FISA debate right now 15:30EST/12:30PST C-SPAN

[HOLLYWOOD]

The House is split... both giving their points on FISA.

No One has mentioned the CONSTITUTION and violations of rights...

No One has mentioned the Corporate Amnesty in the Bill...

[jclay2]

Can someone give a detailed view of why this bill is bad. I havn't heard of it until last week, but from what it heard it did sound like an "enemy of the state" type of bill.

[Ex Post Facto]

In short it violates the constitution and was expanded by congress to include no court needed wire tapes of US Citizens:

The act created a court which meets in secret, and approves or denies requests for search warrants. Only the number of warrants applied for, issued and denied, is reported. In 1980 (the first full year after its inception), it approved 322 warrants.[2] This number has steadily grown to 2224 warrants[3] in 2006. Only 5 warrants have been rejected since the court first met in 1979.[4]

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2008/01/fisa_the_roadmap_ahead_or_not.html

[Ex Post Facto]

Update: FISA extended 15 days temporarily

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2008/01/31/bush_signs_15-day_fisa_extension/9771/
Bush signs 15-day FISA extension


Published: Jan. 31, 2008 at 3:37 PM
Print story Email to a friend Font size:LAS VEGAS, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush signed a 15-day extension Thursday to allow members of Congress to debate intelligence legislation due to expire Friday.

The extension to the Protect America Act gives "Congress time to pass a good piece of legislation that makes sure our professionals have the tools necessary to do their job and provides liability protections to carriers who it is assumed helped us in protecting the American people," Bush said in Las Vegas during remarks on the global war on terror. He signed the extension after his remarks.

Congress is considering the Protect America Act, a temporary measure updating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and was to sunset Friday. The Senate is divided about the immunity provision, turning back a Senate Judiciary Committee measure that didn't include immunity language. An intelligence panel version that hasn't reached the Senate floor includes the immunity provision.

"In order to protect the American people, our professionals need to have the tools necessary to do their job you expect them to do," Bush said. "And one such tool is a surveillance program that guarantees the rights of our citizens, but doesn't extend those same guarantees to those who would do us harm."