Wiretapping: Think Carefully

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/11/12/5168/

Wiretapping: Think Carefully
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Editorial

So what if lawmakers are considering granting immunity to telephone companies that help the government spy on Americans post-9/11? They’ve stopped short of covering for companies complicit in the illegal wiretapping even before those terrorist attacks six years ago (yes, it seems we were being spied on prior to the attacks as well). For those who think that mountains are being made of molehills, we bring you the words of historian/broadcaster Studs Terkel. Reading the 95-year-old’s words (you can hear them on CBC Radio’s “As It Happens”) should leave little doubt as to why warrantless wiretapping is wrong.

“It is un-American. … We’re nothing in the book of these phonies. Not only phonies, but they’re getting away with it,” said Terkel, who having the benefit of seeing the past century of this country’s history unfold before his eyes, says this Bush administration surpasses the McCarthy era (during which he was blacklisted) in fear mongering. He’s also a plaintiff in one of the lawsuits filed by the phone companies, and he’s participating, he says, out of duty.

“You mean you cannot sue a company that’s working with a phony, lying administration, to demean you, to make you a zero? To make you a ‘Good German‘? Is that the idea? … We are not nothing. We are not the ‘Good Germans.’ ” Terkel also wrote a piece for The New York Times, urging Congress to “think carefully” before denying Americans their “day in court.”

We need fewer Good Germans and more Studs Terkels in our midst — thinkers who aren’t afraid of speaking out, even as lawmakers mistake kowtowing with patriotic duty.

blasting the response to the oil spill in our bay.

Torture, not so much.

A resolution has been created to censure Senator Feinstein for her outrageous votes in the last two weeks as a member of the judiciary committee. There are many other votes that she has taken that have made many of us wonder when she became the Joe Lieberman of the West. If you know any people who are E-board delegates and who will attend the CDP E-board meeting this coming weekend, please contact them and ask them to vote for the resolution which follows:

Whereas the Democratic Party stands firmly against racism in any of its manifestations and for gender equality, and Senator Dianne Feinstein voted to confirm Judge Leslie Southwick for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit despite his record of clear racism and gender discrimination; and

Whereas the Democratic Party abhors torture and stands firmly against its use by the United States at all times and places, yet Senator Feinstein voted to confirm Judge Mukasey as United States Attorney General – thereby elevating to the highest position in law enforcement a men who refuses to renounce the right of the President to resort to torture, or to recognize waterboarding as a form of torture; and

Whereas these examples are far from the only instances where Senator Feinstein, after seeking and securing the support and endorsement of the California Democratic Party, has worked to oppose the policies and principles of our party.

Therefore be it resolved that Progressive Caucus of the Democratic Party of California expresses its disappointment at, and censure of Senator Feinstein for ignoring Democratic principles and falling so far below the standard of what we expect of our elected officials.

and after 57 years I'm not about to start now.

is corrupted.

In any court of law, any American accused of ANYTHING based on evidence obtained illegally is no evidence at all. All of it shall be considered fake, created by the NSA, et al.

Deny EVERYTHING. :D

"I did not write that email criticizing the current administration. You wrote it then put it on my hard drive... you Stasi bastard." :)

They might come in handy since we're not allowed to hire lawyers either.:D

;)

Don't be a "Good German"?

:hi:

and I'll BUY them. A retailer in my hood wants some! I'd get them from DFA or PDA but I want that LOCAL thing. :toast:

So you can have this for free. :D

:hug:

:loveya:

Or do you want me to tweak it a bit? Do you need a higher res pic for the printer? Let me know and I will PM it to you.

It is a pleasure to help you. :hug:

put into the site (more local flavor, right?).

Hi res would be great AND I know you are busy this week. Ahem!

And, speaking of the site, I have to go update it before it self destructs. Whenever you get around to it! My buddy Rolando said I could put them in his store -- same place my "impeachmints" were GONE in a matter of hours. lol :)

Check your inbox for a 300 dpi version. ;)

72 dpi:

:applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause:

It is what separates us from the animals.