Actually they will be briefing George:

"Hello George, we are judges we represent the third branch of government, the judicial branch is the ultimate authority of what is legal or not in thsi country, not the attorney general who is just beurocrat.

So we hear you think getting our okay is a bit of a pain so you decided to skip that little part of federal law. We're wondering that you may have just turned us into sideshow monkeys. Unlike you George we don't like just sitting around for show."

Judges on Surveillance Court To Be Briefed on Spy Program

The presiding judge of a secret court that oversees government surveillance in espionage and terrorism cases is arranging a classified briefing for her fellow judges to address their concerns about the legality of President Bush's domestic spying program, according to several intelligence and government sources.

Several members of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court said in interviews that they want to know why the administration believed secretly listening in on telephone calls and reading e-mails of U.S. citizens without court authorization was legal. Some of the judges said they are particularly concerned that information gleaned from the president's eavesdropping program may have been improperly used to gain authorized wiretaps from their court.
...
The judges could, depending on their level of satisfaction with the answers, demand that the Justice Department produce proof that previous wiretaps were not tainted, according to government officials knowledgeable about the FISA court. Warrants obtained through secret surveillance could be thrown into question. One judge, speaking on the condition of anonymity, also said members could suggest disbanding the court in light of the president's suggestion that he has the power to bypass the court.

- rob 4:21 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Q: So how long have you been going to these protests?
A: Oh, ever since I joined the force...er... college, yeah since college, hey where ya going?

Police Infilitrate Protests, Videotapes Show

Undercover New York City police officers have conducted covert surveillance in the last 16 months of people protesting the Iraq war, bicycle riders taking part in mass rallies and even mourners at a street vigil for a cyclist killed in an accident, a series of videotapes show.

Watch out for those cyclists, they're planning on flying an inner tube into the port authority.

- rob 4:09 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Found on the internets

- rob 3:24 PM - [PermaLink] -

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That exciting new show for 2006? The I word

Spying, the Constitution -- and the 'I-word' - Howard Fineman - MSNBC.com

and

Washington Post - Froomkin: Return of the 'I-Word'

Sorry Bush, this time the 'I-word' isn't 'illegitimate' or 'ignoramus'

- rob 5:33 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Well you know what Republicans say "If Clinton did it then it is okay" well gee isn't that interesting.

Well you better just reach for a cigar George because that dog don't hunt (what the hell does that mean?)

Think Progress - Fact Check: Clinton/Carter Executive Orders Did Not Authorize Warrantless Searches of Americans

The top of the Drudge Report claims “CLINTON EXECUTIVE ORDER: SECRET SEARCH ON AMERICANS WITHOUT COURT ORDER…” It’s not true.

Think Progress did the research and presents it clearly so reward them by reading all about it.

They have more fact checking with - The Echelon Myth

But Think Progess isn't the only one noting the right is countering the revelation that Bush hates our freedoms with disinformation (you know, lies). One of the Jeresey Girls also brings up the truth and blows away Bush's excuse for ignoring our nation's checks and balances.

The King's Red Herring

Recently, President Bush has admitted to carrying out surveillance on U.S. citizens in the interest of national security. He unabashedly admits to doing it. He offers no apologies. With his bellicose swagger, he once again uses 9/11 as his justification for breaking our constitutional laws. The President's justification of 9/11 to carry out such surveillance begs a closer examination. President Bush should be stopped in his tracks with regard to his use of 9/11 scare tactics to circumvent constitutional laws that are meant to protect U.S. citizens. His justification for doing so -- the inability to conduct surveillance on the 9/11 hijackers -- is a red herring. History will bear out the truth -- our intelligence agencies held a treasure trove of intelligence on the 9/11 hijackers, intelligence that was gathered through their initially unencumbered surveillance. President Bush should busy himself by investigating why that information was then stymied and not capitalized upon to stop the 9/11 attacks.

Kristen Breitweiser is eloquent and well researched, more so then the majority of political reporters and the NY Times or the Washington Post. Her statement before the Join Intelligence Committee and her friend, Mindy Kleinberg's statement before the National Commission of Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (the 9/11 Commission) are more informative about the events of 9/11 then 99% of the stuff the media has put out.

