Factcheck.org: Fear and False Claims | Newsweek Politics: Campaign 2008

Posted By: mymand @ 03/04/2008 6:17:55 PM

Comment:

If the telecom companies have broken no laws or assisted in violating The Constitution, then there is no need for retroactive immunity. On the other hand if there has been some sort of crime here and the
Whitehouse is at the center of it, then let the chips fall where they may. I don't believe anyone should
pay the price of the freedom grant to them by the constitution, because a small minority of the people
that voted this guy into office, still can't take responsibilty for that vote. If there is nothing for the American
citizens to worry about, and civil liberties and protected, then allow the law makers that are called on to pass the law to view all of the documents produced from this program ot verify that no domestic spying has
taken place.

Posted By: mymand @ 03/04/2008 6:01:13 PM

Comment: jimbo and jackt both seem to ignore the simple fact that, if the telecom companies have followed the laws,
then they need no immunity. If they have not broken the law or violated the Constitution, then why would
there be a need for it? Our goverment is responsible, to the citizens, to protect our civil rights as granted
by the Constitution. Any effort the skirt that should by actionable and anyone involved should be called to account.

Posted By: bstender @ 03/01/2008 12:37:37 PM

Comment: jimbo, this is about domestic spying, your fearless leader has been scooping up domestic calls without a warrant. and without any link to terrorists. you really are fine with that? what if it was a money-chasing democrat doing it, would that also be fine?
and btw, focusing on snooping on everybody is like the Iraq invasion, a further waste of precious resources making the real job less effective...
he started this 7 mos prior to 9-11, maybe if he had been focusing on the real enemy, the whole thing could have been stopped. (and again, he spent more time blocking the 9-11 investigation than he spent on this current attempt to bury his mistakes.)

Posted By: jimbo3800 @ 03/01/2008 9:40:38 AM

Comment: Comment: The ranting and raving of left-wing conspiracy theories don't change certain facts: a.) we were attacked by terrorists, not the other way around, b.) the world is a dangerous place, with extremists that would love to inflict more damage on the US. If wiretapping of international calls reduces that threat, then so be it, and telecoms should not suffer any risk of court action in our out-of-control, lawsuit happy, money-chasing civil court system.

Posted By: jimbo3800 @ 03/01/2008 9:36:22 AM

Comment: Comment: I'm thankful that someone is paying attention and international calls are being monitored. "Warrentless wiretapping" is a misnomer invented by the left-wing media. No warrent has ever been required for a international call, therefore no law has been broken. Immunity for the telecoms is a must to keep the radical left wingers (including those responding here) from attempting to move this from a criminal court (where they cannot win because the law is not on their side), to a civil court, where anything is possible if they get a jury from Berkley or some such God-forsaken haven of left-wingerness.

Posted By: eddiewhere @ 03/01/2008 8:19:03 AM

Comment: AFRICANS MUST BE INSPIRIED By OBAMA. AFRICANS ARE VERy GOOD STUDENTS AND HAVE CONTRIBUTED TREMENDOUSLy TO OUR ECONOMy . I AM NOT AFRICAN HOWEVER I DO FEEL THAT OBAMA WILL GO DOWN IN AMERICAN HISTORy AS THE GREAT UNITER. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE AFRICANS WORLD WIDE, TWO HUNDRED yEARS AFTER THE FAMOUS AMISTAD VERDICT AFRICANS FINALLy HAVE REALIZED THEIR SUFFERING DURING SLAVERy WAS FOR A GREATER pURpOSE.
THE SON OF AN AFRICAN MUSLIM WITH THE MIDDLE NAME OF HUSSEIN IS ABOUT TO BECOME PRESIDENT. ONLy IN AMERICA. THERE ARE NO EXECUSES, IF yOU WORK HARD IN A MERICA yOU WILL PROSPER.
FOR ALLL THOSE AFRICANS THAT WERE THROWN OVER BOARD LIKE "CHICKEN FEED" FOR THE SHARKS ON THE WAy TO AMRERICA.. FOR ALL THOSE AFRICANS THAT HAVE BEEN LyNCHED OR INCARCERATED WITHOUT CAUSE. THIS IS FOR yOU. GOD WORKS IN MySTERIOUS WAyS. JOHN ADAMS PROVED THAT ALL AFRICANS WERE BORN FREE

Posted By: bstender @ 02/29/2008 4:11:26 PM

Comment: jackt, your facts are wrong; no company will deny a valid legal order to hand over communications, that is just ludicrous, but typical of the desperate things they are willing to say to pass this.

second fact; this immunity thing is not about cashing in on the telecoms, more fabrication. no rich trial lawyers are behind the suits, a small non-profit is fighting to defend the Constitution. The immunity clause is simply an attempt to bury the actual wiretapping facts that will come out in the discovery process. if all they eavesdropped on were just foreign suspicious persons, then no harm, no foul and they would be proud to allow this to come out, but clearly they were wiretapping domestic political opponents, business rivals etc. and the facts will cause Bush and Co great embarrassment if not jail time.

isn't it obvious how this is being forced through, relying on so many outright lies and misleading statements? they are fighting for their lives here.

their disingenuousness on this issue breaks all records, just when i thought that was not possible!

Posted By: bstender @ 02/29/2008 4:10:46 PM

Comment: jackt, your facts are wrong; no company will deny a valid legal order to hand over communications, that is just ludicrous, but typical of the desperate things they are willing to say to pass this.

second fact; this immunity thing is not about cashing in on the telecoms, more fabrication. no rich trial lawyers are behind the suits, a small non-profit is fighting to defend the Constitution. The immunity clause is simply an attempt to bury the actual wiretapping facts that will come out in the discovery process. if all they eavesdropped on were just foreign suspicious persons, then no harm, no foul and they would be proud to allow this to come out, but clearly they were wiretapping domestic political opponents, business rivals etc. and the facts will cause Bush and Co great embarrassment if not jail time.

isn't it obvious how this is being forced through, relying on so many outright lies and misleading statements? they are fighting for their lives here.

their disingenuousness on this issue breaks all records, just when i thought that was not possible!

Posted By: jackt @ 02/29/2008 3:46:49 PM

Comment: I would just say that all the surveillance authorizations in the world under the old FISA won't help you one bit if we can't get companies to cooperate. There are people out there just waiting to sue every telecom out of purely political motives, so I can't blame them for slowing down their cooperation. Also, why in the world would the gov need to get a warrant to intercept a conversation between 2 foreigners that happens to cross an American wire? Duh! That's why we need a new law!.