  In response McCain said "oh, I suppose I'll have to get a job," and the bank then said "OH, OK, that's good enough for us!" and authorized the loan.  

If McCain used the certification for matching funds as collateral he would have definitely been locked in to the matching funds scheme, including the spending caps.  What happened here is that the bank didn't require him to offer up the certificate as collateral.  The bank simply accepted McCain's word that he had it and would enter the federal system if necessary, and the bank took him at his word.  

The question that needs to be answered is whether this sweetheart deal with the bank, which gave him the funds based on his word that he would use the matching funds if necessary, amounts to a de facto use of the qualifying certificate to secure the loan.

  I wonder if this is even legal? any bank that I've ever done business with has always wanted collateral.

Technorati Tags: John McCain, Federal Elections Commission, public financing

McCain Says Obama Should Except Public Campaign Funds

  Of course wannabe president McCain would say something like this, especially since Barack Obama can draw more money into his coffers just by yawning than McCain can between now and November.

"I made the commitment to the American people that if I were the nominee of my party, I would accept public financing," the likely GOP presidential nominee said Friday in Oshkosh, Wis. "I expect Senator Obama to keep his word to the American people as well. This is all about a commitment that we made to the American people.

"I am going to keep my commitment," he said. "The American people have every reason to expect him to keep his commitment."

  McCain is to old to even remember his word, much less keep it. Further on down in the article which this comes from:
    McCain said that if Obama becomes the nominee and decides against taking public money, he might do the same.   Source ( emphasis mine )

   He might do the same? Then again, he might not.

McCain earlier this week turned down government matching funds for the primary to free him to spend more money as he prepares for a general election contest.

Last summer, McCain had asked to participate in the public system when his campaign, his fundraising and his poll numbers hit a low point that threatened to unravel his candidacy.

Though the FEC declared him eligible to receive $5.8 million in December, the money would not have become available until next month. By accepting the money, moreover, McCain would have been required to limit his spending for the primary to about $54 million — an amount the campaign was close to reaching now.

By not taking the money, McCain is free to raise more and to promote his presidential candidacy until the Republican nominating convention in September.

McCain would be the obvious beneficiary if he and Obama take the federal money for the general election because they would have to return money already collected. Obama has raised $6.1 million for the general, nearly three times as much as McCain's $2.2 million.

If the candidates reject public funds it would be historic rejection of the public financing system. No major party candidate rejected public funds for the general election since the system was put in place in the 1970s after the Watergate scandal.

Candidates who accept public funding are eligible for about $85 million, which is paid for by a $3 checkoff on IRS tax return forms.

         Yahoo News

  If Obama is half as smart as everyone seems to think that he is, then he'll tell John McCain to go and fuck himself. You do not make deals with the competitor, you stomp the crap out of them. This seems to be a major problem with the Democrats in general. We do not need to play nice and by Republican rules. We need to just go out and and rip the GOP to pieces, starting with their throats!

Technorati Tags: public campaign financing, John McCain, Barack Obama, FEC

The Republican's Fear Machine Running On Fumes

The shaking in our boots that this country has been doing for the last eight years is beneath a great nation.

From my discussions with Republicans and Republican-leaning individuals in my home town it is obvious that they are scared shitless of their shadows... and proclaim themselves to be the Big Daddy Party all day long.  In fact, they are cowards who shiver and cower behind the cloak of Bush and Cheney who they proclaim to be Big Brave Men.  The Texas National Guard AWOL story tells you everything you need to know about Mr. Bush and tells you quite a bit about what you need to know about the rest of the Republican Party.

I have no respect for fearful, whiny people who crave a despotic tyrant to protect their tiny little existences and who scurry toward tyranny at the first sign of a crisis. That is exactly what the Republican party represents. Our present administration is nothing if not an embarrassment to anyone who believes in freedom, open government and democracy.

Ironically, it is those who are not sufficiently afraid of terrorism who are called cowards by the Scaredy Pants Rightwing. If you are not shitting in your pants in fear of the taliban coming to your local school board, then you are unpatriotic!  

Those who view the taliban and their ilk as a bunch of piss-ants who should not be accorded the status of soldiers in a war but merely criminals are viewed as Un-American. Those who believe the 'war on terror' is a power-grab orchestrated by the Republican/military industrial complex are called cowards!  Those who are insufficiently hyperventilating are sissy-pants!

It's long past time to throw this whole sack of nonsense back in their faces.

