GNG News Guy
06-27-2008, 03:16 PM
http://i.dslr.net/urls/29/4729.gif (http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Vote-On-Telecom-Immunity-Delayed-95634)
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) notes that the vote on delivering warrantless wiretap immunity to the nation's phone companies has been pushed back until after the July 4 Congressional recess (http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/06/senate-delays-vote-immunity). According to the EFF, the delay gives opponents of the bill, which gives AT&T, Verizon and Sprint "get out of jail free cards" for doling out U.S. consumer phone and Internet records like giant digital PEZ dispensers (http://www.eff.org/files/filenode/att/SER_klein_decl.pdf), time to regroup. The EFF explores the remaining options for immunity opponents:The best hope lies in the amendments that will be introduced before the final vote on the bill. One, championed by Senators Dodd and Feingold, would strip immunity provisions entirely. Another, from New Mexico Senator Bingaman, would delay implementation of the immunity provisions until after Congress had the benefit of the Inspectors General report on the President's surveillance program that is required by the bill.
As noted yesterday, the campaign contribution money trail clearly indicates (http://www.maplight.org/FISA_June08) that AT&T, Verizon and Sprint bought the latest votes of a considerable number of Democrats who had previously opposed telecom immunity. Meanwhile, Presidential hopeful Barack Obama has been annoying progressives (http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/42361.html) with, among other recent moves, his decision to support this latest version of the FISA bill.
read comment(s) (http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Vote-On-Telecom-Immunity-Delayed-95634)
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) notes that the vote on delivering warrantless wiretap immunity to the nation's phone companies has been pushed back until after the July 4 Congressional recess (http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/06/senate-delays-vote-immunity). According to the EFF, the delay gives opponents of the bill, which gives AT&T, Verizon and Sprint "get out of jail free cards" for doling out U.S. consumer phone and Internet records like giant digital PEZ dispensers (http://www.eff.org/files/filenode/att/SER_klein_decl.pdf), time to regroup. The EFF explores the remaining options for immunity opponents:The best hope lies in the amendments that will be introduced before the final vote on the bill. One, championed by Senators Dodd and Feingold, would strip immunity provisions entirely. Another, from New Mexico Senator Bingaman, would delay implementation of the immunity provisions until after Congress had the benefit of the Inspectors General report on the President's surveillance program that is required by the bill.
As noted yesterday, the campaign contribution money trail clearly indicates (http://www.maplight.org/FISA_June08) that AT&T, Verizon and Sprint bought the latest votes of a considerable number of Democrats who had previously opposed telecom immunity. Meanwhile, Presidential hopeful Barack Obama has been annoying progressives (http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/42361.html) with, among other recent moves, his decision to support this latest version of the FISA bill.
read comment(s) (http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Vote-On-Telecom-Immunity-Delayed-95634)