Comments on: FISA: Dodd And Feingold Need Your Help

By: Parsley

Parsley — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:56:38 +0000

Thanks, Christy.
I wrote to my reps from last year, this year, and the ones who will represent me come autumn (when I move again).

By: bobschacht

bobschacht — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:37:42 +0000

Thanks for this, Christy!
I’ve used Congress.org to send a message, using the talking points proposed by bmaz next door at EW’s place.

Bob in HI

By: Christy Hardin Smith

Christy Hardin Smith — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:42:55 +0000

It’s great that you got involved at all. Without plaintiffs willing to stand up for their individual rights when they have a legitimate complaint or where their rights have been violated or they have whistleblower knowledge, or any number of other reasons — without someone who has standing being willing to stand up and say “enough,” they just keep getting away with this shit.

So thank you. For all of us. Thank you.

By: strider7

strider7 — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:06:49 +0000

Like I said,yours and fdl in general is the right approach.He didn’t seem to know alot more than anybody here does.Mustering up public support is the way to approach all this.He did give me the name of one of the attys if your interested.I just thought that since I’m a plaintif they might be a little more receptive.Anyway I think it’s mostly all posted on their site. I was kinda discouraged with my attys response to the end result after an ideal outcome. The reason I got involved is that I wanted to know what these bastards did and the idea that very likely,we may never know what they’ve done changes everything.At the very best thet’ll wrap all this up in a national security issue.
Oh well,hope for the best I guess

By: bmaz

bmaz — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:45:26 +0000

I know the guys at EFF. They are all over this, but don’t have a giant staff for fielding calls. If it seems hard to get anywhere calling them, don’t get mad or frustrated; they put their efforts and funds into really doing the work. Just a heads up…

By: strider7

strider7 — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:27:00 +0000

I just contacted my atty. in the att suit and he emailed me the feingold dodd letter in pdf.He said that the suits were broken down into classes IE, one for att one for mci one for verizon etc.Though he represented me in the begining he was transfered to the mci class and they still all work together but in different classes.So the EFF is representing me now against ATT because of the ruckus the repugs made about the trial lawyer issues.Also,EFF has their lobbyists in wash. on it.I can call the EFF guys and tell them I’m a plaintif and maybe they could shed some more light on the issues but I think it’s pretty much like everybody here has said.He did point out how important public participation was and that it was very effective in the first round.
When I asked him what he would like to see in the final end he said that it would probably be best for everything to be put on hold until the next admin. when the politics of all this might be different.Also even if the telcos are not granted immunity and in the process of the trial there would probably not be very much publc disclosure because of national security issues and that the publc might never know all the details

By: SunnyNobility

SunnyNobility — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:12:38 +0000

Hoyer’s getting on up there (72). Might enjoy a leisurely ambassadorial role in some warm place, if the offer were put to him just right *g*.

Steny Hoyer
‘07-08 fundraising cycle:
Top 5 Contributors
JPMorgan Chase & Co $21,500
Comcast Corp $19,500
MacAndrews & Forbes $14,797
Kindred Healthcare $14,600
Mantech International $11,000
http://opensecrets.org/politic.....=N00001821

MacAndrews & Forbes is Ron Perleman’s baby
(employees big supporters of McCain since ‘05).

By: Teddy Partridge

Teddy Partridge — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:34:09 +0000

Hoyer has been assiduous in courting the “conservative” freshman Democrats — raising money, traveling to their districts, providing them cover on national security and the war. He is dug in pretty well.

A hope would be for Barack Obama to find a swell appointment for Barbara Mikulski, allowing Governor O’Malley to appoint Hoyer to a Senate seat. Not sure he’d be any more trouble there, and he’d be subject to a progressive primary challenger as well.

Gotta think about the long game, sometimes….

By: Hugh

Hugh — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:18:11 +0000

I would add that I was blown away this week to see that Mel Martinez was among several Republican Senators who crossed over this week on a global warming vote. They just missed shutting down the R filibuster. Several Republicans are starting to get very worried about November.

They may be getting worried but if they “just” missed invoking cloture I would say it was a cosmetic vote and that they still aren’t ready to do anything serious to change direction.

By: Christy Hardin Smith

Christy Hardin Smith — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:17:33 +0000

Steny Hoyer…bull roast…the jokes just write themselves, don’t they?