Emptywheel!

zed and to bed

boing boing flying forward one-and-a-half somersaults, pike position, no splash (’natch)

g’evening all. Marcy!

I’m proud to say both my Senators voted no immunity for the phone companies today. Hope my calls to both of them helped.

EW!!!

Fuck bipartisanship!

Hi Suzanne.

My friend thanks you for your good vibes today. Though the hospital was verrrrry slow, the biopsy went without insident & she’ll find out her results early next week.

We had great & lively conversation for the 4 hours we waited.

good news, eCAHN. haven’t heard from nahant’s sweetie yet on how his surgery went today.

We need to put lots of pressure on Hillary and Obama big time to get their tushkies back to DC and vote no on cloture.

Thanks, Marcy. It was damn tough to figure out what the heck was going on today.

Hey Marcy. I was sayin’ in the prior thread, I’ve been out of the FISA loop for I guees a month or more, so I forgot alot of stuff. If anyone could give me a link or something I’d be most appreciative. Here’s my query:

Aside from telecom immunity, what are the major differences/similarities between the SSCI bill and the SJC bill. Even in Deceember, telecom immunity was the big deal for me. Other than that, what are the big differences? A linmk would be appreciated. If any of you answer that, pretend I’m Reagan and keep it in small bites.

9.8! Bon Soir, Ma Cheri!

Not another Bush-Push to stick Americans with bad law.

Forget any bad feelings you may have towards Harry Reid. We’ve got three days to make sure he beats Mitch McConnell in an important showdown on FISA on Monday.

Great advice, the prize is worth it.

Marylanders! Join me in calling Mikulski tomorrow. I’ve already emailed her my disappointment in her vote today. She DOES read and respond to emails, so I’ll email her again about cloture.

wangdangdoodle @ January 24th, 2008 at 8:06 pm says,
Fuck bipartisanship!

Speaks for me.

They’ll be coming back to DC on Monday, but I don’t think the FISA debate has much to do with it. There’s this little SOTU speech Bush is giving on national TV that night . . . lots of cameras, lots of reporters, lots of opportunities for spin. Just the place for a couple of presidential candidates to be seen.

FISA is just a happy coincidence, I’m afraid.

Why didn’t the debate mods ask the rethug candidates about FISA?

Great news, eCAHN.

Marcy, thank you for figuring this out in your own great big mind and breaking it down so even I can follow it. You rawk.

Hope the beer goddess is smiling on you.

In case you haven’t seen this, the NYT endorses Hillary.

Landrieu, Louisiana’s very own DINO. She is seeing the end of her career at hand and is desperate to look as non-Dem as possible to save her seat. There will be phone calls in the morning, and e-mails, natch.

Yes, bingo. If they’ll come out and make this vote easy, it’ll go a long way to getting us a win.

just put it on the ticker – also endorsed st john

thanks emptywheel. evening dear friends.

Nobody gives a shit about FISA except us, the telecoms and some Rethug dorks who think they can angle the whole thing into “see, i toldja the democrats are weak on national security.” Not enough people care.

Because their bosses also support corporate sovereignty.

What if there’s a filibuster happening next door to the House Chambers…

Tim Tagaris at OpenLeft says that Reid has put in a bill for a 30 day extension of FISA, and that a cloture vote comes on that on Monday, before the cloture vote on the Senate Intelligence Committee bill.

Still can’t see the ticker, Suz.

Great summary and explanation. Time to let go of the hate, as Yoda would say, and focus on tactics.

We can hate later if we lose. :)

Hey TexBetsy.

Or, “because they’re too stupid to recognize the importance of the issue”

Or, “because they think their audience is too stupid to recognize the importance of the issue”

The SOTU is so bogus ever since it turned into a bunch of drunk old farts doin’ the wave. They oughta give ‘em thundersticks on the way in.

Hey Ron D. How are ya my friend?

My Demo governor is giving the SOTU Democratic response.

Let me know what you all think of her.

Possible VP material, maybe.

Forget any bad feelings I may have towards Harry Reid?

I don’t think so.

Napolitano?

This is about as good as it gets for us. We have a great window of opportunity to call the grass roots to arms (fax and phone) for three solid days.

I have to say I am really glad I sent a few thank you notes to Senator Lincoln D-AR in the last month. She is not one we should count on for the most part, but she is voting correctly on FISA.

