Fact-checking the FISA debate.
By on Dec 17th, 2007 at 11:51 am
Fact-checking the FISA debate.
Sen. Russ Feingold’s office has put out a fact sheet on the Dodd-Feingold amendment to strike retroactive immunity. One common myth:
Myth: The bill’s provision is necessary to extend immunity to telephone companies that responded in good faith to a government request.
Reality: Existing law already immunizes telephone companies that respond in good faith to a government request, as long as that request meets certain clearly spelled-out statutory requirements. This carefully designed provision protects the companies and Americans’ privacy by encouraging the companies to comply with legitimate requests but not to comply with requests that don’t meet the requirements laid out in the law.
Read more here.
View Most Popular
Advertisement
What We're About
What We're Fighting For
What We're Fighting Against
Featured
Subscribe to the Progress Report
Topic CloudView topics sorted by popularity
Afghanistan
Bachmann
Beck
Boehner
Business
Cheney
Civil Rights
Congress
Corporate Ethics
Dobbs
Economy
Education
Election
Energy
Environment
Ethics
Fox News
Gingrich
Glenn Beck
Global Warming
Health Care
Immigration
International Relations
Justice
LGBT
Lieberman
Limbaugh
Media
Military
O'Reilly
Obama
Palin
Pelosi
Politics
Race
Radical Right
Religion
Sports
Steele
Stimulus
Tea Parties
Tea Party
Terrorism
Veterans
Women's Rights
Visit Our Affiliated Sites
Reports
In-depth studies on select topics
Got a hot tip?
Have a hot news tip? We'd love to hear from you. Use the form below to send us the latest.
ArchivesBlog Roll
It’s kind of scary that this has to be spelled out this way. But it does help eliminate the ability of certain groups to twist and parse the words to suit their own nefarious needs. It won’t stop it, but these are the people who usually just make up stuff anyway….
December 17th, 2007 at 11:55 amafter just having watched a video of fcc chairman martin’s responses to both house and senate hearings on the proposed relaxation of the rules governing newspaper ownership of broadcast media, seeing him calmly and quietly deny and defy any attempt at reason, and virtually ignore the sentiments expressed in public hearings across america, it is clear beyond a shadow of a doubt that the proposed measure will pass in the fcc commissioners’ meeting tomorrow… i am just as convinced that the fisa bill will pass and it will include the provision on retroactive telecom immunity… the fix is in, folks, and has been in for some time… there is only one recourse, and it isn’t signing another petition or making another phone call… it also certainly isn’t the 2008 election… the criminals in the white house must be removed via the most expeditious and legal means possible…
And, yes, I DO take it personally
December 17th, 2007 at 11:58 amGEEEZ!!! Sessions just accused his “friends in Congress” of overreacting.
December 17th, 2007 at 12:00 pmSo, since members of Congress are actually REACTING to illegal acts by telecom companies with the Chimpministration instead of rolling over(REID?!?!?!), they are OVER reacting?
too bad Feingold isn’t in a leadership position.
The Dem leadership is clearly part of the criminal cabal. They are not an opposition party, and they do not reflect progressive values.
If you think otherwise – despite all of the evidence to the contrary – you are drinking Kool-aid lite.
We need to send a clear message, and we need to do it en mass, and we need to do it yesterday.
if Pelosi and Reid won’t stand up to those who trample our Constitution, we need to stand up to Pelosi and Reid.
Do not support the group who would rape you less violently.
December 17th, 2007 at 12:15 pmwe might consider how many successful prosecutions they have made using their new found spying power? 0.
December 17th, 2007 at 12:15 pm2 weeks into the presnitcy, he started spying on americans? for what?
Folks, if they started spying 2 weeks in on private citizens, or as they are called, the enemy voters, then we must revisit the intelligence for 9/11 and look at hard at the facts again.
why is it we get nothing but lies?
Ironically, were it not one for one telcom, the criminal prosecution of its CEO and the subsequent disclosures that came to light during its proceedings, we’d all likely never even know anything about this entire program, folks…
http://www.thankyouqwest.org has more on Qwest’s role.
December 17th, 2007 at 12:21 pmThere’s a new industry waiting to be built – one that services the public communications sector and provides encrypted data security to ordinary citizens who no longer trust their gov’t or the companies they pay for landlines, wireless, and data networking.
Get on it, Si Valley – I’m ready to sign up.
December 17th, 2007 at 12:30 pmAs the Senate debates the renewal of FISA revisions made in August, President Bush and his Republican allies in Congress are endorsing a unique double-standard when it comes to immunity for telecommunications firms. Within the United States, they argue, service providers such as AT&T and Verizon must cooperate with U.S. government demands for access to Americans’ electronic communications and should be immune from citizens’ lawsuits. But in China and elsewhere, as Republican reaction to the Yahoo saga suggests, not so much.
For the details, see:
December 17th, 2007 at 12:32 pm“FISA, Yahoo and the GOP Double-Standard on Telecom Immunity.”
I don’t think Congress can do that. I think it requires the President to pardon, doesn’t it?
Article 1, Section 9 of the Constitution:
No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.
December 17th, 2007 at 1:02 pmAt this point, Chris Dodd has earned my vote. Forget Hillary and Obama!
December 17th, 2007 at 1:32 pmChemical explosion at Fox News building
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071217/ap_on_re_us/fox_explosion
December 17th, 2007 at 1:41 pmDidnt immunity get stripped from the bill? whats going on here?
December 18th, 2007 at 5:59 am