Also on the ball are the bloggers of Daily Kos: Rockefeller and Pelosi COULDN'T Release Their Letters

This morning on NPR I heard GOP Representative Peter Hokestra claim that if Senator Rockefeller was really concerned about the domestic spying program revealed last week by the NYT, then he could have done more than write a letter.
...
Rockefeller could have publicized the existence and actions of the program, but if he or any of the other members of Congress briefed on the program went public with their opposition, they would have been breaking the law. To fail to acknowledge that anyone briefed on this program essentially had no way to oppose or publicize the existence of the program without breaking the law is bullshit.

And Think Progess blows away another excuse: The 2002 Appeals Court Myth

The funnel cloud over DC - its from the GOP spinning.

- rob 5:28 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Remember when people put their belief in our country's principles before their party or their own careers.

James Robertson does. Its good to hear people like Mr. Robertson still exist in Washington.

Spy Court Judge Quits In Protest

A federal judge has resigned from the court that oversees government surveillance in intelligence cases in protest of President Bush's secret authorization of a domestic spying program, according to two sources.

- rob 4:46 PM - [PermaLink] -

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You better not shout
You better not pout
You better not check out books that are naughty
or on a black list
Big Brother is checking its files

Agents' visit chills UMass Dartmouth senior: 12/ 17/ 2005

NEW BEDFORD -- A senior at UMass Dartmouth was visited by federal agents two months ago, after he requested a copy of Mao Tse-Tung's tome on Communism called "The Little Red Book."
Two history professors at UMass Dartmouth, Brian Glyn Williams and Robert Pontbriand, said the student told them he requested the book through the UMass Dartmouth library's interlibrary loan program.
The student, who was completing a research paper on Communism for Professor Pontbriand's class on fascism and totalitarianism, filled out a form for the request, leaving his name, address, phone number and Social Security number. He was later visited at his parents' home in New Bedford by two agents of the Department of Homeland Security, the professors said.

UPDATE: As Edoc notes in the comments - this is a HOAX! (alas it was too easy to believe in this day and age - see the last part of this post.)

Federal agents' visit was a hoax

NEW BEDFORD -- The UMass Dartmouth student who claimed to have been visited by Homeland Security agents over his request for "The Little Red Book" by Mao Zedong has admitted to making up the entire story.

The 22-year-old student tearfully admitted he made the story up to his history professor, Dr. Brian Glyn Williams, and his parents, after being confronted with the inconsistencies in his account.

Had the student stuck to his original story, it might never have been proved false.

The government knows when you've been sleeping
They know when you're awake
The government knows when your not loyal
so be loyal for goodness sake

Spying Program Snared U.S. Calls

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 - A surveillance program approved by President Bush to conduct eavesdropping without warrants has captured what are purely domestic communications in some cases, despite a requirement by the White House that one end of the intercepted conversations take place on foreign soil, officials say.

- rob 4:44 PM - [PermaLink] -

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We may soon Know Jack

And DeLay, et al will know fear

Lobbyist Is Said to Discuss Plea and Testimony

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 - Jack Abramoff, the Republican lobbyist under criminal investigation, has been discussing with prosecutors a deal that would grant him a reduced sentence in exchange for testimony against former political and business associates, people with detailed knowledge of the case say.

Mr. Abramoff is believed to have extensive knowledge of what prosecutors suspect is a wider pattern of corruption among lawmakers and Congressional staff members. One participant in the case who insisted on anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations described him as a "unique resource."

All I want for Christmas is the corrupt to be exposed, for the power hungry to be dethroned, for war criminals to be jailed, and the new Serenity DVD (despite the world's worst cover).

- rob 4:26 PM - [PermaLink] -

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"If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier...just as long as I'm the dictator. "
-- George W. Bush (During his first trip to Washington as President-Elect, Washington, DC, Dec 18, 2000)

Bush always wants the easy way out:

Bush's NSA director Michael Hayden: We didn't seek retroactive warrants because it involved "paperwork"

- rob 10:31 AM - [PermaLink] -

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Believe it or not - from The Washington Times

. . . unlimited?

According to President George W. Bush, being president in wartime means never having to concede co-equal branches of government have a role when it comes to hidden encroachments on civil liberties.
...
President Bush presents a clear and present danger to the rule of law. He cannot be trusted to conduct the war against global terrorism with a decent respect for civil liberties and checks against executive abuses.

