Rep. Steve King Cites Contractor Immunity As Argument For Why Telecom Immunity Would Be A Success
Rep. Steve King Cites Contractor Immunity As Argument For Why Telecom Immunity Would Be A Success
Today, the House passed an amendment to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that provides no “retroactive immunity for telecom companies but allows the courts to determine whether lawsuits should proceed.”
During a House debate on the bill before the vote, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) argued that the telecom companies should receive the retroactive immunity. As an example of why this solution would work well, he pointed to the existing immunity for contractors:
I don’t understand the difference between why we would not want to identify an information company that answered the call to protect America. To me I think those are the closest two comparisons that we can get.
We protect contractors when they went to that smoking hole in that war zone. Why wouldn’t we protect telecommunications companies when they stepped up in good faith and believed that they were legally operating under the law?
Watch it:
It’s unclear exactly which contractors King is referring to. Across the board, however, contractor immunity has done little other than shield corporations from gross negligence.
After 9/11, Congress appropriated $1 billion in federal emergency money to contractors and subcontractors working at or near Ground Zero. They were to use the funds “to set up a new insurance company to cover potential claims.” This insurance company, however, is now refusing to settle claims filed by firefighters and cleanup crews over illnesses caused by unsafe working conditions; the contractors claim they have immunity from any lawsuits.
Moreover, as we have seen in Iraq, guards from the private security contractor Blackwater have escaped punishment after killing 17 Iraqis in a Baghdad shoot-out and killing a top Iraqi politician’s bodyguard on Christmas Eve 2006.
More than anything, King’s argument shows why telecoms should not be granted immunity.
Transcript:
KING: You know we’re here not really talking about the issues of rights. I haven’t found anyone yet that has had their rights trampled on. Their rights to reasonable search and seizure as the chairman announced from the beginning. As I look at whats going on here in policy, there’s a situation going on right now in New York in that area where you have contractors that answered the call in the crisis of 9/11 and they’re under lawsuits by the thousands. I think we’re in pretty much unanimous agreement that we shouldn’t indemnify them for answering the call to protect America.
I don’t understand the difference between why we would not want to identify an information company that answered the call to protect America. To me I think those are the closest two comparisons that we can get. We protect contractors when they went to that smoking hole in that war zone. Why wouldn’t we protect telecommunications companies when they stepped up in good faith and believed that they were legally operating under the law. This is — where is this first citizen that has had their privacy violated? I haven’t found anyone yet. None have been brought forward. I sat in hours of classified briefings no one even uttered the name of a person who has had their rights violated.
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He’s exactly right- there is no difference…
March 14th, 2008 at 6:25 pmSo I propose we repeal the Contractors’ immunity as well. Thanks for the tip, Stevie!
Yes! That’s been so successful what with the graft, and gang-raping and whatnot. More of that, indeed, for Mr. King.
March 14th, 2008 at 6:29 pmWhy wouldn’t we protect telecommunications companies when they stepped up in good faith and believed that they were LEGALLY operating under the law.
Who suggested to the telecoms that they were LEGALLY operating under the Law?? Tell it to the Judge!
March 14th, 2008 at 6:30 pmWow, what brilliant logic this man has. Just because Bush set a horrible precedent by making the contractors in Iraq immune from prosecution (thereby allowing them to rape and pillage), we should do the same for the Telcoms.
Sorry King, two wrongs don’t make a right. Also, you are a total jerk and and embarrassment.
March 14th, 2008 at 6:32 pmthe only good rethuglican is the one that’s dead.
March 14th, 2008 at 6:34 pmWhy is the caption under this guy’s picture about reporting sexual assaults? And, it makes sense, there probably is a reduction in the sexual assaults reported because the military has made it abundantly clear to the women who report they were assaulted what will happen to them for having the temerity to report the assault.
March 14th, 2008 at 6:36 pmok gang, I’m out of here for the night. Antiwar demonstration in downtown Detroit tomorrow. Look for me in the papers.
March 14th, 2008 at 6:36 pmgive’em snark, uncle ho!!
March 14th, 2008 at 6:38 pmWow, talk about giving a false impression by what you put on the cyron, here’s what I found about that quote on Raw Story:
March 14th, 2008 at 6:38 pmUncle Ho Says:
ok gang, I’m out of here for the night. Antiwar demonstration in downtown Detroit tomorrow. Look for me in the papers.
