Stand Up For The Constitution And The Rule Of Law

From Sen. Chris Dodd, on the floor of the Senate this morning (video available here).

“The rule of law is not the province of any political party, or any one candidate.  It is the province of the American people…We must act today and stand up for the Constitution and the rule of law.”

Please, act today. Stand up for the Constitution and the rule of law.  Sign the petition to Harry Reid and ask him to take a stand on FISA.  Let’s get to work:

Push for a couple of things on FISA:  (1) no retroactive immunity for telecom companies or wayward presidential administrations and (2) no “basket” or “umbrella” warrants — make them spell out surveillance targets specifically and expressly in individualized warrants as they have been doing since the inception of FISA.  Via looseheadprop:

The Constitution REQUIRES, doesn’t suggest – requires, that warrants be issued only upon probable cause. Countless Supreme and lower court decisions have repeated the logically obvious notion that each warrant application is fact specific to its particular case.

Ergo, you cannot possibly have blanket or so called “basket” warrants issued without a case by case determination of the existance of probable cause…

What exactly is the Bush Administration hiding with this desperate need not to spell things out individually?  These are American citizens being surveilled, the least the Bush Administration can do is be honest about why they are surveilling them.  Why?  Because that is, and has always been, the law.  It is time we stood up to “the Cheney element” in the United States Senate and beyond.  No blank checks — not for this President or any other.  This is the United States, and we do not have a king.  It’s time we started acting like patriots instead of subjects.

Senate Judiciary Committee Contact Information:

You can reach your Senators toll free thanks to these numbers that katymine found:

1 (800) 828 – 0498
1 (800) 614 – 2803
1 (866) 340 – 9281
1 (866) 338 – 1015
1 (877) 851 – 6437

Also, the Senate Judiciary Committee membership and contact information is as follows:

Arlen Specter – Pennsylvania – (202) 224-4254      Fax (202) 228-1229
Joe Biden — Deleware — (202) 224-5042      Fax: 202-224-0139
Orrin G. Hatch – Utah – (202) 224-5251      Fax (202) 224-6331
Patrick J. Leahy (Chairman) – Vermont – (202) 224-4242      Fax (202) 224-3479
Charles E. Grassley – Iowa – (202) 224-3744      Fax (515) 288-5097
Edward M. Kennedy – Massachusetts – (202) 224-4543      Fax (202) 224-2417
Jon Kyl – Arizona – (202) 224-4521      Fax (202) 224-2207
Herbert Kohl – Wisconsin – (202) 224-5653      Fax (202) 224-9787
Jeff Sessions – Alabama – (202) 224-4124      Fax (202) 224-3149
Dianne Feinstein – California – (202) 224-3841      Fax (202) 228-3954
Lindsey Graham – South Carolina – (202) 224-5972      Fax (864) 250-4322
Russell D. Feingold – Wisconsin – (202) 224-5323      Fax (202) 224-2725
John Cornyn – Texas – (202) 224-2934      Fax (972) 239-2110
Charles E. Schumer – New York – (202) 224-6542      Fax (202) 228-3027
Sam Brownback – Kansas – (202) 224-6521      Fax (202) 228-1265
Richard J. Durbin – Illinois – (202) 224-2152      Fax (202) 228-0400
Tom Coburn – Oklahoma – (202) 224-5754      Fax (202) 224-6008
Benjamin Cardin — (202) 224-4524      Fax (202) 224-1651
Sheldon Whitehouse — (202) 224-2921      FAX  (202) 228-6362

Related posts:

1. al-Haramain Reply Filed; Constitution, Rule of Law in Judge Walker’s Hands
2. On Constitution Day, Celebrate the Rights of People (Not Corporations)
3. Holder Refuses to Stand by Statements Saying Violating FISA Breaks the Law
4. On the Rule of Law and Crimes of Torture
5. McCain, Lieberman Schooled on Rule of Law by Kris, Johnson