Senate Caves to Bush Administration on FISA

Today was a sad day indeed. Today we watched dozens of senators, including many Democrats, capitulate to a lawless, weakened, lame duck President by passing a dangerous and unconstitutional FISA bill that allows warrantless government eavesdropping on Americans.

Many of the proposed amendments would have significantly increased privacy protections, with many of them allowing for warrantless surveillance during emergency situations. The Dodd amendment, which would have stripped immunity for the giant phone companies that handed customers’ private information over without a warrant, didn’t pass. Nor did an amendment that would have substituted the government for the phone companies as the plaintiffs in the dozens of lawsuits against the telcos, holding the true culprit of the lawless spying accountable before a court of law. The senators who voted against these amendments have failed to uphold their oaths of office to protect and defend the Constitution. The FISA Reauthorization Bill, S.2248, has passed the Senate, and FISA fever now passes to the House.

If you’re one of the majority of Americans who believes the phone companies must be held accountable for their collusion with the NSA, now’s the time to take action and call your House member. Tell them to vote “no” on any bill that grants immunity to the telecoms and “no” to spying without a warrant. Stopping the awful Senate bill – which the House can do – is vital to protecting your constitutional right to make a phone call, send an email or search the Internet without the government monitoring your activity.