Fashion and FISA

Call this a strange juxtaposition, but both fashion and FISA are on my mind right now.

Fashion: I recently subscribed to Vanity Fair for its great articles. I’ve become fascinated by the ads, which take up three-quarters of the magazine. Last night I came across this one in the March issue. It’s a Balenciaga, a fashion house started by Christobal Balenciaga in 1914. I’m definitely not up on fashion if this outfit is the latest thing.

FISA: Maybe the reason I’m so hopelessly out of fashion is that I care way more about what’s happening to this country. For those of you (whether you dress in the latest fashions or not) who want to know more about the consequences of the Protect America Act lapsing today and Bush’s dire warnings that this could result in a terrorist attack worse than 9/11, read Glenn Greenwald’s February 14th post, "FISA 101" (click "Enter Salon" at the top right of the ad after a few seconds).

(photo: Vanity Fair)

Action Alert: Call your Congressional representatives TODAY to stop passage of the warrantless eavesdropping law

This morning I received the People's E-mail Network urgent message to contact my representatives TODAY to stop passage of the “Protect America Act.”

From PEN: Please AGAIN call all your members of Congress, toll free at 800-828-0498, 800-614-2803 or 866-340-9281, and submit the No Immunity of Any Kind Action Page to back that up with an email message. 1) Tell them NO immunity and YES to making FISA the exclusive means or surveillance.

Here are my FAQs:

Question: Why shouldn’t the telephone companies be granted immunity if they acted in “good faith” by turning over all our phone and e-mail records to the government when asked?

Answer: “Good faith” is not a sufficient defense to violating laws. None of us could get away with it.

On January 17th, Glenn Greenwald posted ""Lawbreaking telecoms still conniving to obtain immunity from Congress." Excerpts: “Manifestly, retroactive immunity is something available only to the largest, lobbyist-using corporations, and is not something that ordinary Americans would ever even get a hearing on. ....

“...[I]mmunity would be a complete evisceration of the rule of law, bizarrely protecting telecoms from the consequences of their lawbreaking and putting an end to any real hope for investigating and obtaining accountability for years of illegal spying on Americans by the Bush administration. When you put all of that together, telecom immunity embodies every form of lawlessness and corruption which are destroying our political culture….

“In fact, the ability of the rich and well-connected to obtain immunity from lawbreaking is one of the hallmarks of corrupt oligarchy, one of the surest signs of the breakdown of basic justice.”

Question: Isn’t our safety from terrorist attacks threatened if the “Protect America Act” isn’t extended?

Answer: No. The FISA bill that the Protect America Act would replace is still in place. It allows for emergency (warrantless) electronic surveillance when the Attorney General determines that it’s necessary. Then, within 72 hours of the AG’s authorization, he/she must obtain a judicial order issued by the FISA court. That’s our protection, folks.

(Cartoon: Image Shack)

Senator Russ Feingold on warrantless wiretapping

The Protect America Act, which would give the telecoms immunity for illegally providing our private communications to the government and would allow continued warrantless wiretapping, will be voted by the Senate sometime within the next fifteen days. The House has voted to extend the vote for 15 days, and it appears that the Senate and Bush are in agreement with the extension.

Please watch this 30 second video clip:

If you found Feingold's comments as compelling as I did, go to The Democratic Activist to learn what you can do to stop the surveillance of our phone calls and e-mails without a warrant.

Tomorrow is the big day - telecom amnesty and warrantless eavesdropping will be voted on by the Senate

The Senate is voting tomorrow on the controversial Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). On January 26th, Glenn Greenwald, who blogs for Salon.com, posted about the upcoming vote, "More disruptions to the Cheney/Rockefeller plan" (an ad will pop up, wait a few seconds, then go the link at the right top of the ad, “Enter Salon.” to read Greenwald’s post).

Today I worked with my friend, Chris Borland, who blogs at The Democratic Activist, to alert citizens to tell their senators to vote NO to telecom amnesty and warrantless eavesdropping.

Chris I are also concerned about Net Neutrality, so Chris’s action alert also includes how to take action to protect our access to the Net.

I included the following information in my e-mail:

1. Tell the Senate: NO IMMUNITY for Bush and His Telecom Buddies

2. Net Neutrality Ninjas Needed NOW!

I believe that our ability to communicate with one another via the Internet (e-mails, blogs, alerts from organizations like Democrats.com will be severely compromised if:

1. Congress gives the telecom giants immunity for illegally providing our private communications to the Bush Administration (how free will we feel to take positions in opposition to what your government is doing?); and

2. The Internet becomes privatized, with those who can pay given preferential treatment over those of us who have limited incomes and rely on a free Internet. Citizens’ interests will be sacrificed to corporate interests, which already control the mainstream media.

As you know, I count on the Net to be involved in election integrity, impeachment, saving state parks, you name it. I feel so strongly about being able to continue doing this that I’m asking for your help.

Please go to Tell the Senate: NO IMMUNITY for Bush and His Telecom Buddies and Net Neutrality Ninjas Needed NOW!, get up to speed on what’s going on, and take action now. The Senate is voting on telecom immunity this Monday, the 26th. The deadline to file comments with the FCC regarding Net Neutrality is February 13th.

(Cartoon: Scranton Times)