I am not averse to telling people to their faces that they are more likely to be struck by lightning than a taliban boogeyman.  I try to make people think about it, but I am not above making fun of their fear.

Bush repealed Godwin's Law with a Signing Statement.

by Mad Kossack on Fri Feb 15, 2008 at 02:42:24 PM PST

    This comment was in response to a diary by  leftneck at DailyKos.

   Read the subject matter Here

Technorati Tags: Republicans, President George Bush, fear-mongering, war on terror

GOP Swiftboating Begins?

  The Republican gutter-crawlers seem to be gearing up for more records bullshit. Are we really surprised about it? They have no issues to run on and the best that they can produce for a presidential nominee is John McPain, McCain.

  Check this one out from DailyKos

by Brandon Friedman

Fri Feb 15, 2008 at 01:17:24 PM PST

[from the diaries - BarbinMD]

This is hilarious.

The Republican Party of Texas, acting on behalf of chickenhawk Senator John Cornyn, has formally requested to review the military records of Senate candidate Rick Noriega.  Lt. Col. Noriega announced this publicly this afternoon on his website and on VetVoice.

Hmmm.  Now why would the Texas GOP need access to this decorated Afghanistan veteran’s military record?  I wonder where this could be going.  

Let’s see what the Noriega campaign thinks:

We know where this is going.

The Republican Party of Texas, and by extension, Senator John Cornyn, has requested that I release my military records to them. I am astounded and outraged at the implications of this request.  Over the past few years, some Republicans have conducted the most dishonest and disreputable attacks on veterans that our nation has ever seen.
In 2002, we saw the National Republican Senatorial Committee smear Senator Max Cleland of Georgia, a triple-amputee Vietnam veteran, as being in league with Osama bin Laden. This was shameful and goes against every Texas value.

Texans will not stand for this.

   Not only should Texans stand for this shit, but the rest of the country shouldn't either.

       Lt. Col. Noriega had this to say in written reply:

I welcome honest scrutiny of every aspect of my service.  It's been my privilege to serve our nation for nearly 27 years in places like Afghanistan, and on the Texas border, and I fully intend to release my military records, subject to security review and updating of my most recent training and commendations, to the public. As I am currently serving as the Commander of the 1-141 Infantry, 36th Infantry Division and potentially subject to redeployment, I am not going to allow my family, my soldiers or my country to be put at risk as a result of your political games.  You are welcome to view my military records at the same time as the citizens of Texas.

Noriega goes on to state:

These attacks on individuals who have put their bodies and lives on the line for their country are an outrage to all veterans, and they have to stop.

My record of service includes not only my years in the National Guard and Reserves, but also legislating to aid members of the Texas National Guard and all Texas veterans.  Among my legislative accomplishments are obtaining health services for Veterans, including a screening for metal traces after exposure to munitions, educational benefits for those who have served Texas and our nation, and spearheading legislation to create a database of medical, social and economic resources for military personnel seeking benefits they have been promised by the government.  I also am proud to have authored and supported free hunting/fishing licenses for all Texas guardsman and active duty personnel.

I look forward to discussing with Senator Cornyn why he twice rejected responsible troop deployment limits, twice voted against increased funding for veteran health care, voted against funding for armored vehicles, against increased funding for TRICARE but for allowing TRICARE fees to triple, and against protecting soldiers' civilian salaries while they're serving in Iraq.  This is the conversation that we should be having.    Full Article

Technorati Tags: Rick Noriega, swiftboating, Texas GOP, National Guard, John Cornyn

John McCain Votes For Torture

  I guess that is just fine with some people if they toss their morals out the window with the hopes that they might become the next president of the United State, as Senator John McCain has done

John McCain has sold the last piece of his soul to the right-wing extremists in this country. He just voted to allow waterboarding by the CIA, acting against everything he has ever said or backed in his life up until now. This is not the man I voted for in 2000. This is a sad, sad remnant of that man. AOL

    John McCain  in December 15, 2005?

   And I would like to also repeat, we've sent a message to the world that the United States is not like the terrorists. We have no brief for them, but what we are is a nation that upholds values and standards of behavior and treatment of all people, no matter how evil or bad they are. And I think that this will help us enormously in winning the war for the hearts and minds of people throughout the world in the war on terror.  Source

  Of course, Bush issued a signing statement after the deal with McCain, so it became, what deal? This was nothing but a play for the American people to get us to believe that McCain had accomplished something.

