Sunday, June 22, 2008

FISA And The Fourth Amendment

In an article entitled “Who Voted 'No' to Protecting National Security?” the conservative website Human Events had this to say:
Posted: 06/20/2008
HumanEvents.comIn an article entitled:

The following congressmen voted 'no' or did not vote on today's important FISA Amendment Act.

The only Republican to vote against the bill, Rep. Tim Johnson (Ill.), is listed in italics. HUMAN EVENTS spoke with Johnson's press secretary as to why Johnson voted against protecting our national security with the FISA Amendment Act. He responded that Rep. Johnson "feels he voted that way in protection of our civil liberties…the powers that Department of Justice and other law enforcement officials need already exist. That system is working quite effectively."

My headline would have read:

Who Voted 'No' to Crushing Our 4th Amendment Rights:

(Link to 4th Amendment: http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data/constitution/amendment04/ )


This newer version of the FISA amendment is the bill that gives amnesty to the telecoms that enabled the Bush administration to eavesdrop on American citizens without a court order under the prior version of this act (even though the administration had up to 3 days to get a court order from a secret court that had been specifically set-up to handle this program) after the wiretapping had already commenced. That the telecoms never asked for or demanded the court orders on the 4th day or later is, at the least, a criminal act).

By passing this new version, those that voted yes to this amnesty for the telecoms also voted to give themselves amnesty for going along with the first FISA Amendment and its’ assault on the 4th amendment.

I’m sure each of the following representatives want to get the bad guys too, but it can be done without our changing what WE stand for as Americans.

Voting NO
Abercrombie (Hawaii)
Holt (N.J.)
Olver (Mass.)
Allen (Maine)
Honda (Calif.)
Pallone (N.J.)
Andrews (N.J.)
Hooley (Ore.)
Pascrell (N.J.)
Baldwin (Wis.)
Inslee (Wash.)
Pastor (Ariz.)
Becerra (Calif.)
Israel (N.Y.)
Payne (N.J.)
Blumenauer (Ore.)
Jackson (Ill.)
Price (N.C.)
Brady (Pa.)
Jackson-Lee (Texas)
Rangel (N.Y.)
Braley (Iowa)
Jefferson (La.)
Rothman (N.J.)
Capps (Calif.)
Johnson (Ga.)
Roybal-Allard (Calif.)
Capuano (Mass.)
Johnson (Ill.)
Ryan (Ohio)
Carnahan (Miss.)
Johnson E.B. (Texas)
Sánchez Linda T. (Calif.)
Carson (Ind.)
Jones (Ohio)
Sanchez Loretta (Calif.)
Clarke (N.Y.)
Kagen (Wisc.)
Sarbanes (Md.)
Clay (Miss.)
Kaptur (Ohio)
Schakowsky (Ill.)
Cohen (Tenn.)
Kennedy (R.I.)
Schwartz (Pa.)
Conyers (Mich.)
Kilpatrick (Mich.)
Scott (Va.)
Costello (Ill.)
Kucinich (Ohio)
Serrano (N.Y.)
Courtney (Conn.)
Larsen (Wash.)
Shea-Porter (N.H.)
Cummings (Md.)
Larson (Conn.)
Slaughter (N.Y.)
Davis (Calif.)
Lee (Calif.)
Solis (Calif.)
Davis (Ill.)
Levin (Mich.)
Speier (Calif.)
DeFazio (Ore.)
Lewis (Ga.)
Sutton (Ohio)
DeGette (Colo.)
Loebsack (Iowa)
Thompson (Calif.)
Delahunt (Mass.)
Lofgren Zoe (Calif.)
Tierney (Mass.)
DeLauro (Conn.)
Lynch (Mass.)
Towns (N.Y.)
Dingell (Mich.)
Maloney (N.Y.)
Tsongas (Mass.)
Doggett (Texas)
Markey (Mass.)
Udall (N.M.)
Doyle (Pa.)
Matsui (Calif.)
Van Hollen (Md.)
Edwards (Md.)
McCollum (Minn.)
Velázquez (N.Y.)
Ellison (Minn.)
McDermott (Wash.)
Walz (Minn.)
Eshoo (Calif.)
McGovern (Mass.)
Wasserman Schultz (Fla.)
Farr (Calif.)
McNulty (N.Y.)
Waters (Calif.)
Fattah (Pa.)
Meek (Fla.)
Watson (Calif.)
Filner (Calif.)
Michaud (Maine)
Watt (N.C.)
Foster (Ill.)
Miller (N.C.)
Waxman (Calif.)
Frank (Mass.)
Miller George (Calif.)
Weiner (N.Y.)
Gonzalez (Texas)
Mollohan (W.V.)
Welch (Vt.)
Grijalva (Ariz.)
Moore (Wis.)
Wexler (Fla.)
Hall (N.Y.)
Moran (Va.)
Woolsey (Calif.)
Hare (Ill.)
Murphy (Conn.)
Wu (Ore.)
Hill (Ind.)
Nadler (N.Y.)
Hinchey (N.Y.)
Napolitano Neal (Mass.)
Hirono (Hawaii)
Oberstar (Minn.)
Hodes (N.H.)
Obey (Wis.)
Not Voting
Brown-Waite Ginny (Fla.)
Cannon (Utah)
Gilchrest (Md.)
Gohmert (Texas)
Jones (N.C.)
Paul (Texas)
Peterson (Pa.)
Reynolds (N.Y.)
Rush (Ill.)
Stark (Calif.)
Tiahrt (Kan.)
Visclosky (Ind.)
Weller (Ill.)

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