Phew! thanks for explaining. I like your last sentence as my talking point:

Republicans are gambling our safety and our privacy with their obstruction, and it needs to stop.

Dems seem to respond to noises about fear and safety.

No, Kathleen Sebelius (KS)

The McConnell cloture vote is to shut down a filibuster. One of the delightful side effects of beating this back would be the potential for exactly what you describe.

But I’m not greedy. I’d settle for beating McConnell at 5PM, letting the Senate adjourn for the evening, pouring myself a glass of wine, and watching Bush melt down in the SOTU. Dodd can continue to talk on Tuesday morning.

First things first, though: McConnell must be stopped.

If you want a link, here’s SJC’s recent report on the FISA fight.

And while I can’t tell you the difference between SJC and SSCI right away (because I forget what got voted into SJC), here are the relevant issues:

Is FISA the exclusive means of electronic surveillance?
Can the Govt wiretap Americans overseas?
Does the FISA Court only get to review the government’s minimization procedures, or do they get to say the government isn’t fulfilling their own standards for minimization procedures (minimization is the process by which they get rid of US person data that they pick up incidentally to other taps)?
Can the government use a warrant to tap a group of people, or is it limited to one person?
Can the government use datamining to select its targets or not?
Should telecoms get immunity? Should the government pick up their liability? should FISC determine their liability?

My Demo governor is giving the SOTU Democratic response.

Crap. I don’t remember the weekend and I’m not even drinking.

Guess this means I can write wingnut history books now.

Hi Tex, Suz, everyone.
I only listened to a little bit of the FISA coverage today. My cabeza gonna esplode if I expose it to too much of that crap.

Not sure on that–I’m confused as is everyone here (particularly whether this vote precedes or comes after teh SSCI vote). But we need to make sure we get Dems behind Reid here. This one counts.

And our presidential candidates need to lead those who have endorsed them (Bayh and McCaskill, among others) to do the right thing.

Bayh is chair of HRC’s something or another, no? FISA is therefore the opportunity whose candidate she is to call Bayh and say in all sincerity that the title comes with the obligation to be on the same page as the candidate if he wants to be on the same plane–i.e. cabinet level, or is he angling for a Veep job?

What are the chances that the other 11 will listen to a non-constituent?

Like the choice of Webb last year, Sebelius could be quite good — especially in contrast to Bush.

For those who don’t know her, she has a record of reaching out to clearthinking republicans, and pulling them over to her side: literally getting them to switch parties, not just vote with her from time to time. She doesn’t straddle the aisle and call it noble; she grabs wavering republicans, points to the wingnuts (esp the TheoCons) who are running the GOP in KS, and says to them “Is this really the way you think government should be run?” One of her most recent high-profile decisions was to refuse to sign off on a big new coal-fired power plant, favoring instead a push toward greener sources of energy. The coal industry in particular and the energy industry in general are beyond pissed at her.

She may reach across the aisle, but not in the way that Bush or most of the DC crowd thinks about that phrase.

Fine, TexBetsy…treading water, at any rate, thank you very much…How are you?

Put them on ice, perhaps?

Have the Ditch Mitc people been mobilized on FISA? Anyone know?

That’s OK, Kirk. It hasn’t happened yet.

Just looking forward a few days.

Comment from Red State …

Good answer from Rudy by zuiko
Conservatism is already compassionate… it doesn’t need to be tempered with compassion.
—
Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. – Milton Friedman

That’s the sort of genius a yokel like me just can’t beat.

I’ve been better, but not terrible.

Excellent point. She’s with us here (or at least was on teh SJC bill). Now we have to get her to twist Pryor’s arm.

But it might not hurt to call her anyway, since we stand to lose some supoprt from the Blue Dems unless we get solid opposition to cloture.

Dems seem to respond to noises about fear and safety.

OOoh fear and safety!

Grow some bark, is how I’d respond. Toughen up–a lot.

LOL
Scarecrow rightly said I was appropriating a Bush talking point with that. I was. But intentionally. If you like it, use it.

What Peterr said.

Man. Would that be supreme, or what? I’ll be in DC for the SOTU next week–not sure where I’m watching. But I’d sure rather watch humbled Bush than arrogant Bush.

What hasn’t happened?

Are you my editor at Regency?

No. How do we mobilize them? Excellent point.

McCaskill is one of Obama’s national co-chairs, and I suspect she’s leaning on Obama *not* to push her on this.

