Yesterday, 68 Senators violated their oaths of office

[CurtisLow]

What Mod switch this from Ron Paul Grassroots Central to here? This place is like the basement where no one go's........ BS!

 

[ForcedPerspective]

Here is the reply from "Norm-nuts" ...

Dear Mr. Burgess:



Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding the proposal for immunity for telecommunication companies included in the modernization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). I respectfully disagree with your view on this matter.



I believe that it is unfair to penalize companies for responding to written assurances from the highest levels of the government that their help is legal and essential for saving lives. The immunity provision will only apply to companies if they have official documents from the government demonstrating the activities were deemed legal and authorized by the President. I would also point out that the Senate Intelligence Committee looked into this matter and found that the telecom companies acted in "good faith" based on the information they had.



Whether the government acted properly is a different question from whether a private person has acted properly in responding to the government's call for help. I have supported efforts to investigate the legality of the wireless surveillance program, and believe that if any wrongdoing is found, measures should be taken accordingly.



As you may know, the FISA Amendments Act of 2007 (S. 2248) was introduced by Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) on October 26, 2007. This bill seeks to amend the FISA Act of 1978 in order to modernize and streamline its provisions, which is necessary for our country to enhance our nation's capability to prevent future terrorist attacks. S. 2248 also includes a retroactive liability protection for telecommunication companies that assisted our government in a warrantless surveillance program in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks on the U.S. The bill was approved by the Intelligence Committee on a bipartisan basis and currently awaits consideration by the full Senate.



I support national intelligence activities undertaken by the federal government which are lawful and necessary for the pursuit of terrorists. I recognize that we need to strike a balance between preventing another terrorist attack and defending civil liberties. For this reason I am a strong proponent of Congressional oversight of surveillance activities.



I will continue to follow this important issue. While we may agree on some issues and disagree on others, I appreciate hearing from you and hope you will not hesitate to contact me on any issue of concern to you.





Sincerely,
Norm Coleman
United States Senate

Firstly I find it hard to believe that these telecoms acted in 'good faith'. Their legal departments should be well versed on what the law is regarding domestic surveillance. The fact that they were issued these "Get Out of Jail Free" cards by the President is actually evidence of this. That is, if they thought it was legal then why the need for these official documents with the President's authorization in the first place? It also kind of begs the question "How many other types of illegal authorizations did the President make?".

More importantly however, if the fact the President is seeking retro immunity isn't enough proof of wrongdoing, then surely these "Get Out of Jail Free" cards are the "smoking gun" that proves illegal wiretapping actually did take place. If what the Senator says is correct they'll have to produce their "Get Out of Jail Free" card to gain immunity. While this let's them off the hook, it drops the government right in it! ...of course if they haven't already I'm sure they'll be passing a "Get Out of Jail Free" Bill for ALL their crimes before they leave office (you know... the standard deal).

 

[CurtisLow]

Three days ago, on Wednesday, we wrote to tell you that the Senate had done the exact opposite of what you requested.

* They did not repeal PAA.
* They did not allow it to sunset.
* They did not pass the amendments we requested that would have made the replacement for PAA less bad.
* Instead, they passed a bill permitting warrantless spying on Americans, and granting immunity to the telecommunications companies that had previously spied on Americans. But . . .

We asked you to hit Congress once again, specifically asking the House to not do as the Senate had done.

* We got what we wanted.
* The Democrats in the House finally showed some backbone.
* They refused to take action on a replacement for PAA.
* This means that PAA sunsetted out of existence at midnight on Friday.

Victory at sunset!

Speaker Pelosi also had some good things to say as she announced the sunset of PAA. She pointed out that the government still retains all the powers it needs to spy on suspected terrorists under the old FISA law, which remains in place. She also talked about the need for the government, and the telecommunications companies, to operate under the rule of law.

You see, Congress may mostly do bad things, but not always. It's important to understand that we can never expect them to do the right thing if we don't tell them what we want. Your 47,034 messages to Congress were important in encouraging the House to do the right thing.

 

[christagious]

what does abstain mean? They didn't show up to vote?

 

[RSLudlum]

Contacted my senators Monday.

