Re: Let's hope they put the brakes to this
by
august
06/19/2008, 3:51 PM
I'm not sure that Clinton will vote for it. It's worth contacting her if you live in New York and oppose the bill.
I wrote Clinton about this issue a while back, and got this reply:
----
Thank
you for writing about the National Security Agency (NSA) domestic wiretapping controversy. This is an
issue of grave importance not only to residents of New
York, but to all Americans.
As
I have long maintained, protecting the security of our citizens and our homeland is the most important
responsibility I bear as a U.S. Senator. I firmly believe that the government must have the ability
to use every legal tool necessary to root out terrorists so that the United
States can prevent another terrorist
attack on our soil. But that commitment to our national security does not mean that we must sacrifice
the rule of law and our Constitution. We can be both safe and free.
Last
year, the Administration asked Congress to expand President Bush's
powers to conduct domestic surveillance. The proposal rewrote the Foreign
Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to limit
judicial oversight of the Administration's apparent practice of
listening to Americans' calls overseas and gave the Administration
far greater power to compel telecommunications companies to cooperate with surveillance operations.
In my view, the proposal went too far. I voted instead for a Democratic alternative to give the intelligence
community all of the tools it needs, while preserving important congressional and judicial oversight
of the executive branch's activities. Although Congress ultimately passed the Bush Administration's
proposal, it did so while imposing a six-month sunset to allow Congress
to revisit the bill.
Now,
the Bush Administration has vowed to block any surveillance legislation that does not provide retroactive
immunity to telecommunication companies. I believe that granting retroactive immunity under these circumstances
is wrong and undermines accountability. To that end, I supported and co-sponsored
efforts to strip this provision from the FISA legislation. I was discouraged to see that amendment fail
the last time it was considered in the Senate. In the weeks to come, I will continue to work with my
colleagues to pass an improved bill, one that takes the needed steps to defend our homeland while also
defending and respecting our Constitution, our laws, and our privacy.