Sprint’s headquarters is in Kansas City, and the voices from there are the ones she is listening to. If push came to shove, I think she’d listen to Sprint before she’d listen to Obama.

For a former prosecutor, that’s pretty sad.

Yeah, I so love throwing BS back at where it came from.

EW, is there such a thing as a humbled Bush? I’ve seen pissed-off Bush, fakey-smiley-jokey Bush, but humble?

Maybe we try to get Whitehouse to push her on his amendment? I’m not entirely sure he’s with us on the cloture vote (he and DiFi are possible defections). But he might be able to talk some prosecutor into her?

I’m with TSF…forget anger at Harry Reid?

I think suspending it for three days is probably the best I can do.

Okay. Done.

Man. Would that be supreme, or what? I’ll be in DC for the SOTU next week–not sure where I’m watching. But I’d sure rather watch humbled Bush than arrogant Bush.

Oh, it wouldn’t be a humbled Bush. It would be a pissed-off, angry-enough-to-spit-nails, pound-on-the-desk-with-his-shoe Bush.

And I would love to see it very, very much.

Are you sure she doesn’t listen to the voices in her head?

My point is, if dems feel “blackmailed” by Rs saying “you’re putting americans at risk if you don’t do things our way” then this is their button, so let’s push it. Say “ooo, we’re scared you’re putting us at risk if you blow it on FISA.”

Humbled Bush ?

… must be Bush41 … *g*

No, but he tried to play humble Bush when he went to Saudi Arabia last week and begged for money. So at least he’s been practicing the part, if unconvincingly.

Are you my editor at Regency?

What’s up, Doc? As if…

Well he does not wear it well, but Bush tried on his Humble Suit with the saudis.

Wha… while he was waving the scimitar around…? *g*

The last thing -telecom immunity – I knew. i just don’t see how the SJC bill doesn’t addess the Republicans concerns. Except, of course, immunity. I mean, if the SJC bill contained telecom immunity, wouldn’t the Republicans be able to live with it? Or still too much judicialoversight?

Thanks for the link. I really appreciate it. I’ve been looking around the internets myself, too. Thanks again.

IOW, Toddler Bush

Harry really showed his cards at the end of the day.. He knows he’s being played and yet he knows he wants the GOpers and the Administration to win.. But as he said himself, They are refusing to vote on their own bills.

Wake up Harry.. shake off the dollars and read your oath.

You mean Sprint sold out? I got rid of my AT&T landline and kept a Sprint wireless thinking I was doing my part.

Hey Marcy…what about the most important talking point? We don’t want President Hillary Clinton to have that much power without oversight, do we? ;)

Whitehouse might be good, but I’d say Leahy would be better. Someone has to tell her that there are times NOT to listen to the corporate interests back home, and that message has to come from someone who has been around for a while.

Also, from Leahy’s official bio, I noticed this:

In 2003 the National Guard Association presented Leahy with its highest individual honor, the Harry S. Truman Award, for his “sustained contributions of exceptional and far-reaching magnitude to the defense and security of the United States in a manner worthy of recognition at the national level.”

The recipient of an award named after Truman, given for the reasons stated, might carry a lot of weight with the woman who now holds Truman’s seat in the Senate.

My senator – McCaskill – has been a real disappointment. She voted today to table the SJC version of the bill and back in December, she voted for cloture against Chris Dodd.

I’m calling on all my fellow Missourians (and the rest of you fine folks) to flood her offices with phone calls, faxes and e-mails, telling her that’s it’s not too late – she can vote against cloture and for amendments to the SSCI bill. Especially amendments that say “No” to telecom immunity and basket warrants and that say “Yes” to minimization procedures.

Here is her web contact form:

http://mccaskill.senate.gov/contact.cfm

Here are her contact numbers:

Washington, DC
Phone: (202) 224-6154
Fax: (202) 228-6326

Cape Girardeau
Phone 573-651-0964
Fax 573-334-4278

Columbia
Phone:573-442-7130
Fax:573-442-7140

Kansas City
Phone: 816-421-1639
Fax: 816-421-2562

Springfield
Phone: 417-868-8745
Fax: 417-831-1349

St. Louis
Phone: 314-367-1364
Fax: 314-361-8649

What is the story on Mikulski, Carper and Inouye? They are in safe Democratic seats. Why are they voting against immunity. Are they just corrupt and in the pocket of the telecoms?