Have a good one Uncle Ho. If you get arrested, holler if you need bail money!
March 14th, 2008 at 6:39 pmwhen they stepped up in good faith and believed that they were legally operating under the law?
Correction, dirtbag. They knew what they were doing was illegal. They did it to curry favor with BushitCo.
There isn’t a bus big enough to throw these corporate whores under.
March 14th, 2008 at 6:40 pmThese dirt bags just want to be all out Mafia type gangsters, don’t they. Unbelievable, the gall of these corrupt Repukes is absolutely amazing. The Repukian party is truly just an organized criminal gang.
Bush/Cheney
Hague Trials ‘09
Thecarnigman
March 14th, 2008 at 6:47 pmNight grammar school ‘08
We need to take the offensive against these contractors and the Republican party for supporting them. Imagine a TV ad in which we this this Republican testifying as to the need to immunize contractor actions with a slow scroll of money looted by contractors over seas as well as the amount of money unaccounted for and believed lost due to fraud in Iraq. The final tag should simply be: “The Republican Party believes that the loss of such massive amounts to contractor fraud should be applauded as patriotism. We call it war profiteering. We hear the Republican party leaders consistently call for personal responsibility from the taxpayer but not from the high rolling contractors that pay for the republican campaigns.”
March 14th, 2008 at 6:51 pmOH LOOK! FORMATTING TOOLS!
THANK YOU!
… nothing to say about the idiot and his idiocy though…
March 14th, 2008 at 6:52 pmSo CarnageMan was talking about Ferris Wheels? I thought he meant Ferret Wheels!
March 14th, 2008 at 6:52 pmbold my ass Hey! It Works on IE7!
March 14th, 2008 at 6:53 pmJMOHR Says:
March 14th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
I like your idea and I think Grampa McCain needs to be put on the spot concerning his position on these issues with contractors and telecom law breaking.
March 14th, 2008 at 6:56 pmI want to know is, is King wearing his flag lapel? To paraphrase John Prine:
“your flag lapel won’t get you into heaven anymore
March 14th, 2008 at 6:56 pmIt’s already overcrowded, from your dirty little war.
And Jesus don’t like killin, no matter what the reason’s for,
Any your flag lapel won’t get you into heaven any more.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1qE2vJdDw4
That’s good enough to be a stand alone, JMHOR…
“The Republican Party believes that the loss of such massive amounts to contractor fraud should be applauded as patriotism. We call it war profiteering. We hear the Republican party leaders consistently call for personal responsibility from the taxpayer but not from the high rolling contractors that pay for the Republican campaigns.”
I suggest we copy an paste to a word doc and just post it over and over again, endlessly…
March 14th, 2008 at 7:00 pmBobwurst Says:
March 14th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
I want to know is, is King wearing his flag lapel?
________
Kindahard to see it clearly, bobwurst, but it looks… more… like a… Swaztika lapel pin to me. But, hey, my eyes arent’ so good. Anybody else?
March 14th, 2008 at 7:02 pmSince black is such a successful white color, I believe black will be an excellent white.
March 14th, 2008 at 7:04 pmTRoS ~ Not only is it a swastika, but look closely and you can see the reflection of the bonfire of burning constitutions…
March 14th, 2008 at 7:05 pmI’m certain the telcos are looking forward for the oppotunity to rape and pillage without restraint.
What? They’ve been doing that to our pocketbooks for years?
Oh. Goddamn.
March 14th, 2008 at 7:06 pmThe Bush administration’s lack of interest in recovering stolen funds is one of the great scandals of the war. The White House has failed to litigate a single case against a contractor under the False Claims Act and has not sued anybody for breach of contract.
March 14th, 2008 at 7:06 pmLessee, the Rep. in Stevie’s title stands for:
a) Reprehensible
b) Repulsive
c) Repuglycan
d) All of the Above
March 14th, 2008 at 7:09 pmRep King gives scum-sucking piss-soaked trolls a bad name.
March 14th, 2008 at 7:14 pmI swear if Republicans had brains they would blow them out.
March 14th, 2008 at 7:15 pmRUCerious Says:
March 14th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
TRoS ~ Not only is it a swastika, but look closely and you can see the reflection of the bonfire of burning constitutions…
_______
Dang, RU. Youse got good eyes.