  But wait, there's more !

DesMoinesRegister October 25, 2007

Waterboarding is a form of torture no matter how it is done and should be a prohibited among U.S. military interrogation practices, Republican presidential candidate John McCain said today, taking issue with GOP rival Rudy Giuliani’s recent remarks.
“Anyone who knows what waterboarding is could not be unsure. It is a horrible torture technique used by Pol Pot and being used on Buddhist monks as we speak,” said McCain after a campaign stop at Dordt College here.
“People who have worn the uniform and had the experience know that this is a terrible and odious practice and should never be condoned in the U.S. We are a better nation than that.”

“When I was imprisoned, I took heart from the fact that I knew my North Vietnamese captors would never be treated like I was treated by them,” McCain said, who has pointed out that his opposition to torture among Republican presidential candidates is based on military experience not shared by his opponents. “There are much better and more effective ways to get information. You torture someone long enough, he’ll tell whatever he thinks you want to know.”

 

Arianna Huffington

Has there ever been a more repugnant example of political pandering than John McCain's decision to vote against a bill banning waterboarding, putting hoods on prisoners, forcing them to perform sex acts, subjecting them to mock executions, or depriving them of food, water, and medical treatment?

That's right, John McCain, the former POW who has long been an outspoken critic of the Bush administration's disturbing embrace of extreme interrogation techniques.

But that was before his desperate attempt to win over the lunatic fringe that is running the Grand Old Party.

  This is what happens after you are a Republican for any length of time. Your morals and beliefs go out the window and you become a " Lock-in-step Lackey ".

Soul is sold to the highest bidder!

Technorati Tags: John McCain, torture, waterboarding, CIA

Michael Bloomberg Praises Obama Idea. Rips Government

    First off, Mayor Bloomberg said that the United States "has a balance sheet that's starting to look more and more like a third-world country." Source

   He should have made the point that our government is acting more like a corrupt, third world entity while he was at it.

    On the presidential candidates:

His tirade against the candidates and the economic stimulus package on Thursday began when he was asked how that experiment is going.
In his answer, he praised Democrat Barack Obama for the plan the Illinois senator outlined on Wednesday that would create a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank to rebuild highways, bridges, airports and other public projects. Obama projects it could generate nearly 2 million jobs.
"I don't know whether Senator Obama looked to see what I've been advocating, or not -- you'll have to ask him -- but he's doing the right thing," Bloomberg said.

  Yet, the press and others say that Barack Obama has no solid ideas? Go figure. No idea is more ideas than George Bush has had, or any other Republican for that matter.

    On those rebate checks coming to a mailbox near you, Bloomberg said

   "Nobody wants to sit there and say, 'Well there's no easy solution,"' Bloomberg said. "They want to send out a check to everybody to stimulate the economy. I suppose it won't hurt the economy but it's in many senses like giving a drink to an alcoholic."

  Read the full story at WCBSTV

Technorati Tags: Michael Bloomberg, Barack Obama, economy, tax rebates

President Bush's Proposed 2009 Budget

  I'm not going to get into the budget in this post. the following are just a few of the comments from citizens about this sloppy budget and the increases in military spending at the expense of the less fortunate. Under Bush guidelines, that would be anyone not as wealthy as his crime family is.

  All comments from Here

Adding insult to injury

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/07/2008 - 14:59.

The Republican fleecing of America. Mr. Bush is shamefully shameless. The only protection Americans really need are protection from Bush and Cheney. Of course Bush want's to give all our money to the defense industry, he and Cheney own it all. Hence the lies for war so they could rob us blind. Every day the Bush regime avoid jail is another day of injustice for all Americans. It is hard to find words that express the frustration and contempt I have for this Federal government. Any man that can take from children and the elderly to pad his pockets is the lowest of low soul's. 

So much for system of checks and balances

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 02/12/2008 - 18:53.

"In addition to proposed war funding, the non-war military budget will increase by nearly 5%...This includes funding for nuclear weapons under the Department of Energy budget."

First off, how is this legal? This money should be going towards research in alternative energy sources to ensure a better, cleaner future, instead of creating WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION.