Heh, revenge of the vast left wing conspiracists? ;-)

she doesn’t have to bother: NSA sends her transcripts.

Peterr, which side do you live on, Missouri or Kansas?

No.

The problem (for the Republicans) is that they want to legalize a few things that Bush doesn’t want to admit he’s asking to be legalized. They are:

Basket warrants, which basically legalize datamining and non-specific wiretapping.

Big databases, made of US person data that they haven’t minimized properly.

Wiretapping of Americans overseas (which, I suspect, includes US wiretaps of American on cables overseas, rather than on Americans traveling overseas).

I’ve already started on Inouye, since he’s one of mine… At least Akaka voted right…!

I don’t know if they did or not — but I’m guessing they’d rather have the immunity than have to worry about lawsuits (whether justified or not).

ding!

I can answer my own question I think. Too much oversight.

So are you offering to call Leahy?

He’d be susceptible to a claim that this was all turf wars, the SSCI trying to assert its domination over SJC, because he said as much on the floor. He did sound pissed about that, after all.

MO – Jackson County, where she used to be the prosecutor.

I get it now, sorry.

What I tell my congressman is this:
Will you intercede for me if I get arrested with a bong?
Hahah! Gets a big laugh. I say no, I’m serious. Will you fight to make my actions retroactively legal and unpunishable by law? Cause that’s what you’re doing for these big telecoms, and they were spying on me and I did NOT like it. They knew they were infringing on my rights, you know it, and you want to make it all go away?
Are we all equal under the law in this great country or are some of us more equal than others?
Do you want to see a breakdown of law and order?

Aunt Babs has a rotary phone. Can’t say much beyond that.

Well done. Thanks.

You might appeal to her sense of law–she must know that this is all about letting Admin people off for sure legal violations.

nice questions, margot – what has been the response?

So are you offering to call Leahy?

He’d be susceptible to a claim that this was all turf wars, the SSCI trying to assert its domination over SJC, because he said as much on the floor. He did sound pissed about that, after all.

Oh, you’re good . . .

Yeah, I suppose I am.

Anybody know what’s with Spaceman Nelson? I thought he was a good guy back in December. He was one of the 12 who voted wrong today. What gives?

Well, if I’m going to call Leahy’s office tomorrow, I better get a good night’s sleep tonight.

G’nite, all!

Bong Hits for Jesus? ;-)

Very good question. I’ve been trying to do donor research on them.

I will say that Lockheed Martin, who I believe is doing a lot of the illegal wirteapping, has given big to Rockefeller, Inouye, Landrieu, Pryor, Mikulski, Pryor, and Nelson, not to mention Obama and Hillary, Dodd, Reid.

So I’d guess that’s a big issue.

Night Peterr!

g’nite peterr

I wrote McCaskill this afternoon because I gave her support when she ran. Could someone provide phone numbers for Hillary and Obama because they’d better vote, and why can’t they “lead” their supporters to join them?

Thanks for your patience and help, Marcy. This is important stuff, huh? I bookmarked the SJC report and I see what you’re saying.

Aloha, Peterr!

G’nite, Peterr. Sleep well.

geez louise, pups, ya’ll aint dugg this post yet? don’t make me put my hands on my hips now

The staffers kind of pause and think. And say, “Yeah, that’s right. No, we’re all equal under the law.”etc. So at least it gets their attention.

Maybe a few calls of encouragement to Reid?

Will you intercede for me if I get arrested with a bong?

Bongs are illegal? Damn.

Seriously, I think Margot has a really good point. Anyone notice that the ballplayers are now blowing off subpoenas cuz they’re not enforced for miers and co.? Let’s not forget Mr. Libby who scooted scot free and now the TELECOMS and the WHITEHOUSE! Yes, I’m YELLING NOW. Just forget about the law, forget about writing any more laws, forget about the legislature entirely. Just flush it down the hole with all that effing lobbyist money.

Spit.

Good ideas. That is what has surprised me the most about her actions on FISA. She is a former prosecutor and state auditor. She’s no stranger to the law. She can be a bulldog when she wants to be.

I suspect that the other posters are right about Sprint (HQ in Kansas City) being a heavy influence on her (not to mention AT&T/Cingular which has a heavy presence in St. Louis). But that’s no excuse…

I wholeheartedly concur, too! ;-)

I live in NJ and I’m voting on Super Tuesday. I’m telling Obama’s and Hilliary’s campaign that my vote is up for their consideration for the first one who will say they will go back to DC and fight this. Since they are all caught up in one upmanship and all.

