Via The Washington Post:
The Senate bowed to White House pressure last night and passed a Republican plan for overhauling the federal government’s terrorist surveillance laws, approving changes that would temporarily give U.S. spy agencies expanded power to eavesdrop on foreign suspects without a court order.
The 60 to 28 vote, which was quickly denounced by civil rights and privacy advocates, came after Democrats in the House failed to win support for more modest changes that would have required closer court supervision of government surveillance. Earlier in the day, President Bush threatened to hold Congress in session into its scheduled summer recess if it did not approve the changes he wanted.
The legislation, which is expected to go before the House today, would expand the government’s authority to intercept without a court order the phone calls and e-mails of people in the United States who are communicating with people overseas. Read more…
Contact your representatives in The House and let them know that America does not wish to give the president unfettered powers to spy on us. As always, be polite…
Filed Under: George W. Bush, Government Policy, Intelligence Gathering
4 Trackbacks To “Senate Democrats Cave - Agree To Give Bush More Power To Spy On Americans Than Ever Before“
Time to hit the streets.
Unfuckingbelievable!
CONGRESS NOT ONLY CAVES ON FISA; GIVES BUSH AUTHORITY TO USE MICHAEL VICK FOR DETAINEE INTERROGATIONS
Ahh the land of the free.
First
What to do this next election? I can’t vote for this bunch of pussies. Libertarian might work, but I think I’ll just forgo voting on the national level.
First.My congressperson is Jean Schmidt.Do you think she`ll oppose Bush?
Let this show the people that party affiliation doesn’t matter. They’re all complicit, and the only way to make them stop is a full on revolution by the people.
Believe it or not, we are, right now, sitting still and saying nothing while terrorists seize our country. Just because they wear suits and speak English doesn’t mean they wish us well.
“A true revolutionary acts out of love for his country”
Dr. Ernesto “Che” Guevara de la Cerna Lynch
Why even bother having an opposition party?
kgp
FUCK the Democrats. They are just as bad as the opposition!
No TWO parties, just one WAR PARTY.
This is the end.
Be polite? Why, at this point, should we be polite? They aren’t listening to politeness.
When you voted for a Democrat, Your vote DID count. And today you lost more liberties. Welcome to American Democracy!
We elected the Democratic leadership and created a democratic majority to avoid just this kind of situation. If the democratic house and senate leadership cannot lead, I would suggest they step down and allow some others who are not afraid to be tough with that band of crooks to step in and take over. But the wishy washy performance we are now watching, we will soon see defections by the thousands to the ranks of independent voters.
Its time for Gonzales, Bush and Cheney to be impeached.
Its also time for Democratic leadership to step up and prove they deserve the title “party leader.”
What I dont understand is how we got from 1945 - 2000 without having the ability to spy on people? Particulary after FISA was passed in the 1970s specifically for this type of thing… either there is specific reasons for this or what else could be their excuse? So many people find it so fishy because the Russians are to this day FAR more advanced than some people in caves… yet we didnt spy on them? Or we did but only by putting our ears to their doors? What are we supposed to believe? It seems like one big power grab from the people to the Feds…Dems and Repubs in on it..
Already called my rep.
But this is just shameful. It’s like 2006 never happened. Like Bush’s 26% approval never happened. Like Gonzales’s lies and obstruction never happened. It’s like watching a beaten wife apologize to her husband for running into his fist.
The Democrats caved, again. Excuse me while I collapse in shock. Oh wait, there’s nothing surprising here, just more of the same. Shameful excuse for an opposition party. Shameful. And they wonder why people are so apathetic about voting! I can’t really even work up a good rage over it anymore, just a feeling of “yep, here we go again…”
Dem. pussies of congress,…..bunch of scare pussies
they are all chickenshits..
but i truely believe if they did’nt give this maniac his way there would have been another terrist attack they would have blamed on the dems ..
hey i’ve got a real nice house up for sale CHEAP..
see you in Canada
Well, all I can say is good luck trying to get me to vote in 2008. Keep this crap up and I’ll just not vote.
I been sayin it all along, the dems are the exact same as the repubes. It don’t matter what party you vote for, they all suck shit. They are all a bunch of cock suckers. I guess as long as guys like Carl Pohlad don’t pay any taxes, all is right in the world. I hope they ALL suffer massive strokes, end up quads with partialy paralyzed throats, then choke to death on mechanical soft meat….
That would be justice…..
No, it’s like a beaten wife writing a suicide note, jumping under a harvester so his husband will be safe, the truth never be known and he’ll live happily ever after.
cetylovx @ 20:
That’s right. Play into their hands.
MY “D” Senator didn’t cave…and we’re working hard on getting rid of our “R” Senator.
…starting to work on my House “D” now…
I agree with the first poster but I have a question. Why HAVEN’T more people hit the streets?! There have been huge protests against the war, but why hasn’t there been any large-scale protests for the collective failures of this government? I think this has to be organized. I’ve been abroad so long, I don’t really know what the hell is going on over there. I just follow it with the news and blogs…
Che’s Lounge @ 1:
Time to pay attention to our own spirit and to make a point of not buying any more “stuff” than we actually need.Buy 2nd hand “stuff.”
