JohnCusick's blog
Thank you Senators Cantwell and Murray for standing firm when you voted yesterday to uphold the Constitution and rule of law and reject retroactive immunity for the Bush administration and those telecommunications companies who have illegally spied on United States citizens. We only regret you and your 26 colleagues were in the minority and HR 6304 was passed to the delight of President Bush who gleefully signed this egregious unconstitutional legislation today. Like you, we are disheartened to see headlines such as the AP's "Senate bows to Bush, approves surveillance bill". We need to change this headline! To do so, we will support those of you who stood firm, elect a Democratic president along with Darcy Burner and other new Democratic members of Congress who will uphold the Constitution and rule of law, and continue to encourage and support all their efforts to undo the provisions of this legislation and eliminate the abuse of executive power. Meanwhile, we will turn our attention to the judicial system, where judges have ruled consistently to reject Bush's contention that Article II provides the President unprecedented power to override the law. Both the American Civil Liberties Union and Electronic Frontier Foundation are filing multiple suits related to FISA and provisions of HR 6304. I encourage all of us to add our names to the ACLU's full page national newspaper ad by signing here. # # # Cantwell: Intelligence Surveillance Must Protect National Security and Americans' RightsWednesday, July 09,2008 WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) issued the following statement regarding the FISA Act. "We all want to protect our country's national security interests and Americans from those who would do us harm, but to do so without accountability or without checks and balances is contrary to our country's very foundations. "I have serious concerns about this legislation including whether innocent Americans' privacy rights will be respected. "I am also troubled that this bill would effectively dismiss 40 pending cases regarding telecom companies' participation in the Bush administration's warrantless surveillance program. Congress should not be providing blanket immunity for telecommunications companies that cooperated with the Administration's warrantless wiretapping programs. We don't know precisely what those companies did or the full extent of their actions. Congress should respect judicial review and not take away the only opportunity for redress available to American citizens for potential overreaching by this Administration." # # #
Senator Murray's Statement on FISA Wednesday, July 09,2008 (Washington, D.C.) - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement on her vote opposing final passage of H.R. 6304, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978. The legislation passed the Senate by a vote of 69-28. "I am committed to giving our intelligence professionals the legitimate tools they need to make America more secure, while at the same time protecting the constitutional liberties of all Americans. "For that reason, I oppose granting blanket retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that may have illegally allowed the government to spy on innocent Americans' phone calls, email, and Internet activity. Granting immunity would not make America safer, but would only serve to prevent Americans from asserting their constitutional rights and legitimize the president's warrantless wiretapping program. "I voted for three amendments that would have improved this bill by increasing accountability and protecting the liberties of Americans. Unfortunately, each of these amendments failed. At that time, it became clear that I could not support the surveillance bill in its current form. "I remain committed to ensuring that the government is able to collect vital intelligence information in order to protect America, while respecting the civil liberties we so strongly fight to defend." |
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With the cicadae humming in the background, I gaze east at the vast Pacific Ocean and think fondly of all our friends in Thurston County and the USA. Trying to put my head around the political realities back home while being in such an idyllic setting is certainly a challenge, but one I am grateful for and which will likely fade quickly when we return next week! Christi and I have been fortunate to have spent the last month in New Zealand, an indescribably beautiful country, populated by both dark and light skinned folks who are friendly, informal, and definitely value humor more than pretense. If you’ve been here, you certainly understand. If you haven’t, do make plans to come. Although news here understandably is not focused on what the world’s hyperpower is up to, it is significant that the Prime Minister, Helen Clark, has been granted two hours of face time with George Bush next week. She’s making her first trip next week to the U.S. since 2002, leaving the same day we do on a regular commercial flight– accompanied by no significant entourage. She apparently was not well received in 2002, declining to sign up for the “coalition of the willing,” or whatever it was called. She plans to talk about trade, security in the South Pacific region and Afghanistan. According to sources here, she will also meet with Nancy Pelosi the following day, and will stop in Seattle to visit the UW and Microsoft on her return. We did have an opportunity to attend a session of Parliament a couple of weeks ago. Similar to Britain, it was much livelier than our Congress, as it is common for opposition speakers to interrupt whoever has the floor. We also had a great tour, our guide being an expatriate American who migrated 40 some years ago. (This preceded our trip to the south island where we rented an apartment from another expatriate. Hmm...) |
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Greetings from Down Under!
After spending a few days in Sydney, Australia, en route to New Zealand, we happened to book our first night in New Zealand in Auckland’s “New President Hotel,” which houses no less than the “Watergate Restaurant!” Most everyone down here — Australian Prime Minister John Howard being the exception — undoubtedly shares the sentiment expressed in this hotel name. We were fortunate to depart Sydney before Dick Cheney shuts the place down when he arrives later this week in an attempt to leverage further troop commitments from Prime Minister Howard. “Cheney seeks greater war effort” read the headline in yesterday’s The Australian, where the lead letter to the editor got it right: “Aussies won’t be fooled by Cheney propaganda blitz.” Meanwhile, the weather and people are great. We’re headed to points east and south this morning, looking forward to experiencing some of the beautiful landscapes these islands have to offer. Our best to all as we continue to work collectively for that much needed new president. |
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Message from the Chair
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