Sen. Jim DeMint [R, SC] Aye
Sen. Lindsey Graham [R, SC] Abstain

I let 'em both know my disgust on thier vote or in McGrahamnesty's case his spineless no vote.
DeMint already sent a reply back to me (see below) but i haven't heard anything but a verification reply from Lamesy.

Dear Mr. Ludlum,



Thank you for contacting me to express your opposition to the modernization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and the National Security Agency's surveillance activities. I appreciate hearing from you on this issue.



As you may know, the Senate recently passed S.2248, the FISA Amendments Act of 2007, which updates FISA activities to allow monitoring of certain international communications. This legislation requires that the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence approve surveillance activities and the FISA Court have oversight of the procedures used.



We are actively engaged in a War on Terror, fighting against enemies who have made clear their intention to destroy America. The United States has people dedicated to eliminating terrorism and protecting American lives. We must equip them with the tools necessary to learn of our enemies' plans and quickly and effectively respond to threats.



Like you, I also understand the importance of protecting our constitutional freedoms. A balance must be achieved between safeguarding individual liberties and providing America's defenders with the tools to be successful. Congress will remain vigilant in oversight of these surveillance activities. Please rest assured that I will keep your concerns in mind as the Senate considers this legislation.



Thank you again for sharing your views with me. Please feel free to contact me in the future about anything important to you or your family. It is an honor to serve you and the people of the State of South Carolina.





Sincerely,

Jim DeMint
United States Senator

 

[colecrowe]

[/B]
How the Senate voted . . .

Sen. Joseph Biden [D, DE] Nay

Sen. Hillary Clinton [D, NY] Abstain

Sen. Christopher Dodd [D, CT] Nay

Sen. John Kerry [D, MA] Nay

Sen. John McCain [R, AZ] Aye

Sen. Barack Obama [D, IL] Abstain

McLame stands above everyone wanting to be POTUS, doesn't he.

[R, SC]     Sen. Lindsey Graham     Abstain       
[R, WY]     Sen. John Barrasso     Aye       
[R, WY]     Sen. Michael Enzi     Aye       
[R, VA]     Sen. John Warner     Aye       
[R, UT]     Sen. Robert Bennett     Aye       
[R, UT]     Sen. Orrin Hatch     Aye       
[R, TX]     Sen. John Cornyn     Aye       
[R, TX]     Sen. Kay Hutchison     Aye       
[R, TN]     Sen. Lamar Alexander     Aye       
[R, TN]     Sen. Bob Corker     Aye       
[R, SD]     Sen. John Thune     Aye       
[R, SC]     Sen. Jim DeMint     Aye       
[R, PA]     Sen. Arlen Specter     Aye       
[R, OR]     Sen. Gordon Smith     Aye       
[R, OK]     Sen. Thomas Coburn     Aye       
[R, OK]     Sen. James Inhofe     Aye       
[R, OH]     Sen. George Voinovich     Aye       
[R, NV]     Sen. John Ensign     Aye       
[R, NM]     Sen. Pete Domenici     Aye       
[R, NH]     Sen. Judd Gregg     Aye       
[R, NH]     Sen. John Sununu     Aye       
[R, NE]     Sen. Charles Hagel     Aye       
[R, NC]     Sen. Richard Burr     Aye       
[R, NC]     Sen. Elizabeth Dole     Aye       
[R, MS-1]     Rep. Roger Wicker     Aye       
[R, MS]     Sen. Thad Cochran     Aye       
[R, MO]     Sen. Christopher Bond     Aye       
[R, MN]     Sen. Norm Coleman     Aye       
[R, ME]     Sen. Susan Collins     Aye       
[R, ME]     Sen. Olympia Snowe     Aye       
[R, LA]     Sen. David Vitter     Aye       
[R, KY]     Sen. Jim Bunning     Aye       
[R, KY]     Sen. Mitch McConnell     Aye       
[R, KS]     Sen. Samuel Brownback     Aye       
[R, KS]     Sen. Pat Roberts     Aye       
[R, IN]     Sen. Richard Lugar     Aye       
[R, ID]     Sen. Larry Craig     Aye       
[R, ID]     Sen. Michael Crapo     Aye       
[R, IA]     Sen. Charles Grassley     Aye       
[R, GA]     Sen. C. Saxby Chambliss     Aye       
[R, GA]     Sen. John Isakson     Aye       
[R, FL]     Sen. Mel Martinez     Aye       
[R, CO]     Sen. Wayne Allard     Aye       
[R, AZ]     Sen. Jon Kyl     Aye       
[R, AZ]     Sen. John McCain     Aye       
[R, AL]     Sen. Jefferson Sessions     Aye       
[R, AL]     Sen. Richard Shelby     Aye       
[R, AK]     Sen. Lisa Murkowski     Aye       
[R, AK]     Sen. Ted Stevens     Aye       
               