FORGET about any help from elected officials.As far as hitting the streets is concerned,well,I have since the 60s and 70s.It worked then,but doesn`t anymore because not enough of us do it.Call me when we have 20 million who are really willing to sacrifice something to get rid of these cretins.Till then,I`m going to do what they do in Washington;take care of # 1.
for god’s sake you guys they HAD to give in…it was almost summer vacation–they’re going to go hang out with iraqi leaders who are also on vacation.
i’m not sure if this era will eventually be labeled one of great upset or one of great vacations.
bush running around eating cake while n.o. drowned, iraqi ‘leaders’ on break tho their country is broken, and the dem congress?–i don’t know, golf anyone?
25%er Shrub and 0%er Gonzo to Reid:
I’d pile onto the Democrats too, but this isn’t about being chickenshit. Nobody is this cowardly, especially not the types of people who have made it this far into politics already. This is either A) complicity or B) the warrantless wiretapping did it’s work LONG ago there is a big stack of blackmail tapes and pictures somewhere that is being used against, if not all the Dems, then a lot of the key players.
Very sad. I think it would bother me just a tad less if so many americans didn’t stand around nodding their heads in approval.
The logo for dems should changed from a jack-ass to a cave-man. It only seems fitting…
We’ve got nothing but R’s in the Senate and my D rep voted against (she always does, God bless her), so I don’t know what to do about the Senate Dems constantly caving to the White House.
It makes no sense - they’ve gotten burned every time they gave Bush what he wanted, but they keep giving him what he wants!
And this marks the end of the United States of America. As far as I’m concerned, the terrorists HAVE won. Harry Reid is the biggest disappointment in the history of the Democratic party. He talked a big game, but in the end he dropped his trousers, spread his cheeks far and wide, lubed up, and took it deep and hard. What a PUSSY.
They just lost my support.
And by support, I mean vote.
Gonzo to Reid:
I just called my congressman too, and I am so sad because I know it won’t do any good. First, he’s a W-dick-sucking Republican, and two because he’s not even FROM MY STATE. Todd Akin, some fuck from New York representing the good people from Missouri…What kind of system have we devolved into?
As for the Democrats, I keep hoping, they keep crapping their pants, and I hope some more while deep down inside I weep. That hope might be foolish that the good will prevail, but I can’t let go of it. I wonder if anything is ever going to change.
MOTHER FUCKER.
Ya know, Democrats, I will be voting third party this next election. I’m so fucking tired of getting screwed. You don’t care for even standing up against these crooks. Screw YOU.
Jenny’O @ 27:
Man this is surreal. Iraq broken, Afganistan broken except opium business, US economy broken, everyone on vacation, Democrats giving up on Americans and their rights yesterday, is something really, REALLY bad is to happen in the next month or maybe I’m wrong and surreal things usually have tendency to come back to normalcy? Well, I don’t think they do. But something is not right. Hmm.
Che’s Lounge @ 1:
AMAZING!
Ain’t it wonderful that we have a Democratic majority?
It is also time for a Progressive party. I have felt that we had to stick with the Dems because the alternative is so awful. Fact is, the conservative DLC types have taken over the party. More and more, I am beginning to think the 18th century French had it right.
cetylovx @ 20:
yes. don’t vote. what better way to say ‘fuck you’ by just sitting on your ass, pouting.
this is just more proof that real democracy is dead in america. dems and repubs are just different factions of the same team working against the interest of the american ppl…
Why bother? What’s the real difference between the Dems and Repug neo-cons?
I suppose the Dems hope this will raise congress’ approval ratings. Good luck with that…
So who are the 16 Dems that caved? Where can we find that out?
Disgusted @ 43:
The following Democrats voted for it:
Evan Bayh (Indiana);
Tom Carper (Delaware);
Bob Casey (Pennsylvania);
Kent Conrad (North Dakota);
Dianne Feinstein (California);
Daniel Inouye (Hawai‘i);
Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota);
Nancy Mary Landrieu (Louisiana);
Blanche Lincoln (Arkansas);
Claire McCaskill (Missouri);
Barbara Mikulski (Maryland);
Bill Nelson (Florida);
Ben Nelson (Nebraska);
Mark Pryor (Arkansas);
Ken Salazar (Colorado);
Jim Webb (Virginia).
I heard a political analyst on the BBC last night said that the reason Democrats voted for this bill is that since it does not give Bush everything he asked for, they expect him to veto it. I don’t know, but that would be interesting if it does happen. If not, this is another major strategic miscalculation by the Democrats.
Otay @ 44:
that list is extremely disappointing.
Otay @ 44:
Ah, the usual suspects. Webb should know better, though.
its over.
He is probably using his new FISA permission to eavesdrop on Democratic candidates for Pres. He has said over and over that we are aiding and abbetting the enemy. What better reason to eavesdrop!!!!!!
Washington D.C. is full of two types of people: Chickenhawks and Chickenshits.
So how did the protesters in the 60’s organize? I’m currently unemployed and would love to take to the streets. Unfortunately I don’t think I have the charisma to lead the charge and organize a 20 million person march. Can’t somebody put a march together for Labor Day weekend? Anyone? Bueller?
Their ultimate test will be in September when that “Report card” comes. That’s when we’ll really know if they know what they’re doing.
grumbles @ 49:
I have little doubt about it.
Snowball @ 45: