Not Necessarily the News May be the Best News
Below is the video that makes fun of the Democrats who refused to give retroactive immunity to the telecoms who violated all our civil rights by allowing the National Security Agency (NSA) access to customer voice and data packets, including e-mail and text messages.
Telecoms helped the government spy on American citizens, like you and me, without probable cause or a court order.
Background
Telco Spying Accusations Widen
Babak Pasdar, a computer security consultant, claims in a Feb. 28 seven-page affidavit that the carrier granted the government an open gateway known as the "Quantico circuit" to customer voice and data packets, including e-mail and text messages. Quantico, Va., is the home of a U.S. Marine Corp base and the headquarters of the FBI's electronic surveillance operations.Pasdar's claims support disclosures made by former AT&T technician Mark Klein, the key witness in the Electronic Frontier Foundation's class-action lawsuit against the telecommunications company, which alleges that AT&T cooperated in an illegal National Security Agency domestic surveillance program.
Wider Spying Fuels Aid Plan for Telecom Industry - New York Times
The same lawsuit accuses Verizon of setting up a dedicated fiber optic line from New Jersey to Quantico, Va., home to a large military base, allowing government officials to gain access to all communications flowing through the carrier’s operations center.What is Congress Doing?
Last fall, the House passed the RESTORE Act, a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) reform bill that would increase oversight of domestic surveillance and deny retroactive immunity to the telecom companies. However, in February the Senate passed wiretapping reform legislation that gives telecoms like Verizon and AT&T retroactive immunity.
Due to differences in the two bills, leaders of the House and the Senate, in a conference committee, will decide what legislation both bodies will put forward for the President to sign. President Bush has said he will veto any bill that does not include the retroactive immunity clause.
What Should We Do?
Take Action: Tell the House: Strip Retroactive Immunity from FISA Legislation
We need the Democratic leadership in the House to push hard to ensure that the conference committee produces good legislation, with no retroactive immunity.
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