The Final Travesty: Senate Guts FISA, Grants Telecom Immunity
Today, the United States Senate voted 69-28 in favor of HR6304 and capitulated to the White House, eviscerated the Fourth Amendment, weakened the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court’s ability to review surveillance of Americans, removed restraints on the uses of information vacuumed up in the process and gave an entire cadre of lawbreaking telecommunications companies a free pass on their activities. Beyond that, Congress decided that they were better equipped to decide Federal lawsuits than the courts (even though about 70 Senators have no idea what the programs being immunized even did).
“We’re considering granting immunity when roughly 70 members of the Senate still have not been briefed on the president’s wiretapping program,” he said. “The vast majority of this body still does not even know what we’re being asked to grant immunity for.” - Senator Russ Feingold 7/8/2008