The Constitution Dies Tomorrow

Over 200 years ago, we enshrined the rule of law as the only monarch in America. Tomorrow, the Senate will likely vote to shred that precedent. Democrats, "compromising" with Republicans, will act together, in a bipartisan fashion, to destroy your right to be free from search without a warrant. Barack Obama, the politician with the biggest megaphone out there, who said, "To be clear, [I] will support a filibuster of any bill that includes retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies," will likely miss the vote altogether, and will no doubt break his promise and fail to filibuster. And he will vote for final passage on the bill.

After months of fighting, Constitutionalists everywhere will lose this battle to a corrupt establishment in collusion with a lawbreaking president.

We have no choice but to hold them accountable any way we can, through attack ads, primary challenges, and and grassroots activities. On August 8th, the new Accountability Now PAC is hosting a moneybomb to support these accountability efforts. Please mark it on your calendars and donate.

Clearly, giving money to our politicians isn't solving anything.

Link

Here's what's going on:
Go here thomas.loc.gov...:H.R.630 ... and click on the HR6304EH version of the bill.
Click on Title VII sections 106 and 107. Review the requested changes to the 1978 FISA bill.
Now open a new tab and go here uscode.house.gov...
Use your ctrl+F and search for 1823 and 1824 sections (the parts being amended).
Review the requested changes.

For example:

(e)(1)(A) Notwithstanding any other provision of this subchapter, whenever the Attorney General reasonably makes the determination specified in subparagraph (B), the Attorney General may authorize the execution of an emergency physical search if -
(i) a judge having jurisdiction under section 1803 of this
title is informed by the Attorney General or the Attorney
General's designee at the time of such authorization that the
decision has been made to execute an emergency search, and
(ii) an application in accordance with this subchapter is made
to that judge as soon as practicable but not more than 72 hours
after the Attorney General authorizes such search.

becomes:

(e)(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, the Attorney General may authorize the emergency employment of a physical search if the Attorney General--
(A) reasonably determines that an emergency situation exists with respect to the employment of a physical search to obtain foreign intelligence information before an order authorizing such physical search can with due diligence be obtained;
(B) reasonably determines that the factual basis for issuance of an order under this title to approve such physical search exists;
(C) informs, either personally or through a designee, a judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court at the time of such authorization that the decision has been made to employ an emergency physical search; and
(D) makes an application in accordance with this title to a judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court as soon as practicable, but not more than 7 days after the Attorney General authorizes such physical search.

So do you see what I see? Yes, the part about judges being involved has moved down from I and II to parts C and D. Should this bill pass, the AG will not have to notify a judge right away about the employment of physical searches; in fact, the AG can take up to seven days to do so, after the fact.

My friend wanted me to post this:

If there's one thing history has shown us, it's that the governments (or rather the people in charge of the governments) strive to suppress the people as much as they can, it's in their own self-interest to do so... and if you think today is any different .. well, it's time to wake up.

Stripping the government of its powers and reducing its size should be everyone's number one priority, our 'golden age' has lasted for a few centures, but may as well be over soon.

This topic has made it to the front page of digg.

More people digg it as well, more Americans are starting to take notice, and hopefully do something about it.

Senators Feingold and Dodd say they're going to filibuster it. While the reasoning behind doing so is a bit fishy (look up their own views on the matter) we can hope they at least achieve something. It'll no doubt be passed, but at least some people are trying to stop it.

This made it to the front page of DIGG.

Wow.

Posted this in another thread but seems relevant here.

Thank you Obama and the other 68 Senators for voting to give the telecom immunity. You have proven that you really are for the small people. You have nullified their right to sue these companies for infringing on their privacy. These companies had no right to give personal information to the government without a warrant. This is not the American way and these company knew it from the word go. They deserved to pay the price for their error. You talked the talk, but didn't walk the walk. This is another reason many Americans feel that their Government is slowly eroding Americans right to privacy. You have also given the Government the green light to do the same in the future.

You failed to stand up for what you believed in and that is not good. You can sit here all day and tell me that everything else outweighed this one issue, but I disagree. You should have went down fighting like the other 28 Senators. At least, you would have kept your word. To those 28 Senators, I salute you. I don't call this a flip, it is just one big mistake.

Originally posted by jhill76
My friend wanted me to post this:

Stripping the government of its powers and reducing its size should be everyone's number one priority, our 'golden age' has lasted for a few centures, but may as well be over soon.

Yes! That is what should be done... next question is, how? Europeans face a similar future as the Americans. We have both been caught up in the deception of democracy, the new slang for "greed" and "let's see who can pass most oppressing laws in 4 years".
Find new leaders amongst ourselves and propel them forward. If we can't win by weapons then we should at least try winning their own game. And if we can't win their game... then we should at least make an effort to win by force.

Better a short pseudo-free life, than a long one in shackles.

[edit on 9/7/08 by flice]

Our elected officals have not represented the people for years and we were warned by of all people the founding fathers.

If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. James Madison

It is a universal truth that the loss of liberty at home is to be charged to the provisions against danger, real or pretended, from abroad. James Madison

The executive has no right, in any case, to decide the question, whether there is or is not cause for declaring war.James Madison

I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.
Thomas Jefferson

Wherever there is interest and power to do wrong, wrong will generally be done. James Madison

War should only be declared by the authority of the people, whose toils and treasures are to support its burdens, instead of the government which is to reap its fruits.James Madison

I'm pretty convinced that the Constitution has already died in bygone days of past and live on only in elementary school textbooks, the fond memories of the elderly, and in the delusions of the uninformed.

Trouble is coming to Americans and it is being brought to them by the people they have elected over and over again. Currently Congress is striving to reassert itself as a co-equal branch of government with a rogue president who makes a mockery of the institutions that have made America the envy of the world. Bush is definitely on a trend line to impeachment, but sadly it is coming too late to make a difference.

The last eight years have been a sorry spectacle. Wake up America. Nobody that is currently up for election (with a handful of exceptions) is going to solve your problems. There is a crying need for grassroots reform among the people themselves. Government needs tending. It's not a set it and forget it deal.

I do not care if they say they can search me without reason I would rather die then bend backwards and let them do this to our freedoms.


I hate America so much.