Posted by D. Cupples (photo from Senate) | About Telecom Amnesty (a.k.a., "retroactive immunity"), there is no "compromise." Either the telecom companies that broke the law -- in exchange for big money -- will be accountable to us taxpayers in court, or they won't.
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) seems averse to holding them accountable, or so she said last week on Bill Maher. McCaskill made the following highly questionable statement:
"I do think that those companies did act in good faith. And this narrow exception [Telecom Amnesty] I think is appropriate, because the heavy hand of government was around their neck, and I think we need to hold that heavy hand of government responsible." (YouTube)
First, did those companies really act in "good faith"? Evidence from one court case suggests otherwise. Telecom giant Qwest Communications was asked by Bush Administration officials to help the government engage in warrantless wiretapping. Qwest refused, because its lawyers had cautioned the company that what the Administration proposed was likely illegal. (Washington Post)
Is it likely that Qwest was the only telecom with high-priced lawyers waving warning flags? And is it likely that Administration officials didn't goad other reluctant telecoms with the promise of multi-million-dollar contracts?
Second, in January, one telecom company cut of the FBI's wiretapping services after the FBI was late paying its bills. (Reuters) Was that company motivated by national security or money?
Sen. McCaskill should reconsider her good-faith argument.
Another troubling aspect of her statement: her repeating the line "heavy hand of government." That's not efficient communication: it's the manipulative crafting of a slogan, which is exactly what the Bush Administration has been doing re: FISA (and Iraq and Iran and torture and executive privilege and, and, and...).
The FISA bill expired last week, because Senate Republicans and some Democrats (including McCaskill) insisted on giving retroactive immunity to telecoms. The House version of the bill did not include Telecom Amnesty.
President Bush has threatened to veto any FISA bill that doesn't include Telecom Amnesty. He also claims that our nation is in peril without the FISA bill. Apparently, protecting law-breaking telecoms is more important to Mr. Bush than our national security.
Perhaps that's why his approval ratings just slipped below 20% -- to the lowest of any U.S. president (at least since public-opinion polling became standard).
It's understandable that Mr. Bush wants Telecom Amnesty. If law-breaking telecoms can get hauled into court, their records can be subpoenaed -- records that
likely double as evidence of Bush Administration members' crimes.
If Telecom Amnesty passes, we taxpayer would just have to be satisfied with the vague
knowledge that corporate and government players likely did violate our
laws -- in ways that you and I would never get away with -- and that
the crimes were funded by our tax dollars.
While various congressional Dems have gotten together and debated the FISA bill since it expired, Republicans have refused -- compelling a group of Dems to release the following statement:
"In what should have been a bipartisan, bicameral meeting, staff members of the House and Senate Judiciary and Intelligence Committees met today to work in good faith to reach a compromise on FISA reform. As we have said, we are using this week to work on a compromise that strengthens our national security and protects Americans' privacy.
"Unfortunately, we understand our Republican counterparts instructed their staffs not to attend this working meeting, therefore not allowing progress to be made in a bipartisan, bicameral way. While we are disappointed that today's meeting could not reflect a bipartisan effort, we will continue to work and hope Republicans will join us to put our nation's security first." (House Judiciary Committee)
For more about Telecom Amnesty, see the posts linked below.
Related BN-Politics Posts:
* So, Let him Veto FISA (and "Protect Terrorists")
* Domestic Spying Started Before 9/11, and Money Changed Hands
* Industry-Connected Dems Push for Telecom Amnesty
* Domestic Spying & Telecom Amnesty: the Bigger Issues
* U.S. Intel Chief Made False Statements re: Domestic Spying.
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