For the first time in my life I get to have a vote that will count in a primary, and I going to try to give it as much weight as possible.

I suggest any and all who is voting on Super Tuesday to consider doing this also.

No excuse indeed and all the more reason to be the watchdog v. the lapdog.

ditto

It’s not a bong, it’s a…bud vase.

Goodnight all. To sleep, then the phones…the best of all possible tomorrows to you all.

What better way to prove that they are really for change? Proof’s in the pudding.

I like your idea (but I’m voting for Edwards who already urged supporters to contact their senators).

hehehehehe g’nite rond

Guys. I gotta run and finish out muy week. I’ll let you know if Rudy just implodes and goes splat right in downtown Orlando, Could happen any day, but i’m guessin’ over the wekend. As we get real close to election day, i think you’re gonna see one very desparate man. And it ain’t gonna be pretty.

Marcy, thanks again for walkin’ me through this (Suzanne knows how that can be). I gotta get in touch with Senator Spaceman. Nite.

g’nite rond. I’ll save ya a seat at the next debate.

g’nite bfl don’t get any splat on your shoes

…it’s a…bud vase.

LOL! Aloha, Ron!

If you want to have a belly laugh and after tonight’s debate who doesn’t go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZyW2-vSqV8

I need a bong hit.

I’m really serious.

This talking about bongs is light. But seriously, I don’t see how laws can be flaunted and illegal actions actually made retroactively legal– by the very people who purport to represent us, without completely tearing down the foundation of equality under the law this country is built on.

And I don’t think people will stand for it forever.

That was awesome! The kid nailed it to a tee…!

You’re just rubbin’ it in now. My whole life I live in NJ with a June primary that didn’t mean shit. So I move to Florida and a January primary that doesn’t mean shit (for Dems). Enjoy the new experience Mm. Let me know how it feels.

Come on over. Oh wait… FISA…..shit

never mind.

In case anybody didn’t see this before (I didn’t but i don’t go to DKos all that much), this was good for me – Russ Feingold explains differences between SJC bill and SSCI bill – in small bites.

You GO, Hiya dosido, and Margot! And, it isn’t a bong, it is a SCIENCE EXPERIMENT according to my relative.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/…../70/438259

My 130 & 132 are missing a link. It’s at 133.

Bongs are illegal? Damn.

Ironically, ya could do more time for the ‘paraphernalia’ than the substance…

Where are my manners?, Suz,
Thank you for diving again — I really missed it!

The answer to that is papers. No evidence.

The crutch, the baggie…

I totally effin serious too. I came to FDL with a link from friggin’ Court TV for crying out loud. Since when is Rule of Law such a liberal thing to believe in? A fringe issue?

And I’m serious about needing a bong hit. I’m pretty keyed up.

Oh, just kidding Mr. Mukasey.

i don’t feel like diving but… after today…

OT: who can edit an audio file?

I’m supporting Edwards up to now, he can show up in DC with a gaggle of reporters and demonstrate leadership too. However he doesn’t seem to want to do it. It’s really nice to ask people to contact their Senators, but it’s a slightly more then no shows.

And I have to be honest, if Obama or Hilliary shows up for the Constitution, well that is really a powerful statement, and one that is worthy of my vote IMHO.

Raven gets the Best Linky Award for today. IMHO.

Safety Dance as posted earlier during FISA hearings.

You can act real rude and totally removed and act like an imbecile.

Tommy Chong did 9 months for, I think, selling bongs.
Which is kind of why I used that as my example. It really infuriated me.

Well, that’s an idea. I think it’s a little tricky because he’s not an active Senator and it might be so much grandstanding when he can’t vote. ITA with your point about BO and/or HRC showing up. It’s their job after all and they are still auditioning for Prez. They should show up. It would be the most revealing thing about their Presidency. Show or no show, I mean.

Emptywheel
In response to Alvord @ 81

Very good question. I’ve been trying to do donor research on them.

I will say that Lockheed Martin, who I believe is doing a lot of the illegal wirteapping, has given big to Rockefeller, Inouye, Landrieu, Pryor, Mikulski, Pryor, and Nelson, not to mention Obama and Hillary, Dodd, Reid.

