Senate Dems want to extend key provisions in Patriot Act for 1 year

By GottaLaff

Why don't they just call it the Spy Act?

Senate Democrats are pushing for a short-term extension of key provisions in the Patriot Act as part of a package of must-pass measures.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is planning to ask for unanimous consent to pass an extension for a host of measures set to expire February 28, according to Senate sources. [...]

The large package of bills includes a year-long extension of three provisions of the anti-terrorism law known a the Patriot Act, as well as extensions for expiring tax provisions, including unemployment insurance, COBRA, flood insurance, the law governing the highway trust fund, the federal flood insurance program and a measure governing satellite television signals.

Here are the three measures:

--Courts can okay roving wiretaps on terrorism suspects who shift their modes of communication.

--The government can get orders from a federal court for “any tangible thing” that is says is related to a terrorism investigation.

--The government can apply to a court for surveillance orders involving suspected “lone wolf” terrorists. The suspect doesn't necessarily have to be tied to a larger organization.

THE AUDIO: Burris and Blago

By GottaLaff

Burris and Blago sounds way too much like Beavis and Butthead.

Eavesdropping time:

Here's the audio from the federal wiretap of Roland Burris talking with the brother of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich about fundraising and the vacant Senate seat.

Jane Harman: Release alleged calls, uncensored; "This abuse of power is outrageous"

By GottaLaff

Jane Harman calls their bluff:

Rep. Jane Harman (D) today sent Attorney General Eric Holder a letter demanding that any transcripts of intercepted calls be released -- uncensored -- so that she can verify her claim that she never discussed a quid-pro-quo deal, as has been alleged by CQ and the New Times.

She also wants an investigation into NSA intercepts of members of Congress -- and what she calls "selective leaks."[...]

Here's her letter...

Dear General Holder:

I am outraged to learn from reports leaked to the media over the last several days that the FBI or NSA secretly wiretapped my conversations in 2005 or 2006 while I was Ranking Member on the House Intelligence Committee.

This abuse of power is outrageous and I call on your Department to release all transcripts and other investigative material involving me in an unredacted form. It is my intention to make this material available to the public.

I also urge you to take appropriate steps to investigate possible wiretapping of other Members of Congress and selective leaks of investigative material which can be used for political purposes. As you know, it is entirely appropriate to converse with advocacy organizations and constituent groups, and I am concerned about a chilling effect on other elected officials who may find themselves in my situation.

Let me be absolutely clear: I never contacted the Department of Justice, the White House or anyone else to seek favorable treatment regarding the national security cases on which I was briefed, or any other cases. You may be aware that David Szady, the FBI's former top counterintelligence official, is quoted in the media saying of me "…in all my dealings with her, she was always professional and never tried to intervene or get in the way of any investigation."

Sincerely,
JANE HARMAN

Jane Harman Caught on Wiretap Promising to Intervene for AIPAC

Taegan boils it down, but Josh has more here. Let's see if the media gives this the scrutiny it deserves.

According to CQ Politics, Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) was overheard on an NSA wiretap telling a suspected Israeli agent that she would lobby the Justice Department reduce espionage-related charges against two officials of the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, the most powerful pro-Israel organization in Washington.

In return, the agent pledged to help lobby House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to appoint Harman chair of the Intelligence Committee after the 2006 elections, which the Democrats were heavily favored to win.

Seemingly wary of what she had just agreed to, Harman hung up after saying, "This conversation doesn't exist."

And now the bad news...

By GottaLaff

The ObamAdministration is defending telecom immunity. On three, everyone express their pissed-offitude: One... Two... Three:

The Obama Justice Department continues to stand behind a Bush era law meant to prevent lawsuits against telecommunications companies accused of illegally sharing private customer information with intelligence agencies.

In a brief filed late Wednesday obtained by Raw Story, the Department of Justice provided its views to Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, after the San Francisco federal judge questioned the constitutionality of the wide-sweeping law and whether it gives the U.S. Attorney General too much power in deciding whether a company is immune from lawsuits after it has shared information with federal agents.

Somebody talk me down. Please?

According to the Justice Department, the law requires a judge to dismiss a wiretapping lawsuit against a telecommunications company if the attorney general explains the firm's role to the judge in a confidential statement. [...]

The Department asserts that the "presumption of constitutionality becomes even stronger" when Congress delegates authority to the executive branch in matters of national security or foreign affairs.

Let's concentrate on the good news. There's so little of it these days.

Bristol Palin's Baby Daddy's Mommy's drug bust nugget

By GottaLaff

From the Celtic Diva, a juicy detail that slipped right by me:

It turns out that the "controlled substance" Grandma number two was busted for is Oxycontin.

This tidbit was in the article:

Kalytiak said the standard protocol for drug arrests is that law enforcement officials observe one drug buy, then get a warrant that permits them to record conversations and document more buys.

"I'd imagine standard protocol was followed," the district attorney said.

How badly do you imagine the Palins are sweating right now?

Well, now, what do we have here? On the BlagoMeter of Taped Convos, this could rate a bleeping 10.

The Rachel Maddow Show- Wiretap Theater

Almost forgot about this from Tuesday night.

AT&T Is Shameless

By Paddy



Funny stuff those civil liberties.....

Via TRex's Betsy.

FISA Vote May Be (Temporarily) Blocked

By Paddy


Dday explains-

Senator Reid just informed his colleagues on the Senate floor that, because of all the other bills in the queue (like the housing bill, and the Iraq supplemental), FISA may not get a vote until after the July 4 holiday recess.

This is honestly the best we can hope for right now. Sens. Dodd, Wyden and Feingold are ready to filibuster and gamely trying to get colleagues to do the same (Sen. Dodd's speech tonight was a bravura performance), but realistically the numbers to stop cloture aren't there. However, that could change if the delay continues. And getting this to the recess means being able to get in a lot of Senators' faces on their trips back home. In addition, there's going to be a very short window in August where a ton of must-pass bills have to get through Congress, and throwing FISA in with that mess means that anything can happen.

Call your Senators first thing in the morning- phone numbers here.

Too late

By GottaLaff

Remember this post from earlier today, asking you to call your Congressperson to put a halt to the so-called FISA law "compromise"? Too late.

FISA wiretap "compromise" alert

Per Christy Harvey just now on Thom Hartmann:

Democrats give concessions up, but are not getting much in return. The New York Times has an editorial on this. The bill doesn't just extend the bill from last August, it goes further. It gives immunity to the telecoms and broadens the authority of the federal government.

They're not voting on this until tomorrow, so it's not too late to call your Congressperson.

Note from Paddy- some further background here including links to numbers for your congresscritters.