- rob 10:23 AM - [PermaLink] -

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To quote an ad campaign for V for Vendetta (which was an excellent graphic novel - still withholding judgment on the movie):

People should not be afraid of their governments, governments should be afraid of their people.

As radical as that sounds that is a pretty good summation of the feelings the founders had for government.

So here it is... more quotes:


"A government is like fire, a handy servant, but a dangerous master."
- George Washington

And


"Power may be justly compared to a great river; while kept within its bounds it is both beautiful and useful, but when it overflows its banks, it is then too impetuous to be stemmed; it bears down all before it, and brings destruction and desolation wherever it goes."
- Alexander Hamilton

This is not overstating the severity of what Bush has done. He is on that road. The fire is no longer under the control of the citizens, the great river has begun to overflow its banks. The constitution is the levy that keeps the President in check. Bush has broken the levy. (and I've just written an awful paragraph).

- rob 10:22 AM - [PermaLink] -

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One for the monkeys!!

Court rejects 'intelligent design' in class

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (AP) -- "Intelligent design" cannot be mentioned in biology classes in a Pennsylvania public school district, a federal judge said Tuesday, ruling in one of the biggest courtroom clashes on evolution since the 1925 Scopes trial.

But one wonders, are they allowed to teach incompetent design?

Wise cites serious flaws in the systems of the human body as evidence that design in the universe exhibits not an obvious source of, but a sore lack of, intelligence.
...
No self-respecting engineering student would make the kinds of dumb mistakes that are built into us.
All of our pelvises slope forward for convenient knuckle-dragging, like all the other great apes. And the only reason you stand erect is because of this incredible sharp bend at the base of your spine, which is either evolution's way of modifying something or else it's just a design that would flunk a first-year engineering student.
Look at the teeth in your mouth. Basically, most of us have too many teeth for the size of our mouth. Well, is this evolution flattening a mammalian muzzle and jamming it into a face or is it a design that couldn't count accurately above 20?
Look at the bones in your face. They're the same as the other mammals' but they're just squashed and contorted by jamming the jaw into a face with your brain expanding over it, so the potential drainage system in there is so convoluted that no plumber would admit to having done it!

- rob 4:15 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Enough of Bush - let's talk about other ways this century could suck.

Most of Arctic's Near-Surface Permafrost may Thaw by 2100

BOULDER—Global warming may decimate the top 10 feet (3 meters) or more of perennially frozen soil across the Northern Hemisphere, altering ecosystems as well as damaging buildings and roads across Canada, Alaska, and Russia. New simulations from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) show that over half of the area covered by this topmost layer of permafrost could thaw by 2050 and as much as 90 percent by 2100. Scientists expect the thawing to increase runoff to the Arctic Ocean and release vast amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.

- rob 4:11 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Bush's Snoopgate
The president was so desperate to kill The New York Times’ eavesdropping story, he summoned the paper’s editor and publisher to the Oval Office. But it wasn’t just out of concern about national security.

Dec. 19, 2005 - Finally we have a Washington scandal that goes beyond sex, corruption and political intrigue to big issues like security versus liberty and the reasonable bounds of presidential power. President Bush came out swinging on Snoopgate—he made it seem as if those who didn’t agree with him wanted to leave us vulnerable to Al Qaeda—but it will not work. We’re seeing clearly now that Bush thought 9/11 gave him license to act like a dictator, or in his own mind, no doubt, like Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War.

wow

- rob 4:10 PM - [PermaLink] -

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What a censure motion (and it isn't even Christmas yet - no is it over domestic spying)

Censure motion introduced in House over Iraq, torture

Ranking House Judiciary Democrat Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) has introduced a motion to censure President Bush and Vice President Cheney for providing misleading information to Congress in advance of the Iraq war, failing to respond to written questions and potential violations of international law, RAW STORY has learned.

- rob 3:52 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Concerned that the President considers his oath of office null and void?

Don't just sit there! At least sign a petition - which you actually can do sitting down, so if you want you can just sit there.

Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter: Demand Hearings for Domestic Spying

Last week, we learned from the New York Times that President George W. Bush signed a presidential order in 2002 allowing the National Security Agency to spy on US citizens without court-approved warrants.