So I’d guess that’s a big issue.

EW and Alvord, with no snark intended, Mikulski sure seemed to be on the NSA’s (criminal) case about FISA two years ago.

So she sure hasn’t seemed like the Sen from Fort Meade in the past.

If campaign bribes contributions weren’t the cause, I’m kinda creeped out to wonder what happened to explain how she voted today…

yet in 2006 Glenzilla noted:

According to Committee Member Barbara Mikulski, the questions which the Committee’s hearings would explore include:

What was the rationale for the necessity of the secret order?

If the actions in the secret order were believed to be necessary, why was there no request to change the existing statutory law or for a new law?

What limitations, if any, on spying on U.S. citizens were included in the secret order?

What was done with any information collected on U.S. citizens pursuant to such secret order?

Are there any other secret orders relating to spying on U.S. citizens?

Especially in light of the retractions via “clarification” by Alberto Gonzales of significant portions of his testimony before the Judiciary Committee, and in light of the increasingly compelling evidence that there are other warrantless eavesdropping programs aimed at Americans, what possible rationale could exist for the Intelligence Committee not to have hearings on these questions? How can there be any action taken by the Senate with regard to NSA issues unless it knows the answers to these basic questions?

My local Smoke shop has numerous signs stating “For Tobacco Use Only”… *g*

I have some blackberry cordial just for times like these.

Cripes … I wonder how many he sold while inside ?!! *g*

never mind. problem is solved.

Ymmmm. blackberry cordial. yum.

Remember Tommy!

Linky just for you Margot! Listen to the whole thing, it’s worth it.

My local Smoke shop has numerous signs stating “For Tobacco Use Only”… *g*

Wacky.

burn one down

Hi folks….

Well, I say forget all protocols and have Dodd invite Edwards to these Senate FISA proceedings….

Wahoo!

Thanks for the explanation and the inspiration, EW. I just sent a scorcher of an e-mail to Senator Mikulski, who has proven herself to be a zero time and again. I will try to encourage others around here to do same.

I found Clinton’s office, BTW, as of yesterday, completely unprepared for (or uninterested in) dealing with calls urging her to actually come back to DC and work to oppose the immunity provisions. Her phone answerer could not depart from a written statement espousing “support” for Dodd’s effort, and they refer you to a legislative “staffer” who turns out to be a voice mail box promising a return call that never arrives. At least Obama had a phone person who appeared familiar with the nuances of the subject and sounded interested in passing my comments along.

I am starting a whole Suzanne Youtube collection.

officer…

i’m shocked, shocked

(UCSB ‘77)

blushing
my musical tastes are somewhat eclectic i must say. my oldest girl was doing the 10step to wham when she was little.

Iraq is so yesterday.

On to Pakistan!

-G

hey, i live in santa cruz county – what did ya expect?

I was just listening to David Bowie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueUOTImKp0k

My first husband loved him. We saw him twice in the early seventies in Memphis.

Wham? Nooo not George!

Way Cool Suz.

You must know this one.

Toyes.

CCongrats to FDL for getting Slasdotted today. It isn’t just the political blogs who are hammering on this.

I saw that guy at one of those Neil Young Bridge Concerts a while back…
I believe he was either billed with Smashing Pumpkins or Pearl Jam….

Not bad….

here ya go mary, you can even subscribe to me

i have to clean it out frequently since the forkers at utube only let me have 500 favorites at a time

Hey, that works for me!

Slasdotted??

The right to allow their colleagues to suggest reasonable amendments is a basic fundamental one, especially when the Intelligence Committee version was granted priority over the Judiciary version. Even Jello Jay must see that the concerns of those in the Judiciary Committee must be hallowed a hearing and incorporated into the Final version of the Bill. The different concerns of both Committees must be incorporated into the Final Bill.

At the very least they must allow those concerned about the erosion of fundamental Constitutional rights a chance to be HEARD! And if they oppose these Amendments they should give their constituents a chance to hear why they opposed incorporating basic Fourth Amendment protections into the law.

tis the song KFOG plays every Friday nite at 5pm on the drive home radio show

My fav. Bowie song … Reid to the Repugs … Let’s Dance …

Hey, you know it’s crazy enough to work….

I would so love that…..

FDL is about as deep as I go into the blog pool…what’s slashdotted mean, or whatever.

Signed, the lil tadpole

Kool!