  The following is a comment from Rep. John D. Dingell (D-MI), Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce

“Today I read with disappointment President Bush’s $3 trillion budget.  Yet again, the President has managed to put together a spending plan that continues to produce record deficits over the next two years.  In order to focus our resources on the President’s failed Iraq war strategy, he continues to ignore the domestic priorities back home and his budget is particularly hard on Michigan’s working families.  Among the cuts the budget proposes: $200 billion over five years from Medicare and Medicaid, $900 million from Community Development Block Grant Program, $570 million from theLow Income Home Heating Assistance Program, $59 million from the Migration and Refugee Assistance and draconian cuts to the Manufacturing Extension Partnership.  The President proposes freezing spending for the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Institutes of Health.  Also, despite his talk of fiscal discipline, it is clear from the budget released today that the President plans to use yet another budgetary gimmick to fund his wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

“Frankly I am tired of seeing such dismal budget announcements.  In his last and final year in the White House, this President has once again shown what he truly cares about.   We cannot continue to neglect Michigan families who need help heating their homes, assistance while searching for a new job and access to quality health care.  The American people deserve better.  I intend to work with my colleagues here in the House and Senate to draft a Democratic budget that shows that our working families are our first priority.”

Technorati Tags: Rep. John D. Dingell, President Bush, 2009 budget

Protect America Act will expire on Saturday

    After getting no-where with the Republicans on this bill, the House has adjourned for Presidents' Day weekend. This version of the bill goes D.O.A. and guess what? contrary to President Bush's statements, we are all still going to be safe. That is unless the Bush Crime Syndicate comes up with some sort of terrorist threat after Saturday just so that he can blame the Democrats. I wouldn't put it past this idiot.

     Cong. Steny Hoyer

    THE DEBATES WE HAVE BEEN HAVING OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS ARE CONSEQUENTIAL AND ABOUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT THIS BODY DOES. AND THAT IS UPHOLD THE LAW, NOT JUST PASS THE LAW, UPHOLD THE LAW. AND AS I SAID A LITTLE EARLIER IN THIS DEBATE, PART OF THAT WAS OVERSEEING THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT TO ENSURE THAT THEY EXECUTE OUR LAWS APPROPRIATELY AND LEGALLY, AND THE CONGRESS HAS BEEN GIVEN UNDER THE CONSTITUTION THE AUTHORITY TO SEEK INFORMATION. THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE HAS SOUGHT INFORMATION, AND THAT INFORMATION HAS NOT BEEN FORTHCOMING. THE CONGRESS, AS MR. BOEHNER SAID, CANNOT DO ITS JOB. IF THE CONGRESS SIMPLY FAILS TO ASSERT ITS CONSTITUTIONAL ROLE. NOW, THERE IS A SITUATION THAT WE CONFRONT, A LARGE NUMBER SAY THAT THEY WANT TO ADJOURN. THEY'VE BEEN MAKING MOTION AFTER MOTION AFTER MOTION TO ADJOURN. NOW THEY HAVEN'T BEEN VOTING FOR IT, BUT THEY'VE BEEN MAKING IT. AND NOW THEY WALK OFF THE FLOOR ON THE ASSERTION THAT WE'RE NOT WORKING. THEY ASSERT THAT WE'RE NOT PASSING THE FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE ACT. THEY ASSERT THAT BUT THEY ALL VOTED TO A PERSON NOT TO GIVE US THE TIME TO PERFORM OUR EXTRAORDINARILY IMPORTANT DUTIES IN RESOLVING THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE SENATE AND IN THE HOUSE IN A CONFERENCE COMMITTEE. NOW, I'LL TELL MY FRIENDS ON THE REPUBLICAN SIDE OF THE HOUSE, THEY KNOW, AS WELL AS I DO, THAT THE REASON THE SENATE DID NOT PASS US A BILL THREE MONTHS AFTER WE PASSED OUR BILL TO THEM WAS BECAUSE OF REPUBLICAN DELAY IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE. THAT'S THE REASON THIS BILL IS SO LATE GETTING TO US. THAT'S THE REASON WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO WORK IT OUT. THAT'S THE REASON THAT WE ARE NOT PASSING LEGISLATION. NOW, THE PRESIDENT ASSERTS THAT THE EXPIRATION OF THE PROTECT AMERICA ACT WILL POSE A DANGER TO OUR COUNTRY. THE FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL ADVISOR ON TERRORISM SAYS THAT'S NOT TRUE. FORMER ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL SAYS THAT'S NOT TRUE. NUMEROUS OTHERS, AND THE CHAIRMAN, HAS ASSERTED THAT'S NOT TRUE. WHY IS THAT NOT TRUE? BECAUSE FISA WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT. THE AUTHORITY GIVEN UNDER THE PROTECT AMERICA ACT REMAINS IN EFFECT. AND IF THERE ARE NEW TARGETS, THE FISA COURT HAS FULL AUTHORITY TO GIVE EVERY AUTHORITY TO THE ADMINISTRATION TO ACT. SO I TELL MY FRIENDS, WE ARE PURSUING THE POLITICS OF FEAR. UNFOUNDED FEAR. 435 MEMBERS OF THIS HOUSE AND EVERY ONE OF US, EVERY ONE OF US WANTS TO KEEP AMERICA AND AMERICANS SAFE. NOT ONE OF US -- NOT ONE OF US WANTS TO SUBJECT AMERICA OR AMERICANS TO DANGER. THE PRESIDENT'S ASSERTION IS WRONG. I SAY IT CATEGORICALLY. THE PRESIDENT'S ASSERTION IS WRONG. NOW, THE PRESIDENT SAYS HE'LL DELAY HIS TRIP TO STAY HERE AND WORK WITH US.