[D, NY]     Sen. Hillary Clinton     Abstain       
[D, IL]     Sen. Barack Obama     Abstain       
[D, WV]     Sen. John Rockefeller     Aye       
[D, WI]     Sen. Herbert Kohl     Aye       
[D, VA]     Sen. Jim Webb     Aye       
[D, SD]     Sen. Tim Johnson     Aye       
[D, RI]     Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse     Aye       
[D, PA]     Sen. Robert Casey     Aye       
[D, NE]     Sen. Ben Nelson     Aye       
[D, ND]     Sen. Kent Conrad     Aye       
[D, MT]     Sen. Max Baucus     Aye       
[D, MO]     Sen. Claire McCaskill     Aye       
[D, MD]     Sen. Barbara Mikulski     Aye       
[D, LA]     Sen. Mary Landrieu     Aye       
[D, IN]     Sen. B. Evan Bayh     Aye       
[D, HI]     Sen. Daniel Inouye     Aye       
[D, FL]     Sen. Bill Nelson     Aye       
[D, DE]     Sen. Thomas Carper     Aye       
[D, CO]     Sen. Ken Salazar     Aye       
[D, AR]     Sen. Blanche Lincoln     Aye       
[D, AR]     Sen. Mark Pryor     Aye       
[D, WV]     Sen. Robert Byrd     Nay       
[D, WI]     Sen. Russell Feingold     Nay       
[D, WA]     Sen. Maria Cantwell     Nay       
[D, WA]     Sen. Patty Murray     Nay       
[D, VT]     Sen. Patrick Leahy     Nay       
[D, RI]     Sen. John Reed     Nay       
[D, OR]     Sen. Ron Wyden     Nay       
[D, OH]     Sen. Sherrod Brown     Nay       
[D, NY]     Sen. Charles Schumer     Nay       
[D, NV]     Sen. Harry Reid     Nay       
[D, NM]     Sen. Jeff Bingaman     Nay       
[D, NJ]     Sen. Frank Lautenberg     Nay       
[D, NJ]     Sen. Robert Menendez     Nay       
[D, ND]     Sen. Byron Dorgan     Nay       
[D, MT]     Sen. Jon Tester     Nay       
[D, MN]     Sen. Amy Klobuchar     Nay       
[D, MI]     Sen. Carl Levin     Nay       
[D, MI]     Sen. Debbie Ann Stabenow     Nay       
[D, MD]     Sen. Benjamin Cardin     Nay       
[D, MA]     Sen. Edward Kennedy     Nay       
[D, MA]     Sen. John Kerry     Nay       
[D, IL]     Sen. Richard Durbin     Nay       
[D, IA]     Sen. Thomas Harkin     Nay       
[D, HI]     Sen. Daniel Akaka     Nay       
[D, DE]     Sen. Joseph Biden     Nay       
[D, CT]     Sen. Christopher Dodd     Nay       
[D, CA]     Sen. Barbara Boxer     Nay       
[D, CA]     Sen. Dianne Feinstein     Nay       
               
[I, CT]     Sen. Joseph Lieberman     Aye       
[I, VT]     Sen. Bernard Sanders     Nay

 

[Aratus]

this was a critical vote...

 

[Kade]

I have said it before and I'll say it again:

Cowards
Sen. Barack Obama [D, IL] Abstain
Sen. Hillary Clinton [D, NY] Abstain

I think that is a Nay. But a cowardly nay. You can't win the Presidency if you "Are weak with National Security"

This was a McCain Nay.

 

[ItsTime]

This was a we will wait to see which way the wind blows and agree with that.

I think that is a Nay. But a cowardly nay. You can't win the Presidency if you "Are weak with National Security"

This was a McCain Nay.

 

[acptulsa]

what does abstain mean? They didn't show up to vote?

Worse. They were there and refused to vote.