Senator Chris Dodd, a True Patriot
Published by Fred Soto• December 17th, 2007
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Senator Chris Dodd, a Liberal, did his patriotic duty this morning by challenging FISA legislation that would serve to severely undermine our civil liberties.
His speech that kicked off the FISA renewal debate was followed by Senator Arlen Specter, a republican, in favor of allowing judicial actions to run their course: “The defense of state secrets would be available to the telephone companies and the government would have that defense.”
Specter agrees that the secrecy needs to stop.
“In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.” — George Orwell
What’s going on with Chris Dodd?
Senator Chris Dodd may not become our next President, and he’s not receiving anywhere near the buzz that Ron Paul has in defending our Constitution, but today he is a very important part of American history. Senator Dodd is one of the few Senators who’s taken the challenge of protecting America from the rising force of fascism in government. This morning at approximately 10:55 am EST, Chris Dodd opened his opposition to cloture, regarding the FISA update.
His purpose? Warrantless spying in America is unacceptable and must be stopped at all costs.
“the President’s warrantless spying was authorized as early as 2001. […]”
Dodd explained that after the terrorist attacks, Alberto Gonzales’ argument was that Congress had also authorized him to listen in to the private phone calls of Americans.
“the ‘Protect America Act’ passed in August, the bill before us is more reasonable, […] but it would include retro-active immunity…”
“The bill puts corporations above the law” — Senator Chris Dodd
Part of what makes this issue so critical for Americans is that it really does continue this trend of putting corporations and profit above freedom and individual liberty. The war isn’t outside of our borders, the war is at home and it is between people who want to protect their home from the threat of fascism and people who are willing to forsake all liberty for the cause of “security.”
Senator Dodd says “I would be a fool” to take the President’s offer
“A nation of truly free men and women, would never take trusting for an answer, not even from a perfect president, especially not from this one…”
The President refused to answer what we’d be “cleaning up” or immunizing. He says Congress is being asked for token oversight, but we need full oversight over the intelligence community. Senator Dodd brought up the issue of war, “unprecedented immunity” and all that that represents, Dodd explains that his conscience would not let him rest if he were to allow this to continue.
His speech is excellent and explains why he is going to lead a filibuster action against the FISA legislation that stands before the Senate. Senator Dodd also raised the issue of a government, attitude, and actions reminiscent of totalitarian regimes.
Before we entertain arguments that everything “has changed,” he said:
“The power to use spying must be use sparingly. […] FISA conferred the Presidents ability to conduct surveillance of foreigners.”
As written in 1978 and amended five times since, FISA has accomplished its mission. Every time president’s have come to Congress, we’ve worked together to safeguard America. Dodd reviewed numerous attempts by Congress to work with Presidents over three decades.
“Is this about our security, or his power?”
Dodd asked rhetorically, “Why is this president pushing so hard for telecommunication immunity?” He sheepishly raises the issue of Dick Cheney, confidentiality, secrecy and corruption.
“With this executive branch, secrecy is power. […] We see a pattern of secrecy starting at the beginning of this administration. We see a proposal that seeks to immunize themselves. They fear that they have broken the law, will become liable or convicted. “
“If the President does it, it’s not illegal” — President Richard Nixon
The telecommunication immunity provision is and always has been a self-preservation bill, says Dodd. When corporations were breaking the law, the excuse will always be that they were “doing their patriotic duty”. When a company [AT&T] gave the NSA a secret headquarters and access to American information, they were doing “their patriotic duty.”
Our “network you can trust” is a fraud and so are enablers of war crimes
Dodd says that
“Truth is not private property […] it belongs to every one of us and deserves to be heard.”
He further explains that it’s an exaggeration to claim these corporations will go bankrupt. As an example, he cites AT&T profits that have raised over 40 percent while posting three record profits in a time of very public litigation.
The point isn’t to cripple our telecommunications industry, the point is to put an end to domestic spying.
“The larger the corporation, the greater potential for abuse and the more carefully they should be watched.”
The rise of corporations and wealth place them beyond the scope of the “individual.” Dodd argues that it’s illegal and unbelievable that AT&T has allowed the NSA full and unchecked access within its facility. “AT&T cannot seriously contend that it believed this dragnet was legal.”
A Fox News analyst said “Typical greedy trial lawyers” just want their hands on the money of our American corporations
It doesn’t surprise me that the corporation that sold out Americans to facilitate the rise of fascism, is arguing against liability for corporations.
Paraphrase:
We’ve seen this administration chip away at the rule of law. It is an outrage when President Bush set up secret courts, an outrage when he spied on American citizens, it is outrageous that he allowed torture, outrage after outrage after outrage… the law needs to be drawn somewhere, why not here and why not today?