Our law forbids warrant less surveillance of American citizens, and it provides the Government with a set of procedures to follow in emergency situations, when federal agents do not have enough time to get a warrant. (Foreign Intelligence Service Act, 50 U.S.C. Chapter 36, Subchapter I) If the Times report is correct, the Bush government may have acted illegally by not following these procedures.
...
We the undersigned urge Congressman James Sensenbrenner Jr., Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Congressman Peter Hoekstra, Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, to hold hearings demanding answers on BushÂ?s domestic spying.

Here's a different angle. It's not a petition its a Freedom of Information Act Request:

Make Your Freedom of Information Act Request

Security Agency to conduct surveillance on American citizens without the consent of any court. After initially refusing to confirm the story, the President has admitted to personally overseeing this domestic spying program for years.

These actions are explicitly against the law. But the administration says that other laws somehow allow for this unprecedented use of a foreign intelligence agency to spy on Americans right here in the United States. According to reports, political appointees in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel wrote still-classified legal opinions laying out the supposed justification for this program.

Governor Howard Dean is filing a formal demand that they release these documents. You can add your name to a Freedom of Information Act request by providing the information below.

Worried that if you sign the petition you'll be added to the list of folks George wants to spy on, let me put you at ease: He probably will.

But then again if you are Catholic, a gone over the deep end animal activist, or environmental crusader, they're already spying on you (we already discussed them spying on those dangerous Quaker folks).

F.B.I. Watched Activist Groups, New Files Show

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 - Counterterrorism agents at the Federal Bureau of Investigation have conducted numerous surveillance and intelligence-gathering operations that involved, at least indirectly, groups active in causes as diverse as the environment, animal cruelty and poverty relief, newly disclosed agency records show.

Yes of course that is true it makes sense, why if poverty was lessoned then the terrorist would... um.. the terrorist would.... hmm, the terrorists would have a smaller pool from which to recruit - never mind.

One F.B.I. document indicates that agents in Indianapolis planned to conduct surveillance as part of a "Vegan Community Project." Another document talks of the Catholic Workers group's "semi-communistic ideology." A third indicates the bureau's interest in determining the location of a protest over llama fur planned by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

The documents, provided to The New York Times over the past week, came as part of a series of Freedom of Information Act lawsuits brought by the American Civil Liberties Union. For more than a year, the A.C.L.U. has been seeking access to information in F.B.I. files on about 150 protest and social groups that it says may have been improperly monitored.

I'll tell you the real threat - those folks might have voted for Kerry, and as Cheney has pointed out voting for the wrong guy would allow the terrorists to nuke us - so spying on them, and any other non-Bush supporter is best for America, don't cha think?

Ohh - and if you're a gay activist you're probably working for the Muslim extremists too. Because Muslim just get along famously with gays.

Pentagon anti-terror investigators labeled gay law school groups a "credible threat" of terrorism

It isn't about fighting the war on terror it is about fighting those who may not support Bush. It is a power grab. It is the most unAmerican and unpatriotic thing a President can do.

- rob 2:42 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Poll: Iraq speeches, election don't help Bush

Or maybe incompetence, power grabbing, and corruption don't help Bush.

- rob 2:25 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Walking by a conservative "think tank" they cry could be heard:

Op-Eds for Sale
Op-Eds for Sale
Getcha Op-Eds here, red hot
What a tax cut?
Want a new law
We'll agree for a tiny fee
We have no pride so don't fear
Getcha red hot Op-Eds right here

Op-Eds for Sale

A senior fellow at the Cato Institute resigned from the libertarian think tank on Dec. 15 after admitting that he had accepted payments from indicted Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff for writing op-ed articles favorable to the positions of some of Abramoff's clients.

Opps... sorry should have put that below as part of the You Don't Know Jack post.

- rob 2:23 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Thursday, February 6, 2003 - NY Post Front page
PROOF: How Saddam hides terror weapons
Powell makes case for war

December 14, 2005: Think Progress - Caught on Tape: Bush Admits WMD Were Irrelevant

- rob 2:20 PM - [PermaLink] -

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In all the rucus about Bush forgetting about that "swearing to uphold the constitution" bit, we've forgot to post about yet another glaring lie from Bush not withstanding any light being shown at it.

Report: Bush Had More Prewar Intelligence Than Congress

A congressional report made public yesterday concluded that President Bush and his inner circle had access to more intelligence and reviewed more sensitive material than what was shared with Congress when it gave Bush the authority to wage war against Iraq.