Just checking! Give the girl a bong cigar!

I’m a pushover for cassanettes (sp?)

Let’s Dance

… hope the link shows up this time …

The different concerns of both Committees must be incorporated into the Final Bill.

True! And telcom immunity was only added to the SSCI bill, neither the SJC’s nor the House bills contain it! Now if the SSCI bill does pass out it still has to be reconciled with the House bill… Good House managers could strip it out…

can’t find the utube for that ’smoke smoke smoke that funny cigarette’ song

castanets?

it did :)

a percussion cake

Yeah, you and millineryman have won me over on this point. And Edwards seems to really have his finger on the pulse of the American people more than any other candidate IMHO. He would totally get this. It could be a breakout moment for him.

do others agree?

that is great cake, tex, thanks

Thanks Betsy … all this talk of Bongs was making me hungry … *g*

I already have it.
MWAAAHAHAHAHAAAAAA.

Commander Cody. This was teh best I could do.

you’ll remember eventually.

hungry?

Mr. CE and I fell for one another over “Changes”

Carville, Begala Temporarily Banned From CNN After Obama Complaints
from Huff Po

Okay, this is interesting. I’ve just learned that CNN has told top Dem strategists James Carville, Paul Begala, and Robert Zimmerman — who are CNN mainstays but are all Hillary supporters — that they will not be doing any more political analysis on the network until the Democratic primary has reached a conclusion.

I’m also told that this move came after the Obama campaign repeatedly complained to high level officials at CNN about the presence of Carville and Begala on the network.

hey busted… you’re gonna have to retract that mwaaahahahaaaaa as you keep reading.

I already have it.
MWAAAHAHAHAHAAAAAA.

I’m sorta scared.

Wow!

and a little thirsty too

Let me clarify my MWAAAHAHAHAAAA,

I have it up to a certain date,I’m sure a lot more have been added since.

Hey Tex, you still have the chops for tasty cake!

Castanets, yeah. elton john used them sometimes too.

i’m a hankering for some cow bell. never enough cow bell in music nowadays.

wow indeed. Obama playing some hardball!

I would have been a great evil scientist.

Thank you! Here’s one for you:
link

Well, you certainly have the MWAAAHAHAHAAAA! down….

kudos…

He said as he threw his arms in the air, his fingers quivering and his MWAAAHAHAHAAAA reverberating around the castle.

busted, like this?

blog whore: news and blog posts are up

blog madam: several new posts up.

second blog whore: 3 posts today.

Huckabee: Drug dealers, prostitutes, pimps, gamblers…non Republicans.

Huck better take some ginko-biloba because he forgot about Casino Jack Abramoff, Duke Cunningham, Ted Haggard, Bob Ney, Bob Allen, Tom Delay, Mark Foley, Larry Craig and many, many more.

-G

Huckabee: Drug dealers, prostitutes, pimps, gamblers…non Republicans.

Independents.

I gotta have more cowbell, baby!

not original, but fun anyway.

‘blog madam ‘ … LOL !!!

((((( Betsy )))))

Huckabee: Drug dealers, prostitutes, pimps, gamblers…non Republicans.

the best the republicans have to offer

POIFECT!

More cowbell for you!

suzanne, how’s this?

well i am not a pimp!

needs more cowbell (laughing)

here

I’m in cowbell heaven.. thanks pups (hugs)

tex, not that kinda cow bell (laughing)

And just because I LOVE Blue Oyster Cult!

but i got you laughing!

One more cowbell

does curse words count as laughter? (ducking)

Someone get Zell Miller on the phone and see if he wants to retract this statement in light of recent events:

“And nothing makes this Marine madder than someone calling American troops occupiers rather than liberators.”

US says Afghani air force will not be ready until 2013.

-G

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200…..fghanistan

Pretty cool cowbell — saw lots of Will F. on Google.

take a little trip
take a little trip
take a little trip with me

if you’re laughing at the same time they do.

This is an easy win for progressives! tough for Corporatist Democrats. The commercial looks like this: Start with Russ Feingold and Chris Dodd talking about the fact that we all want to protect America from terrorists, but we do not support “PARDONING CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR.” The president has threatened a veto of this bill unless the Democrats agree to the provision that “PARDONS CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR.” We can’t do this. We took and oath to uphold the Constitution. We will not allow the new FISA bill to UN-Constitutionally PARDON CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR. TELL the Vice president Dick Cheney and his republican cohorts: The Democrats will not let the them PARDON UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR. Call your Senators Today!!