Senator Dodd ends with a famous quote by Benjamin Franklin:
“Those who forsake essential liberty for security deserve neither liberty nor security.” — Benjamin Franklin
If you want to read something that’ll really tick you off, check out my sister blog and read about a U.S. Senator that believes the Constitution should be disregarded in the name of fighting national security.
UPDATE: Senator Chris Dodd led victory on the FISA issue today, it’s now being put to rest until January when Congress reconvenes.
tags:constitution, democracy, Domestic, freedom, Law, liberty, Policy, Privacy
Fred Soto is an Attorney and Entrepreneur from the Silicon Valley.
Email this author | All posts by Fred Soto
[…] I’ll give him this: he DID stutter after he said it, I think he realized how dumb he sounded, but he pushed along with his unique brand of ultra patriotism. Yet, if he wants a true example of American patriotism, he only needs look across the aisle at Senator Chris Dodd who is really fighting for our freedom […]
[…] Senator Chris Dodd, a liberal, did his patriotic duty this morning by challenging FISA legislation that would serve to severely undermine our civil liberties. (full story) […]
First victory for the Constitution in a LONG time, bravo Chris Dodd and every other Senator that stood their ground. Senator Ted Kennedy gave an especially wonderful speech on problems with FISA and immunity for telecommunications companies.
[…] Senator Chris Dodd, a True Patriot […]
This is an interesting article concerning NSA from:
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/12/17/18467586.php
Will NSA illegal Electronic Spying, be used to Seize Citizens’ Homes?
by Dan Scott
Stop “Retroactive Immunity” for Phone Companies that helped NSA spy on Americans!
Determining what NSA electronic surveillance can be used by police or introduced into court by Government, may be the next battle Americans have to fight.
Senator Dodd plans to Filibuster a FISA bill that will give “Retroactive Immunity” to Telecoms that helped NSA spy on Americans’ phone calls, faxes and emails? If the government provides the Telecoms “Retroactive Immunity” at least forty lawsuits filed against those companies will be trashed. Not so obvious is what will happen to NSA’s millions of illegally collected emails, faxes and personal phone call information that belong to U.S. Citizens? Will that information be deleted or copied?
Depending on the legal method U.S. Government devises to let the phone companies off the hook for spying on Americans, could set NSA free—to share its “illegally collected wiretap information” with local, state and federal police to initiate ordinary domestic criminal investigations.
Determining what NSA electronic surveillance can be used by police or introduced into court by Government, may be the next battle Americans have to fight. Previously prosecutors were not allowed access to the Justice Department’s intelligence files for domestic criminal prosecutions. In 2003 a court ruling lowered that barrier, allowing prosecutors to review old surveillance. In 2003, Attorney General John Ashcroft asked government prosecutors to review thousands of old intelligence files including wiretaps to retrieve information prosecutors could use in “ordinary criminal prosecutions.”
It is problematic Law enforcement agencies will want to use NSA’s old illegal wiretap evidence and other surveillance to go back decades to arrest Americans and/or civilly forfeit citizens’ homes, inheritances and business using a mere “preponderance of evidence” under Title 18 of the United States Code. The Patriot Act specifically mentions the provisions passed in Rep. Henry Hyde’s bill HR 1658 “The Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act of 2000.” HR 1658 contained a “retroactive asset forfeiture provision” that was made retroactive for assets already subject to government forfeiture, “property already tainted by crime” providing that “the property” was part of or later connected to a criminal investigation that was in progress” when HR.1658 passed. In 2000 after HR1658 passed the old statute of limitations that gave government five years to seize property involved in crime died. Police now have five-years to seize property from “whenever they claim” they learned an asset was made subject to civil asset forfeiture. There are now over 200 U.S. laws that can subject property to civil asset forfeiture.
Imagine NSA sharing its illegal-domestic surveillance information with countless police agencies dependent on forfeiting Citizens’ property to pay their department operating costs. Police too easily can take an innocent person’s phone call or hastily written email out of context to allege a crime was committed. Imagine Police using the Patriot Act’s low standard of proof “a preponderance of evidence” to judge NSA illegal domestic wiretap information, perhaps to go back before 2000 to civilly seize a Citizen’s home, business or other property. No conviction is required for the U.S. Government to civilly forfeit a Citizen’s home or business. Under the Patriot Act, witnesses can be kept secret while being paid part of the assets they cause to be forfeited.
[…] defends not liberty but Statism Posted on January 2, 2008 by Lance Last month, Chris Dodd tried to stop the FISA bill in the Senate, which essentially gave more Congressional approval to the wiretapping methods of the […]