Democrats said the 14-page report contradicts Bush's contention that lawmakers saw all the evidence before U.S. troops invaded in March 2003, stating that the president and a small number of advisers "have access to a far greater volume of intelligence and to more sensitive intelligence information."

I guess it depends on what definition of "same" you are using.

Here's the report.

- rob 2:10 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Today's update on "You don't know Jack"

Abramoff charity's claims disputed
Groups listed as beneficiaries of more than $330,000 in gifts say they never got them

Capital Athletic Foundation, a charity run by disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff now at the center of an influence-peddling investigation on Capitol Hill, told the IRS it gave away more than $330,000 in grants in 2002 to four other charities that say they never received the money.

The largest grant the foundation listed in its 2002 tax filing was for $300,000 to P'TACH of New York, a nonprofit that helps Jewish children with learning disabilities.

"We've never received a $300,000 gift, not in our 28 years," a surprised Rabbi Burton Jaffa, P'TACH's national director, told the Austin American-States- man. "It would have been gone by now. I guess I would have been able to pay some teachers on time."

Guess Jack didn't give at the office either.

- rob 2:07 PM - [PermaLink] -

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From Atrios/ Eschaton:

Boxer Asks Presidential Scholars About Former White House Counsel's Statement that Bush Admitted to an 'Impeachable Offense'

December 19, 2005

Washington, D.C.– U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today asked four presidential scholars for their opinion on former White House Counsel John Dean’s statement that President Bush admitted to an “impeachable offense” when he said he authorized the National Security Agency to spy on Americans without getting a warrant from a judge.

- rob 6:20 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Well here's an itty bit of good news on the freedom for Americans front:

THE BRAD BLOG: "BREAKING: Volusia County, FL Dumps Diebold Too!"

This just in...After various protracted legal battles (funded by the National Federation for the Blind, which had received a $1 million "donation" from Diebold previously) and along with the news out of Leon County, Florida, Volusia County has now come to their senses and also decided to dump Diebold voting machines!

- rob 6:18 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Isn't it interesting that corruption, incompetence, and attacks against our freedoms seem to go hand in hand?

So for the corruption update: -Criminal probes entangle numerous fund-raisers-
8 Pioneers and Rangers face wide range of allegations

Federal and state authorities are investigating the Bush Pioneers and Rangers, individuals who raised at least $100,000 or $200,000 for President Bush's re-election, for bribery, money laundering, stock manipulation, and extortion.
...
In Ohio, investigators have dug into the finances of two Bush Pioneers - Mr. Noe and Larry Householder, the former speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, who is under grand jury scrutiny for the alleged skimming of campaign funds.

Mr. Noe was indicted in October by a federal grand jury in Toledo on charges of laundering donations to Mr. Bush's re-election campaign. State officials have accused the former Toledo-area coin dealer of stealing $4 million from the rare-coin investment he managed for the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation.
...
On Thursday, a federal jury found James Tobin, a Maine political consultant, guilty of jamming the Democrats' phone lines in New Hampshire three years ago. He could serve five years in jail and pay a $250,000 fine.

and there is so much more.

Meanwhile back to Jack:

Burns helped Indian school plan; tribes gave $75K

HELENA - U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns first pushed for a tribal school construction program sought by lobbyist Jack Abramoff's clients within two months of receiving $75,000 in campaign donations from the indicted lobbyist's tribal clients in 2002.

- rob 6:17 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Surprisingly the loss of liberty and the obvious breaking of law by the President has actually received negative editorials from our nation's newspapers.

First from the NY Times (who know about this for a year): This Call May Be Monitored ... - New York Times

The laws and executive orders governing electronic eavesdropping by the intelligence agency were specifically devised to uphold the Fourth Amendment's prohibition of unreasonable searches and seizures.

But Mr. Bush secretly decided that he was going to allow the agency to spy on American citizens without obtaining a warrant - just as he had earlier decided to scrap the Geneva Conventions, American law and Army regulations when it came to handling prisoners in the war on terror. Indeed, the same Justice Department lawyer, John Yoo, who helped write the twisted memo on legalizing torture, wrote briefs supporting the idea that the president could ignore the law once again when it came to the intelligence agency's eavesdropping on telephone calls and e-mail messages.

