There is a huge fight right now to fix the FISA bill, with a new one called “The RESTORE Act” (H.R. 3773). Two big issues: 1) Will they include language that let’s the FBI issue blanket, rather than targeted warrants? 2) Will they give immunity to the phone companies who broke the law because Bush told them too? The bill is up in the House and the final language is a moving target. It is the crucial time to get in touch with people who might be persuaded to ensure good language goes to the floor for a vote.
Here is the latest from the ACLU:
The bill caves in to Bush’s fear-mongering in a major way: it does NOT required the government to get an individual warrant before wiretapping Americans’ phones and emails. Instead, it allows for program or basket “warrants,” which aren’t really warrants at all. They’re the modern-day equivalent of allowing government agents to sit in our living rooms, recording our personal conversations. Only they’re more frightening, because the government now has the capacity to monitor us remotely and without our knowledge, and to save the information in a secret database forever.
One good thing is that the bill doesn’t yet include immunity for telecom companies that broke the law by handing over Americans’ private communications to the government, but we’re hearing immunity could be added back to the bill at any time.
Here are a few folks I know need to hear from you. Give them a ring. It is much more effective than sending email, though you can do that too.
CA-29 Adam Schiff Schiff 2022254176
CA-14 Anna Eshoo Eshoo 2022258104
CA-27 Brad Sherman Sherman 2022255911
CA-28 Howard Berman Berman 2022254695
CA-39 Linda Sanchez Sanchez 2022256676
CA-35 Maxine Waters Waters 2022252201
CA-01 Mike Thompson Thompson 2022253311
CA-08 Nancy Pelosi Pelosi 2022254965
CA-16 Zoe Lofgren Lofgren 2022253072