Olbermann, Obama, and FISA II Still time to join movement to change
Obama's mind and kill "FISA Amendments Bill"
by Jim Babka , Downsize DC
Reprinted by permission by the Coffee Coaster
"Man is not free unless government is limited. As government expands, liberty contracts."
— Ronald Reagan
Text of letter to Downsize DC subscribers 7/01/08:
"If the "FISA Amendments Act" passes, and the telecoms get off scot free, either through a pardon, or through a failure to prosecute by either Obama or McCain, then the way will be cleared for more illegal activity in the future. The fact remains that if the "FISA Amendments Act" fails..."
Subject: Olbermann, Obama, and FISA, part II
Subject: A comment on Keith Olbermann's "Special Comment"
DC Downsizers bombarded MSNBC's Keith Olbermann with more than 1,700 messages yesterday. These messages urged Olbermann to hold his favored president candidate, Barack Obama, to the same standards he has applied to President Bush. Your messages may have had an impact.
But before getting to that, I'd like to update you on our final numbers for June.
* We recruited 729 new Downsizers * We sent 70,533 messages pressuring Congress (and Keith Olbermann)
* And we also made budget -- THANK YOU
This is the first time we've sent more than 70,000 messages in a single month. We shattered our old record by more than 19,000. Thank you to everyone who participated to make June such a successful month. Your efforts do have an impact.
They may have had an impact on Keith Olbermann. It seemed to us that his "Special Comment" seemed slightly softer that what it had been advertised to be. And others observing Olbermann have similarly opined. Moreover, Olbermann said some good things...
* He accused the Democrats of caving-in to fear-mongering in regard to warrantless spying and telecom immunity * He quoted George Washington on the dangers of political parties
We like both of these things. However, Olbermann also asserted that the "FISA Amendments Act" would merely restore the old way of authorizing domestic surveillance, implying that warrants will still be required for such surveillance. We disagree. We think the bill pretty much allows presidents to spy on anyone they want, with insufficient judicial control. You can read our analysis here.
Mr. Olbermann also asserted that the "FISA Amendments Act" only grants immunity from civil suits, and that criminal prosecutions will still be possible. He bases this claim on an analysis by John Dean in collaboration with lawyers from the ACLU. We work in coalition with some of those same ACLU lawyers, so we'll be checking the claim and reporting back to you. However...
We're not as thrilled by this as Olbermann and Dean seem to be. They seem confident that Obama would pursue prosecutions if elected. We are less confident. And what will happen if McCain is elected? The answer is NOTHING. Olbermann and Dean seem not to have considered this possibility.
Olbermann and Dean do acknowledge that President Bush could pardon the telecoms, but they think this would be a good thing, because it would be an admission of guilt. Again, we disagree, because we're more worried about the future than about this particular instance of law breaking.
If the "FISA Amendments Act" passes, and the telecoms get off scott free, either through a pardon, or through a failure to prosecute by either Obama or McCain, then the way will be cleared for more illegal activity in the future. The fact remains that if the "FISA Amendments Act" fails, then . . .
* Warrants will be required for surveillance
* The existing court cases against the telecoms will be able to proceed to their day of justice
This is what all of us, including Olbermann, should be aiming at. We should NOT be trying to create wiggle room for Barack Obama or the Senate Democrats. Olbermann has done good work in the past by criticizing President Bush's lawbreaking, but his partisan preference for Obama and the Democrats has now led him astray, as partisanship almost always does.
Olbermann has tried to give Mr. Obama an excuse for abandoning his defense of the Bill of Rights. We intend to compensate for Olbermann's mistake by pressuring Mr. Obama to lead his party in defeating the "FISA Amendments Act." We have created a new campaign for this purpose. Please send Barack Obama, at his campaign, a message. You can do so here.
"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor." — concluding sentence of the Declaration of Independence, 1776
"We must hang together, gentlemen...else, we shall most assuredly hang separately." — Benjamin Franklin, at the signing of the Declaration of Independence
For weeks now we've been fighting, as hard as anyone, to stop the "FISA Amendments Act." If this fight is lost, it will be because some folks forgot a unique and important thing about American history. On July 4, 1776, 56 men stood up and agreed to pay the price for our liberty.
They had spirit.
The politicians who walk the halls of Capitol Hill are home in their districts now. They'll ride in parades and give speeches in front of flags. But the symbolism is distracting. These men and women are NOT what America is all about. They are not leaders. They are not special. Frankly, they don't deserve the attention they'll get, because unlike the 56 men who birthed our country, they're not willing to pay a price for liberty.
They lack spirit. They are either fear-peddlers or just plain afraid.
Some have profited, politically, from a campaign of fear. They've expanded their power and the powers of their partisan allies through a sustained campaign of intimidation, both of their opponents and their constituents. This deceitful campaign is called, "The War on Terror." Others have cowered, politically, appeasing the fear mongers, in order to gain re-election.
Ironically, the fear mongers in Washington, DC are practicing their own kind of terrorism. These political terrorists don't live in caves, but they're the ones who've actually succeeded in changing our "unique way of life." It is the politician-fear monger-terrorists who've tried to scare us into trading our Constitutional birthright for the pottage of Big Brother "protection."
That's why, on this Independence Day weekend, it's time to declare that, "We will not compromise our rights, freedoms, and heritage, in the name of Fear."
Tell the politicians in Washington, "I've already won my personal war on terror by refusing to be afraid." Tell them you oppose all the spying, searches and checkpoints, the torture and tribunals, as well as the wars and rumors of war.
Then, please make one more bold declaration. Become a monthly pledger, starting at a level like $3, $5, $8, $15, $25, or $35 per month, or, if you prefer, make a generous one-time contribution, to help spread the unique message of minimal government and maximum liberty. You can do so at our secure web page. <http://www.downsizedc.org/contribute.shtml>
From the board and staff at Downsize DC, we thank you for being part of the growing Downsize DC army, and wish you a wonderful Independence Day holiday.