Technorati Tags: Protect America Act, FISA, President Bush, Republicans, terrorists, conference committee, Steny Hoyer

Chairman Reyes Writes to President Bush: “Put partisanship aside” on FISA

  Finally! Someone is taking Preznit Bush to task for his fear mongering bullshit!  Well worth reading. 

           The Gavel

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

The Preamble to our Constitution states that one of our highest duties as public officials is to “provide for the common defence.” As an elected Member of Congress, a senior Member of the House Armed Services Committee, and Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, I work everyday to ensure that our defense and intelligence capabilities remain strong in the face of serious threats to our national security.

Because I care so deeply about protecting our country, I take strong offense to your suggestion in recent days that the country will be vulnerable to terrorist attack unless Congress immediately enacts legislation giving you broader powers to conduct warrantless surveillance of Americans’ communications and provides legal immunity for telecommunications companies that participated in the Administration’s warrantless surveillance program.

Today, the National Security Agency (NSA) has authority to conduct surveillance in at least three different ways, all of which provide strong capability to monitor the communications of possible terrorists.

First, NSA can use its authority under Executive Order 12333 to conduct surveillance abroad of any known or suspected terrorist. There is no requirement for a warrant. There is no requirement for probable cause. Most of NSA’s collection occurs under this authority.

Second, NSA can use its authority under the Protect America Act, enacted last August, to conduct surveillance here in the U.S of any foreign target. This authority does not “expire” on Saturday, as you have stated. Under the PAA, orders authorizing surveillance may last for one year – until at least August 2008. These orders may cover every terrorist group without limitation. If a new member of the group is identified, or if a new phone number or email address is identified, the NSA may add it to the existing orders, and surveillance can begin immediately. We will not “go dark.”

Third, in the remote possibility that a new terrorist organization emerges that we have never previously identified, the NSA could use existing authority under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to monitor those communications. Since its establishment nearly 30 years ago, the FISA Court has approved nearly every application for a warrant from the Department of Justice. In an emergency, NSA or the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) may begin surveillance immediately, and a FISA Court order does not have to be obtained for three days. The former head of FISA operations for the Department of Justice has testified publicly that emergency authorization may be granted in a matter of minutes.

As you know, the 1978 FISA law, which has been modernized and updated numerous times since 9/11, was instrumental in disrupting the terrorist plot in Germany last summer. Those who say that FISA is outdated do not understand the strength of this important tool.

If our nation is left vulnerable in the coming months, it will not be because we don’t have enough domestic spying powers. It will be because your Administration has not done enough to defeat terrorist organizations – including al Qaeda — that have gained strength since 9/11. We do not have nearly enough linguists to translate the reams of information we currently collect. We do not have enough intelligence officers who can penetrate the hardest targets, such as al Qaeda. We have surged so many intelligence resources into Iraq that we have taken our eye off the ball in Afghanistan and Pakistan. As a result, you have allowed al Qaeda to reconstitute itself on your watch.

You have also suggested that Congress must grant retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies. As someone who has been briefed on our most sensitive intelligence programs, I can see no argument why the future security of our country depends on whether past actions of telecommunications companies are immunized.

The issue of telecom liability should be carefully considered based on a full review of the documents that your Administration withheld from Congress for eight months. However, it is an insult to the intelligence of the American people to say that we will be vulnerable unless we grant immunity for actions that happened years ago.