One second glance, I can see yer right. Take another look and make sure they didn’t start that fire w/ some burning faggots, okay?
March 14th, 2008 at 7:17 pmWhy wouldn’t we protect telecommunications companies when they stepped up in good faith and believed that they were legally operating under the law?
…stepped up in good faith?
…believed?
…legally operating under the law
This really strains credulity! A major corporation with many high priced lawyers well versed in the law who… believe? What, even small contract, is signed “in good faith?” Are we to believe these corporations have hired totally inept lawyers who don’t know what is legal????
And this boob expects us to “believe” HIM?, a corporate shill?
Give me a break…
March 14th, 2008 at 7:17 pmThey do, LANX… every time they sneeze.
March 14th, 2008 at 7:18 pmIsn’t it nice of these “traitors for a living” give their opponents plenty of video footage to use against them for both the upcoming election and the commitment hearings about it being a danger to oneself and it’s community?
March 14th, 2008 at 7:21 pmIf their constituents are as smart as a bug, it won’t get elected again. Let’s see, shall we?
I don’t understand the difference between why we would not want to identify an information company that answered the call to protect America.
Because King of all idiots, they started illegally wiretapping before 9/11. Then after 9/11 they should’ve immediately notified the congress that they’ll need court approved warrants to continue. But they didn’t. The continued illegally wiretapping for YEARS, until the NY Times exposed them.
They broke the law in order to receive BILLIONS of dollars in government contracts.
Qwest decided not to break the law and LOST all those contracts.
They have teams of lawyers who know the FISA laws backwards and forwards.
This program has nothing to do with terrorists.
It’s Total Information Awareness V.2.
Spying on Americans with proving probable cause and getting a warrant is a FELONY.
That’s why.
March 14th, 2008 at 7:25 pmEvery time one of these fear monkeys brings up 9-11, we need to hit them with the $1Billion to insure the workers that contractors refuse to pay to workers with legitimate claims. Sounds to me like more stolen money by GOP donors.
March 14th, 2008 at 7:29 pmNote to TP…Unless I’m mistaken you missed the Bear Stearns story today. We haven’t had a major bank collapse in this manner since the Great Depression.
This is the story of the day.
Investigative reporter extraordinare has a phenomenal piece comparing Elliot Spitzer’s recent trouble with the collapse of the mortgage banking industry. These stories are connected. It’s a must read.
http://www.gregpalast.com/ elliot-spitzer-gets-nailed/ #more-1979
March 14th, 2008 at 7:31 pmWhy should we think of these telcoms as “American” companies? Don’t they have stockholders from all around the world? Do their business interests and our national interests not diverge? Who’s to say that eavesdropping on us, doesn’t give them the jump to steal our intellectual property? These are businesses for chrissake’s…there allegience is to increasing shareholder value, not protecting our welfare.
March 14th, 2008 at 7:35 pmi have updated my post, of
earlier today — to include a new
full-sized image of page 142
of the DoJ’s OIG 2006 NSL report,
which details egregious negligence
in turning over the wrong person’s
records, in some cases, in turning
over the full-text of emails, in
others, and turning over the wrong
person’s phone records, in others,
all due entirely to the failure of
the telecoms to carefully read the
national security letter, or the
FISA Section 215 records request.
[see the matter under the
U P D A T E D
banner in that above-link. . .]
fax the full image to your congress-
people, and tell them you won’t allow
such wanton negligence to be free of
legal consequences!
do it! let ‘er rip!
p e a c e
March 14th, 2008 at 7:40 pm.
Let’s see here Rep. King,
So, I have to FIRST murder for it to be against the law?
.
March 14th, 2008 at 7:42 pmThese stories are connected. It’s a must read.
Absolutely. Read Andromeda’s link…and then read the “Grapes of Wrath”
March 14th, 2008 at 7:46 pmSo I guess they think we are all idiots and will fall for this crap yes?
March 14th, 2008 at 7:50 pmBadger Says:
March 14th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
These stories are connected. It’s a must read.
Absolutely. Read Andromeda’s link…and then read the “Grapes of Wrath”
That’s a lot of reading for a Friday night.
March 14th, 2008 at 7:52 pmThis week, Bernanke’s Fed, for the first time in its history, loaned a selected coterie of banks one-fifth of a trillion dollars to guarantee these banks’ mortgage-backed junk bonds. The deluge of public loot was an eye-popping windfall to the very banking predators who have brought two million families to the brink of foreclosure.