"The government may be justified in taking measures which in less troubled conditions could be seen as infringements of individual liberties," he wrote.

Okay, I know we hit you regulars over the head with these but I think it is appropriate.


"The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the instrument of tyranny at home."
- James Madison

And you saw this one coming a mile away:


"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty or Safety."
- Benjamin Franklin

Now back to the editorial anger:

From the Washington Post: Spying on Americans

The tools of foreign intelligence are not consistent with a democratic society. Americans interact with their own government through the enforcement of law. And in those limited instances in which Americans become intelligence targets, FISA exists to make sure that the agencies are not targeting people for improper reasons but have sufficient evidence that Americans are actually operating as foreign agents. Warrantless intelligence surveillance by an executive branch unaccountable to any judicial officer -- and apparently on a large scale -- is gravely dangerous.

Why the administration even deems it necessary remains opaque. Mr. Bush said yesterday said that the program helped address the problem of "terrorists inside the United States . . . communicating with terrorists abroad." Intelligence officials, the Times reported, grew concerned that going to the FISA court was too cumbersome for the volume of cases cropping up all at once as major al Qaeda figures -- and their computers and files -- were captured. But FISA has a number of emergency procedures for exigent circumstances. If these were somehow inadequate, why did the administration not go to Congress and seek adjustments to the law, rather than contriving to defy it? And why in any event should the NSA -- rather than the FBI, the intelligence component responsible for domestic matters -- be doing whatever domestic surveillance needs be done?

Or to put it really bluntly:

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Editorial: Big Brother Bush / The president took a step toward a police state

- rob 6:11 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Well the big story this past few days has been that President George has assended to the role of King George.

No longer does he need the Patriot Act renewed, because he can just do what he wants. Why? Because we are at war. A war that won't end (Terror will always be there). So he can have the powers as long as he wants. Convient for him.

For us we get to watch as what made America - freedom and law working hand in hand - is being destroyed with the excuse that it is for our own good (we're safe).

I could grant that spying on some people could help us find terrorists and save lives. But if saving lives is then end all and be all of our government, why ever release a prisoner from jail? That'd save lives. Why not make the driving limit 40 miles per hour? That'd save lives. Why not have every gun owner submit to psychiatric testing? That'd save lives. Why not have every house randomly searched for guns and drugs? That'd save lives. Freedom does have a price.

But you know what, Bush could already spy on folks. He even could do it without a warrent if there was an emergency he could just get the warrant retoractively.

His excuses don't make sense. Either he is so lazy he can't be bothered to obey the law or he know that what he was doing would never be approved (and this by a group that basically always approves).

Anyway, I've been way behind on this story, so here's some things you might find interesting:

Bush Defends Eavesdropping Program
Congress 'Authorized' Domestic Surveillance in Iraq War Resolution, Says President, Attorney General

"The president does not have a leg to stand on legally with regard to this program," said Sen. Russell D. Feingold (D-Wis.). He added, "I think it's one of the weakest legal arguments I've heard that this [Afghanistan] war resolution somehow undid the basic laws of wiretapping in the United States."

If Bush feels the FISA law needs to be changed, "he should come to us and we should debate it," Feingold said. Meanwhile, Bush should respect the FISA court and "cease doing anything else he might be doing for which there is not legal authority that we don't know about," he said. "He is the president, not a king."

Here's a great Talking Points Memo post pointing out that not only FISA warrents can be received retroactively, but that in 2003 it didn't reject any applications and in 2004 it rejected only 4. So the only reason that makes sense for Bush not requesting a warrent was that the searches were beyond any possible need and that they would be rejected. Al Gore do you hear a click when you answer the phone?

Nancy Pelosi is asking for an investigation:

Yesterday, several of my colleagues and I sent a letter to Speaker Hastert requesting that he immediately take steps to conduct hearings on the scope of Presidential power in the area of electronic surveillance, and that the Speaker and I jointly appoint a panel of outside legal experts to assist the committees involved in those hearings. I have attached this letter for your information.

I have also been advised by Congresswoman Jane Harman, Ranking Democrat on House Intelligence Committee, that the Bush Administration reversed its decision to brief the full House Intelligence Committee on the details of the activities to which the President referred in his radio address.