Congress has not been sitting on its hands. Last November, the House passed responsible legislation to authorize the NSA to conduct surveillance of foreign terrorists and to provide clarity and legal protection to our private sector partners who assist in that surveillance.

The proper course is now to conference the House bill with the Senate bill that was passed on Tuesday. There are significant differences between these two bills and a conference, in regular order, is the appropriate mechanism to resolve the differences between these two bills. I urge you, Mr. President, to put partisanship aside and allow Republicans in Congress to arrive at a compromise that will protect America and protect our Constitution.

I, for one, do not intend to back down – not to the terrorists and not to anyone, including a President, who wants Americans to cower in fear.

We are a strong nation. We cannot allow ourselves to be scared into suspending the Constitution. If we do that, we might as well call the terrorists and tell them that they have won.

Sincerely,

Silvestre Reyes
Member of Congress
Chairman, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

Technorati Tags: Silvestre Reyes, President Bush, FISA

FISA and The Bush Veto Threat

     Bush says that if there is no retroactive immunity ( amnesty ) for the telecoms, that he will veto the FISA bill. So, Bush is then willing to let Americans die ( won't happen if FISA bill expires ) if ATT and others aren't let off the hook for spying on us?

  Ted Kennedy summed it up on the Senate floor on Monday, before the Senate voted and this still holds true for the House.

  The President has said that American lives will be sacrificed if Congress does not change FISA.  But he has also said that he will veto any FISA bill that does not grant retro-active immunity.  No immunity, no FISA bill.  So if we take the President at his word, he's willing to let Americans die to protect the phone companies.  Source

  Different day, same shit for Bush. He's making the amnesty issue the issue. Forget about the terrorist! More solid proof that this FISA version has nothing to do with monitoring terrorist and more to do with monitoring you and I.

Technorati Tags: FISA, Bush, Senate, the House, terrorists, telecom amnesty

Bush Tells The House: Pass FISA Bill Or Terrorist Will Kill Us, Again! Please Pass the Tums!

   Let me tell you something. After reading Crime Boss Bush's little press gathering, I had to reach for the Pepto-Bismol! This punk is so sickening that someone in the medical research establishment needs to come up with some kind of a vaccine for him.

  Some of Bush's comments:

   At this moment, somewhere in the world, terrorists are planning new attacks on our country. Their goal is to bring destruction to our shores that will make September the 11th pale by comparison. To carry out their plans, they must communicate with each other, they must recruit operatives, and they must share information.

  It's a safe bet that Bush's terrorist are not emailing or using the phone system to let each other know the next stage of their plans. Bush's comment here is beyond ludicrous.

     The lives of countless Americans depend on our ability to monitor these communications.

  In that case Preznit Bush, bring forth the 5 million or so emails that the Bush Crime Syndicate has misplaced.  I'd like to read those terrorist emails.

Bush then goes on to say that the Senate did a wonderful thing in passing the Protect America Act in a " bipartisan majority. "  Here comes my favorite part.

The Senate bill also provides fair and just liability protections for companies that did the right thing and assisted in defending America after the attacks of September the 11th.

  Funny how Bush leaves out the part about him going to those same telecoms before 9/11 happened, and wanting our private records. He also didn't mention that the phone companies stopped assisting  in America's defense when the government wouldn't pay their phone bills.

In order to be able to discover enemy -- the enemy's plans, we need the cooperation of telecommunication companies. If these companies are subjected to lawsuits that could cost them billions of dollars, they won't participate; they won't help us; they won't help protect America. Liability protection is critical to securing the private sector's cooperation with our intelligence efforts.

  They won't help in an illegal manner if their asses are put to the fire! they sure as fuck will not cover for Bush if they have to go into a courtroom. Bush is only concerned with us finding out just how much of a gutter crawling scab he really is.

The House's failure to pass the bipartisan Senate bill would jeopardize the security of our citizens. As Director McConnell has told me, without this law, our ability to prevent new attacks will be weakened. And it will become harder for us to uncover terrorist plots.  

  This line of bullshit has been laid to rest Here.

It is time for Congress to pass a law that provides a long-term foundation to protect our country. And they must do so immediately.

  Better hurry up House before Bush's next telecom bribe gets withheld from him!

   Would somebody please pass me some more Tums? I feel sick again.

Technorati Tags: President Bush.FISA, Protect America Act, congress, The House, illegal wiretaps, telecom amnesty, civil rights

Facts about FISA

  We have all heard that if the FISA bill isn't passed by the House before February 15, that the government will have a harder time tracking our dreaded terrorist.

