NEW! More on Bush arm-twisting the "Democrats" in Congress to approve a TOTAL POLICE SURVEILLANCE STATE in America - with the abject cooperation of NANCY PELOSI, HARRY REID, and all the other NEO-CON "Democrats"....
http://www.harpers.org/archive/2007/12/hbc-90001937
In yet another sign of how surreal the human race has become, at least in the nominal ranks of "world leading" America, Senator CHRIS DODD THANKS Senate Majority 'LEADER' Harry Reid for allowing Dodd to run a FILIBUSTER FIGHT - against a bill that Reid could simply have PREVENTED FROM HITTING THE FLOOR!
And for some reason, 77 other Senators also GREEN-LIGHTED (approved) Dodd's filibuster fight, for a bill THEY WOULD HAVE PASSED in a New York minute, had Dodd not focused some attention on to the American version of the "Communist East German SECRET POLICE STASI omnipresent SPYING and SURVEILLANCE bill" -
- A bill which would enable the government to read ALL BUSINESS PLANS and FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS in REAL TIME, with NO oversight or accountability! Theoretically, government agents could STEAL A PATENT APPLICATION being discussed by e-mail between a design team before it hit the patent office; or MUSCLE IN on a buy-out plan before the company commits to that buyout; or any of ten-million other potential cases where GOVERNMENT SPYING would be like LETTING YOUR BUSINESS COMPETITORS LOOK OVER YOUR SHOULDER as you go about your company's business!
WELCOME TO THE SCARED, COWERING AMERICA of NANCY PELOSI and HARRY REID's 100th Congress complete, abject SERVILITY to corporate/neo-con BushCo...- an America where we Americans MUST ALL SUBMIT to the Dear Leader and his dear minions, or else we are AIDING THE TERRORISTS - the Al Qaida terrorists that THEY allowed to escape from Tora Bora (so they wouldn't loose their precious excuse to invade Iraq) at that!
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Dodd's Filibuster Threat Stalls Wiretap Bill
Sam Stein The Huffington Post
December 17, 2007 07:56 PM
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/12/17/dodds-filibuster-threat-_n_77220.html
Senator Chris Dodd won a temporary victory today after his threats of a filibuster forced Democratic leadership to push back consideration of a measure that would grant immunity to telecom companies that were complicit in warrantless surveillance.
The measure was part of a greater bill to reorganize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Earlier on Monday, the Senate, agreed to address a bill that would have overhauled FISA, authorized the monitoring of people outside the United States, given secret courts the power to approve aspects of surveillance, and granted telecom companies retroactive immunity for past cooperation.
But the threat of Dodd's filibuster, aimed primarily at the latter measure, persuaded Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV, to table the act until January. A compromise on the immunity will ostensibly be worked out in the interim period.
"We have tried to work through this process and it appears quite clear at this stage on this bill that we're not going to be able to do that," said Reid. "We are at the last few hours of the last few days of this year's session of Congress... I think its very clear we're not going to be able to move into the amendments.... I've spoken with a number of Senators and we feel it would be in the best interest of the Senate to take at look at this when we come back next year."
A smile on his reddened face, Dodd was at once gracious and joyful by the turn of events. He had been arguing his case for approximately eight hours.
"I want to thank the leader [Sen. Reid]," he said. "This is an awkward time. We want to get the bill done. My longstanding concerns were over retroactive immunity. Look forward to coming back in January. And hopefully between then and January a suggestion can be made to compromise without granting full immunity...I appreciate the fact that we will not have to pursue this further."
Dodd flew back from Iowa last night to personally rally against the amendment to the Protect America Act. After the Senate agreed, by a vote of 79 to 10, to move to debate, Dodd took to the floor. Over the course of the day, the Connecticut Democrat criticized the idea of granting immunity. Expanding on similar remarks made by Sen. Russ Feingold, D-WI, he noted that that the original FISA bill already included an immunity clause and that the courts, not Congress, should decide whether telecom companies deserve legal protections.
While he never technically conducted a filibuster, according to aides, Dodd left the floor only once, to address a press gathering. He did, on occasion cede time to his Democratic colleagues. But even then, they say, he remained engaged in the debate.
"Everyone who spoke on the floor said they were grateful for Dodd taking a stand," said a staffer to the Senator who asked not to be named. "They said if it weren't for him they wouldn't be having this much-needed debate."
Dodd was the one Senator currently running for the White House who left the campaign trail to debate the Protect America Act, an absence he hinted at while on the Senate floor.
"I respect immensely the people who spend a lot of time on these issues. But this is a critical moment," Dodd said. "This is one of these moments you need to be here for this, to engage in this debate and discussion. They don't happen everyday, but this is an important one. This goes right to the heart of who we are. This isn't about selling your soul, it's about giving it away, in my view, if you don't stand up for these rights."
Sens. Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Joseph Biden did offer their rhetorical support for the filibuster. Dodd, according to aides, will rejoin the three on the campaign trail tomorrow.