Bush bails out the predators with our tax dollars and tells the borrowers who are losing their homes to go fcuk themselves.
Nice.
March 14th, 2008 at 7:52 pm# 2MillionLightYearsToAndromeda Says:
March 14th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Wholly crap. That is some good stuff. Send it everywhere. This needs the democrats to pump it everywhere.
March 14th, 2008 at 8:01 pmThis needs the democrats to pump it everywhere.
WTF? That didn’t type as well as it echoed in my head! LOL
March 14th, 2008 at 8:03 pmWell, for starters Rep. King, I’d say the contractors have not in all likelihood violated the 4th Amendment of the US Constitution. Although I’m sure they’ve done other reprehensible things, the contractors have probably not compromised the rights of maybe millions of American citizens as the telecoms may have.
Here it is in case you missed it at Northwest Missouri State University:
4th Amendment - Search and Seizure
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
May not mean much to you, but it does to me and 300 million other citizens (except, of course, the President of the United States, certain members of the Supreme Court, and those of the current administration).
March 14th, 2008 at 8:09 pmCan you imagine the bottom feeders that have elected this clown? He is flipping crazy. Steven King is repugnant.
A real nut case.
March 14th, 2008 at 8:10 pm.
Props for the lapel pin today, Rep. King.
.
March 14th, 2008 at 8:21 pm.
#25 RUCerious Says:
March 14th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
e) Repugnacan
.
March 14th, 2008 at 8:23 pmImmunity is a prescription for disaster.
March 14th, 2008 at 9:56 pmThe immunity for contractors relates to Iraq, not the USA.
We are not Iraq.
March 14th, 2008 at 10:04 pmSteve King is becoming more of a babbling idiot by the day.
How long before he gets up on the floor of the House and just starts speaking in tongues, saying stuff like “HEBEJABEEBLEHA HABAJTEROORISTSMAGU HAMABEEBLEJABOOB!”
The sad thing is that even if he did that there are probably enough morons in his district to reelect him.
March 14th, 2008 at 10:04 pm[Rep. King]: We protect contractors when they went to that smoking hole in that war zone….
“… even if they kill Iraqi civilians negligently or even intentionally, and even if their employees rape their subordinates — because they’re run by GOP ‘Pioneers’ and such.”
Good argument.
Cheers,
March 14th, 2008 at 10:21 pmBush has already excused contractors in foreign countries from accountability for fraud and abuse via a signing statement. Any bill which wins approval in both houses of congress will either be vetoed or denied through signing statement. If the Senate actually passes the house version, Bush will veto it. He is the king, after all.
Does anybody know who is running against this idiot in Iowa?
March 14th, 2008 at 10:22 pmIf a illegal and criminal scheme works fine, why change it?
March 14th, 2008 at 10:48 pmchewbacca defense.
March 15th, 2008 at 2:08 amNow that a Republican has pointed out the correlation between the abuse contractors’ immunity allows, and the effect telecom immunity would have, the Democrats needs to pick up on that and empahsize the similarities. Maybe they can revisit the contractors’ status, while they’re at it…
March 15th, 2008 at 6:54 pmPlease tell me that Monday’s agenda includes bringing in the lady in the news who was a Haliburton employee / contractor and was raped.
Also bring in the KBR folks who aren’t getting any sort of workman’s comp / SS benefits, etc.
March 16th, 2008 at 1:17 amMr. King is an idiot who wants to ignore the fact that they spied on us without proper warrants. If they spied without warrants then they can be and are being sued in Federal Court for violating the law. This is a cynical attempt by the administration and republicans to cover their butts that all. It’s just that simple.
March 16th, 2008 at 11:30 amSteve King seems to be living proof that the run off from cattle lots in western Iowa can be hazardous to the brain.
I live in Iowa and it amazes me the differences between the people who live in western Iowa and much of the rest of the state. I have a friend who was moved out there by her husband’s relocation. She tells me that many of the residents think Bush is a wuss. Many of the people out there still belive WMD, Saddam and Bin Laden worked together and all those other lies that got us into Iraq. They hate “the government” and will not hesitate to quote Faux Snooze lateset talking point at you.
This is from a woman who has been there 6 weeks.
March 16th, 2008 at 2:56 pm