  You may know that the house wanted more time ( 21 day extension )  so that a House/Senate conference on a FISA modernization bill could be drawn up and agreed to. but dear old Bush and the rest of the communist Republicans will not have that! They do not want time for a legitimate discussing of this bill and the amnesty for the phone companies and Bush. Pathetic bunch of fucks!

   From The Gavel

Surveillance will continue should Protect America Act
expire on February 15

The refusal by President Bush and House Republicans to support an extension of last summer’s Protect America Act for twenty one days so that a House/Senate conference on a FISA modernization bill could be completed does not mean that surveillance activities will cease.

Richard Clarke, Former Chief National Security Council Counterterrorism Advisor: “On one issue in particular - FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) - the president misconstrued the truth and manipulated the facts… Simply put, it was wrong for the president to suggest that warrants issued in compliance with FISA would suddenly evaporate with congressional inaction.” [Philadelphia Inquirer, February 1, 2008]

Mort Halperin, Director of U.S. Advocacy for the Open Society Institute: “Even if the President permits the PAA to temporarily lapse, the intelligence community will have the authority not only to continue on-going surveillances for a year but to add other surveillances as long as they are consistent with the existing procedures.” [2/7/08]

“Kenneth L. Wainstein, assistant attorney general for national security, said in an interview that if the August bill was allowed to expire in 10 days, intelligence officials would still be able to continue eavesdropping on already approved targets for another year under the law.” [New York Times, 1/23/08]

Kate Martin, Director of the Center for National Security Studies: “If the government learns of new individuals apparently plotting terrorist activities, it can immediately surveil such individuals — whether they are here or calling here from abroad — by obtaining a FISA court order… As officials have confirmed to the Congress, the court can issue an order within literally minutes of being asked and such order can be implemented within minutes. Or the government can start surveillance without a court order under the always existing FISA emergency authority.” [2/7/08]

On the House Vote on FISA

February 13th, 2008 by Speaker Pelosi

All Members of Congress fully understand and support our responsibility to protect the American people and the need for the President, the Congress, and policymakers to have the best possible intelligence to fight terrorism.

On Friday, a surveillance law insisted upon by the President last August will expire. Today, an overwhelming majority of House Democrats voted to extend that law for three weeks so that agreement could be reached with the Senate on a better version of that law. The President and House Republicans refused to support the extension and therefore will bear the responsibility should any adverse national consequences result.

However, even if the Protect America Act expires later this week, the American people can be confident that our country remains safe and strong. Every order entered under the law can remain in effect for 12 months from the date it was issued.

Furthermore, the underlying Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which provides for the surveillance of terrorists and provides that in emergencies surveillance can begin without warrant, remains intact and available to our intelligence agencies. Unlike last August, the FISA court has no backlog of cases, and thus can issue necessary court orders for surveillance immediately.

 

Technorati Tags: FISA, The House, the Senate, republicans.president, George Bush, Richard Clarke, Protect America Act, telecom amnesty

Bush and Telecoms Get Amnesty In FISA Bill: Here's Why

  All of the illegal spying that President Bush has been doing since he was appointed President of the United States and all of the information that AT&T, Verizon, and others have turned over to the Bush Crime Syndicate has all been swept under the rug, never to see the light of day.

   This is a slap in the face to both you and myself. Every law-abiding citizen in this country should be up in arms and raising all kinds of hell with our elected Senate representatives who voted to let all of these crooks get a " get out of jail free " card! I expected this kind of voting from the GOP pieces of shit in the Senate, but I am deeply disappointed in the so-called Democrats who voted in favor of this bullshit!

   Those who voted for amnesty in the FISA bill ( democrats ):

Bayh (D-IN), Carper (D-DE), Conrad (D-ND), Feinstein (D-CA), Inouye (D-HI),

Johnson (D-SD), Kohl (D-WI), Landrieu (D-LA), McCaskill (D-MO), Mikulski (D-MD), Nelson (D-FL), Nelson (D-NE), Pryor (D-AR), Rockefeller (D-WV), Salazar (D-CO), Stabenow (D-MI), Webb (D-VA), and let us not forget one other traitor, Lieberman (ID-CT)     Source

  Next up I guess that I will be posting the names out of this group who are up for re-election this year. They all need to be targeted for defeat!

  This is personal and it should be for you! I am hostile and you should be also!