Senator Russ Feingold Responds to the President's Radio Address

"Yesterday morning, Republican and Democratic Senators blocked a flawed bill that extended parts of the Patriot Act that are set to expire without fixing the fundamental problems with the law. Nobody wants these parts of the Patriot Act to expire -- we want to fix them before making them permanent, by including important protections for the rights and freedoms of innocent American citizens.
...
The President's shocking admission that he authorized the National Security Agency to spy on American citizens, without going to a court and in violation of the Constitution and laws passed by Congress, further demonstrates the urgent need for these protections. The President believes that he has the power to override the laws that Congress has passed. This is not how our democratic system of government works. The President does not get to pick and choose which laws he wants to follow. He is a president, not a king.

On behalf of all Americans who believe in our constitutional system of government, I call on this Administration to stop this program immediately and to fully cooperate with congressional inquiries and investigations. We have had enough of an Administration that puts itself above the law and the Constitution."

Someone at DKos wanted to post a little reminder for folks: SCOTUS 1972: Prez May NOT Authorize Warrantless Surveillance

- rob 6:00 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Bush's "Need for Speed" Argument Clashes with the Truth
It's quite amazing to see the most pre-eminent public official in the world be so wrong, and contort into the most outlandish, deflective posturing. For example, Bush asserted today that expediency was the rationale for circumventing the normal FISA warrant approval process. And that this action is legally within his authority!! And-- furthermore-- the wiretaps will continue!!! Bush keeps serving up figments of his bizzaro-world, one course after another. He's positively delusional in the most convincing and creepy way.
And so we turn over to the Huffington Post, where David Sirota dismantles this wildly absurd bluster from Bush, and hints at possible motives for skipping the constitutionally mandated processes.

"How could he possibly cite the need for speed as the reason for refusing to get search warrants, when those warrants can be issued retroactively, and thus do not slow down operations in any way at all?

There really is only one explanation that a sane, rational person could come up with: The surveillance operations Bush is ordering are so outrageous, so unrelated to the War on Terror and such an unconstitutional breach of authority that he knows that even a court that has rejected just 4 warrant requests in 25 years will reject what he's doing."

Someone put the poor-fool Bush out of his misery. And do it quickly. His administration has been a spectacle of global proportion, and it's spiraling out of control.

- Edoc 2:54 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Yes I realize that there is a treasure trove of stuff to post.

Hopefully I will get to it this afternoon.

- rob 1:19 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Top New Year Resolutions for 2006
Here's an initial draft of my list, in order of importance:

1. Restore Democrat control to the US House of Representatives
2. Impeach George Bush
3. Impeach Dick Cheney
4. Support charges in International Court for war crimes against members of Bush administration
5. See Albert Gonzales and John Yoo disbarred

Any others you'd like to contribute?

- Edoc 10:09 AM - [PermaLink] -

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This is a "team" blog.  We are a bunch of Americans, whose rising distress in our leader's decisions brought us together to make this site.  As Bush said, he's a "uniter."  Many of us have never even met.
That's the internet for you.

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Sites we often like:

Tin Foil Caps

The Free Speech Zone

The office of the independent blogger

Buzzflash

Tom The Dancing Bug

VerifiedVoting.org

Get Your War On

This Modern World

Eschaton / Atrios

Daily Kos

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Some More Site Mottos

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American people."
- Teddy Roosevelt



"Government has a final responsibility for the well-being of its citizenship. If private cooperative endeavor fails to provide work for willing hands and relief for the unfortunate, those suffering hardship from no fault of their own have a right to call upon the Government for aid; and a government worthy of its name must make fitting response."
 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt



"I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and Constitutions, but laws must and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors."
- Thomas Jefferson



"The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home."

"All men having power ought to be distrusted to a certain degree."
- James Madison



"I believe in human dignity as the source of national purpose, in human liberty as the source of national action, in the human heart as the source of national compassion, and in the human mind as the source of our invention and our ideas. It is, I believe, the faith in our fellow citizens as individuals and as people that lies at the heart of the liberal faith. For liberalism is not so much a party creed or set of fixed platform promises as it is an attitude of mind and heart, a faith in man's ability through the experiences of his reason and judgment to increase for himself and his fellow men the amount of justice and freedom and brotherhood which all human life deserves."
- John F. Kennedy



"Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are [a] few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower

More Sites we often like:

more coming...

"There's nothing wrong with America that can't be fixed by what's right with America." - Bill Clinton.