This bill is certainly NOT a step in the right direction. FISA used to protect us from government spying but this bill allows the government to avoid FISA rules in the name of "security". The truth is that we are less secure with this bill.

Everyone keeps mentioning this quote: "Criticizing the NSA means you are a bad person who doesn’t care about the lives that were lost during the 9/11 attacks."

Thats the biggest load of shite I've heard all day.

As a former service member who was activated on 9/11 I believe it is our right and duty to criticize.

http://ivaw.org/member/jen-hogg

http://servicewomen.org/

and not "ha, ha" funny to be sure. You are right on the money, re. the whole "National Security" thing - but that is the beauty (for those who hold power) - the power to name and define things, actions and people is perhaps one of the greatest political powers that exists (in my opinion); this power to name and define things affords those persons a sense of legitimacy for their actions and often times this legitimacy is also connotated with some sort of morality as well. Remember, this is the same administration that rallied our nation to fight for saving "family values" from the clutches of, well, us of course...they got to define themselves as the party that embodied "family values - " but alas,I am preaching to the choir here.
Thanks for keeping this FISA issue open for dialogue - it may not be quite as popular today to be outraged at being told to choose between "National Security" or civil liberties, but I think civic minded, critical analysis of our government is the thing that can keeps us from another era of McCarthyism (or worse).
I would also add that I can criticize my government when I think it is failing to serve its' people and still be thankful that I happened to be fortunate enough to be born here in the U.S. I can appreciate the freedoms I have here in the U.S., keenly aware that people in other countries will never have in my lifetime, yet, I don't think that a sign of my gratitude should be to be silent when my government fails to be accountable to those they have sworn to serve.
Keep rockin' the blog, Ms. Cage.
Peace.

Dear Mr. President.....come take a walk with me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eDJ3cuXKV4

Peace

about a decade ago i climbed on a bus full of activists from seattle on their way to d.c. for a war resisters league conference and protest at the pentagon. the pentagon protest was to include a symbolic crossing of the barricades
civil disobedience action - so dressed as anarchist clowns and armed with a box of donuts to offer the cops after hopping the barricades, we proceeded to the site.

as we pulled into the parking lot the day of the protest, some clean cut shiny shoed fellows in cheesey tie-dyes came over, said they had come down from vermont for the protest. they proceeded to ask lots of odd questions and bad mouth the catholic worker vigil that was going on. to cut the story short, my protest partner and i realized right away they were spooks & warned the teenage gal who was traveling with us they were 'law enforcement' and not protesters - not to let them on the bus. she was sure we were wrong- why the hell would the government waste their time on us? we were simply being paranoid and full of ourselves.

having had fellows with shiny shoes follow me around, open my mail, give me my very own blacked out file, question my friends about my activities a few times in the past, it came as no surprise to have our suspicions confirmed later when the same fellows were standing in the police line pointing at people.

so... that was a longer than i intended lead in to why i no longer have a copy of Robert Justin Goldstien's book -
'Political Repression in Modern America From 1870 to 1976'
for easy reference - i gave it to the teenage gal who didn't realize that the government had always and still does make a practice of spying on those who 'make waves'.

so, a short historical list
alien and sedition acts of 1798
1917 - Espionage Act , Trading with the Enemies Act
Alien Act of 1918
Smith Alien Registration Act (1940)
COINTELPRO

these days, the available technology allows for much greater intrusion and violation and information control (propaganda). the modern day pinkerton army is blackwater - who now has started up an 'intelligence' division, which will no doubt be as unaccountable for their actions as the mercenary forces in iraq, or for that matter new orleans.

ah, as i said to someone last night, i hadn't responded to this yet because i knew i had too much to say and not enough time to condense it into a coherent form. don't like leaving comments longer than the original post, so i'll end this here. after this weekends shows perhaps i'll get around to ranting in my own blog.

Its strange that Bush and his cronies have tried so hard to exclude the third branch of government from balancing power but at the same time they have crammed the courts and Fed attys office with as many polical partisans as possible. Hooray for those Fed attys who would not just prosecute for political purposes and then were summarily fired. Hooray for Fed judges who have forced the Bushies to re-read the constitution with regard to the so called war prisoners. Too bad congress chose to surrender the 4th amendment rather than allowing the long tested system of checks and balances to play itself out with regard to domestic spying. I still put my faith in the courts, and in the vision of balancing the corruption of absolute power. As for WAR, it should be a four letter word and one's mouth should be washed out with soap for its utterance. ATK

im happy to someones addressing the issue. I'm so furious over the issue that i cant even find the words to rant. Yet Im more furious over the fact that no one seems to care or to be doing anything about it.
The other day i caught msnbc'c countdown with keith olbermann in which they had a guest speaker speaking on the issue. If you didnt catch it, i highly suggest you watch it: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/

look for the previously viewed and click on july 8th, its #4

Uncle George is doing his damnedest to control the field before the game ends. Somebody please shake the umpire out of befuddled sleep!

:(
Taem?

I told a colleague I was more afraid of what Bush would do than another terrorist attack. I had no idea how far he would go and how badly the democrats would crumble.

Your friend,
Rusty

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“People deserve the government they get, and they deserve to get it good and hard.” ~ H.L. Mencken