   Right to Privacy? R.I.P. 2008

Technorati Tags: FISA, telecom amnesty, the Senate, ATT, Verizon

Senate Sold Our Rights To Verizon And AT&T By Way Of FISA/Amnesty Bill

     From Senator Russ Feingold

    “The Senate passage of this FISA bill, while not surprising, is extremely disappointing. The Senate missed a golden opportunity to pass a bill that would give our intelligence officials the tools they need to go after suspected terrorists while also safeguarding the privacy of law-abiding Americans. Instead the Senate, with the help of too many Democrats, is yet again giving the administration sweeping new powers – and letting it off the hook for its illegal wiretapping program. I hope that our House colleagues will hold a stronger line, and refuse to accept the deeply flawed Senate bill. The calls from Americans tired of having their rights and their Constitution trampled on by this administration are only growing louder. Congress should stand up for the American people, and the Constitution, by opposing such a badly flawed bill.”

   Once again, the citizens of America have been fucked up the ass by our so-called elected Representatives in the Senate. I do include Senator Harry Reid as one who stabbed us in the heart even though he voted " nay " on cloture. Mr. Reid could have solved this problem with FISA and telecom amnesty simply by using the House version of FISA. All of this bullshit could have been averted from the start, but I guess that all of that cash from the telecom industry was just to much to pass on.

   I'll have much more on this subject later in the evening and certainly on tomorrow!

Technorati Tags: FISA, telecom amnesty, Harry Reid, Russ Feingold, the Senate

Telecom's Ready to Enjoy Amnesty For Criminal Acts: There Will Be No Filibuster By Chris Dodd

    Time for a little update on the FISA bill and amnesty for criminals who gave our personal records ( calls, emails,ect. ) to the Bush Crime Syndicate ( NSA ).

    As we all know, the vote on this junk FISA bill is tomorrow and this is looking as if the Democrats in the Senate ( Harry Reid, Jay Rockefeller, and others ) are going to get on their collective knees and suck Bush's dick once again and give him and the telecom's the amnesty that he needs to avoid possible prosecution for felony acts of lawbreaking for spying on United States citizens.

   Glenn Greenwald on what will happen in the Senate tomorrow.

What the Senate is about to do tomorrow is very simple: it will (a) vest vast new powers in the President to spy on the calls and emails of American citizens, inside the U.S., with no warrants, and (b) grant amnesty to telecoms that broke multiple federal laws. In sum, it will legalize the "Terrorist Surveillance Program" that the President ordered for years in violation of the law -- a program aimed at eavesdropping on U.S. citizens, inside the U.S.

   So what about Chris Dodd's threat of a filibuster?

     Contrary to the emphatic promise Dodd repeatedly made during his presidential campaign to lead a filibuster on the floor of the Senate to stop any bill that has telecom immunity in it (a promise which, incidentally, led to hundreds of thousands of dollars being donated to his campaign), there isn't going to be any actual filibuster tomorrow. Under the Unanimous Consent framework agreed to by all Senators (including Dodd), there will be a 60-vote requirement to invoke cloture on the FISA bill and for ultimate passage, followed by an allotted 4 hours of post-cloture "debate," but there will not be any real filibuster to prevent cloture. When Leahy says that he will "join" Dodd's filibuster, what he means is that he will merely cast a vote against cloture.

Dodd's efforts against this bill have been quite commendable, and the UC Agreement isn't completely worthless. It means that Democrats do not need 60 votes, or even 50 votes, to stop this bill. Rather, they only need 41 Senators willing to oppose cloture (which everyone knows they're not going to get).

Still, Dodd is not, after all, going to lead an actual filibuster on the floor of the Senate to stop the bill. Worse, the Republicans are going to be permitted to impose 60-vote requirements on key Democratic amendments without actually having to filibuster at all -- exactly the situation which Harry Reid vowed just two weeks ago he would not permit.    Salon

   So once again, bend-over Harry is going to kiss George Bush's ass to score what he thinks are brownie points for later on. Is this man to old to handle his job or is he just totally dumb, stupid, and ignorant? I guess that he could be all of them. Either way, he needs to either find himself a nice quiet place to retire to, or fired from his position in government.

   One question? Do We The People even have any real Democrats in the Senate?

Technorati Tags: FISA, telecom amnesty, Harry Reid, Chris Dodd, Unanimous Consent, George Bush, filibuster, Democrats, cloture vote