I want to show you guys something:

http://www.dahothouse.com/media/daughters.jpg

Far out, Margot!

Hey Chris, how cold is it where you are? It snowed today and is colder here.

nice.

tell us about it.

tempting you with some money upstairs

Gotta split for now…

Will make those calls tomorrow re: voting “against cloture and for amendments to the SSCI bill on Monday”. Any assist regarding a concise statement to those guys will be much appreciated. I’ll contact you guys tomorrow….

By the way—

Has anyone seen “Shoot’em up” (Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, Monica Bellucci)?
(That’s what’s on the menu tonite..)

Good-nite everybody—stay safe and warm (it’s so cold here in California, damn…)

Those are my girls. The shorter one is the oldest and is getting her doctorate in Chinese Medicine. The tall one just started school for her masters in nursing. 33 and 30.

beautiful! thanks for sharing.

Real pretty young ladies. Proud Mama!

Let me simplify your excellent statement into a nice little talking point:

“YOU DON’T NEED IMMUNITY FOR LEGAL BEHAVIOR”.

Oh heat wave, about 12 F, but no snow past 5:00. So cold that the Rhodos are now no longer “pencils” but lead thin, asMr. CE says…

Castanets.

“I like it better when she walks away.”

Alas, no tubes.

The Suz knows. *G*

Aside from telecom immunity, what are the major differences/similarities between the SSCI bill and the SJC bill. Even in Deceember, telecom immunity was the big deal for me. Other than that, what are the big differences? A link would be appreciated. If any of you answer that, pretend I’m Reagan and keep it in small bites.

I’m late to this and haven’t had time to read comments yet, so this may have been answered in a more complete/better fashion.

Other differences are minimization, and basket warrants–limiting the amount of innocent traffic (collateral damage) caught up in foreign surveillence, particularly when the calls go through the domestic US switching stations.

From EW:

Minimization is the word for the procedures the government uses to remove and (eventually) delete any data from US persons collected incidentally in the course of surveilling someone overseas

.

“Basket” warrants (sometimes called “blanket” or “program” warrants). Basket warrants raise major Fourth Amendment concerns as they do not require specific individuals be the targets of suspicion.

You can get some idea of other differences from
Battle over Domestic Wiretap Legislation:

In the next to the last paragraph:

While media attention has focused largely on the question of immunity for telecom firms, the additional limitations on surveillance contained in the Judiciary Committee’s version of the bill are, arguably, at least as significant. That bill would explicitly bar “bulk” or “vacuum cleaner” surveillance of international telecom traffic that is not directed at a particular person or telephone number. It would require individualized FISA court review whenever the collection of an American’s communications became a “significant purpose” of an investigation, whether or not that person was a “target” of the investigation. And it would provide for a congressional audit of past extrajudicial surveillance by the National Security Agency.

Also see this post from EW:

< <strong>a href=”http://thenexthurrah.typepad.com/the_next_hurrah/2007/11/the-fisa-amendm.html”>The FISA Amendment Will Legalize Data Mining, Part One EW 11/13/07

Sorry for the botched link. I’ll try again:

The FISA Amendment Will Legalize Data Mining, Part One EW 11/13 07

Chris Dodd’s Letter to Bush 1/24/08

I’m for John Edwards because he is for Chris Dodd and foiling the Bush-Cheney scheme to give retroactive immunity to the telecoms.

Unfortunately, the Democratic Majority Leader is Harry “Pink Tutu” Reid, well-known wuss and cave-in quisling. Not much hope for leadership there.

Unless Hillary or Obama show some steel, some leadership on this issue, I will not contribute, nor actively work for either of them come November. I would only vote for them because the Supreme Court hangs in the balance and any Democrat is better than any Republican.

Plus, I hate going into the voting booth and holding my nose. That stinks.

They [Clinton and Obama] need to show leadership on this issue

its too late for them to show leadership. Both have shown just the opposite: that they’re easily bought and their true interest is in representing the powerful money interests over the interests of the American people.

SHORTER OBAMA AND CLINTON: you support me, I don’t support you.

Ummm … that’s to the President of the Senate, not to President Bush. The remarks are also found in the Congressional Record.

Sheepish *g* Sorry I did not read carefully.