BlackPerspective.net
Discussing the Diaspora as seen through an internal Black lens
Supreme Court Wilts On Constitutional Duty, Don’t Let Congress Do The Same
February 21st, 2008
The Fourth Amendment against illegal search and seizure says:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers,
and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be
violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause,
supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place
to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
But George Bush says later for that; while democrats waiver, pay lip service, and hedge on our constitutional rights – not privilege, but right.
Bush said of his desire for the Telecommunications companies to receive retroactive amnesty for helping the Bush administration violate these rights that:
“In order to be able to discover the enemies plans, we need the help of> telecom companies. if these companies are subjected to lawsuits that could > cost them billions of dollars, they wont participate. they wont help us.”
Exactly Mr. President, that’s the point. Corporate America should not be helping the government to shred the constitution and deprive us of our rights, and corporations should not get a free pass to commit crimes as you are asking for…
This is the stuff the Protect America Act (which up dates the 1978 FISA Act) passed by the Senate last week, in which Bush and Company are trying to pressure the House into passing; along with increased powers for the president to spy more on Americans without warrants based on probable cause.
Glenn Greenwald at Salon.com has been all over this issue.
In one piece on the issue called FISA 101, Greenwald demonstrates that Bush lies when he claims we’re going dark in on survillence without the Protect America Act, or that FISA doesn’t cover current technology:
-
Here is what the Leader himself said about FISA — the law he is now attempting (with a drooling, eager assist from our press corps) to depict as some dangerous relic from the obsolete era of telegraphs — once it was amended in October, 2001 by the Congress, during the ceremony where he signed those amendments into law:
The changes, effective today, will help counter a threat like no other our Nation has ever faced. . . .
We’re dealing with terrorists who operate by highly sophisticated methods and technologies, some of which were not even available when our existing laws were written. The bill before me takes account of the new realities and dangers posed by modern terrorists. It will help law enforcement to identify, to dismantle, to disrupt, and to punish terrorists before they strike. . . .
Surveillance of communications is another essential tool to pursue and stop terrorists. The existing law was written in the era of rotary telephones. This new law I sign today will allow surveillance of all communications used by terrorists, including e-mails, the Internet, and cell phones. As of today, we’ll be able to better meet the technological challenges posed by this proliferation of communications technology. . .
The supreme court has ineffect, by decline to hear the case, upheld a lower court ruling that people cannot sue for being spied on unless they can prove they were spied on; and they can’t prove they were spied on because by the administration won’t tell anybody and can’t be forced to unless a law suit or criminal action forces them to. It’s a catch 22 the court has created where nothing is done to even evaluate the actions of Bush administration in illegal spying, yet the court doesn’t even show the courage to take up and directly rule on the issue at hand.
You can read about the Court here
You can stop the constitution from being further shredded, and having warrrentless spying legalized, and having corporate crime sanctioned. Contact your house leaders today. They’re on recess but they may have staffers in the office. If no staffers are there you can email them. We must bring pressure to bare on the democratic leadership not to sell us out again.
Nancy Pelosi - House Speaker 202-225-4965
Steny Hoyer - Majority Leader 202-225-3130
James Clyburn - Majority Whip 202-225-3315
John Conyers - Judiciary Chair
Sylvester Reyes - Intelligence Chair
General Switch Board for the House of Representatives, where you can
get anyones number 202-224-3121
House website: www.house.gov/
Popularity: 4% [?]
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Yobachi Boswell is creator and publisher of BlackPerspecitve.net. I’m a writer, activist and political watcher based in Nashville, Tennessee. I’ve also been know to do some spoken word and MCing in my day.
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