Barack:
I think Glenn Greenwald from Salon.com got it right when he wrote:
"A typical line in Barack Obama's stump speech throughout the primary season was that "the era of Scooter Libby justice . . . will finally be over." But this new FISA bill -- and the immunity it bequeaths -- is the very essence of "Lewis Libby justice": ensuring that our highest political officials and other well-connected elites can break our laws with total impunity. Courts keep ruling that the President and his allies have no excuses for having broken our laws, while our political establishment acts to ensure that they are protected from the consequences."
It's not too late to show the kind of leadership many of us thought we were going to get when we whole-heartedly supported your campaign. Please step up and not only oppose, but lead other Democrats in opposition to this evisceration of the Fourth Amendment.
Obi wan liberali's IRL Name
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It has been intriguing to watch "the movement within a movement" happening at the MyBarackObama section of his web community.
I believe the petition urging him to stand up on FISA now has over 10,000 members, and it's only been around since last Sunday.
It is sad that the last defence of freedom from surveillance is coming primarily from people who are being labelled liberal extremists.
However, the numbers you cite from MyBarackObama is encouraging.
The reason this is falling upon the shoulders of the liberal extremists (And I think there are ultra conservatives leading the same charge) are that the middle of the line guys are so distracted by trying to beat the other party, that no-one notices the loss of freedoms. Either that, or they see it as part of the war they are fighting with the other side rather than what it really is.
Here is Obama's response.
"Dear Obi,
Thank you for contacting Obama for America. The volume of messages we're receiving has gone up since Barack's victory in Iowa. While we cannot respond individually to over a thousand messages per day, the level of interest and thoughtfulness of the comments reflected in these communications are very gratifying. Your thoughts on our campaign and America's future are greatly appreciated.
Individual citizens like you are the foundation of this campaign.
Since his February 10 announcement speech in Springfield, Illinois, Barack has spoken consistently of working together to reclaim the meaning of citizenship, restore our sense of common purpose and rally the power of millions of voices to demand long overdue change. We hope you will explore our website, www.BarackObama.com, to view that speech in its entirety and learn more about Barack, his record and his plans.
If you're writing because you want change, we need you to help us fight for it. Please sign up here to volunteer:
http://my.barackobama.com/acvolunteer
And you can get started from home right now. We've built a set of easy-to-use web tools that empower you to get further involved right now. Click My.BarackObama.com, where you can find events near you, connect with neighbors who support Barack, create your own blog, and do much, much more.
And if you're not sure you want to get involved, and are writing to express a concern or disagreement, we appreciate that as well. The open discussion we want to facilitate cannot take place without hearing from people expressing a wide range of views.
Thank you again for writing.
Sincerely,
The Correspondence Team
Obama for America"
Atleast I got a response. I haven't heard a thing from the Matheson campaign.
Sigh....
Here was the Obama team's response:
"Given the grave threats that we face, our national security agencies must have the capability to gather intelligence and track down terrorists before they strike, while respecting the rule of law and the privacy and civil liberties of the American people. There is also little doubt that the Bush Administration, with the cooperation of major telecommunications companies, has abused that authority and undermined the Constitution by intercepting the communications of innocent Americans without their knowledge or the required court orders.
That is why last year I opposed the so-called Protect America Act, which expanded the surveillance powers of the government without sufficient independent oversight to protect the privacy and civil liberties of innocent Americans. I have also opposed the granting of retroactive immunity to those who were allegedly complicit in acts of illegal spying in the past.
After months of negotiation, the House passed a compromise that, while far from perfect, is a marked improvement over last year's Protect America Act. Under this compromise legislation, an important tool in the fight against terrorism will continue, but the President's illegal program of warrantless surveillance will be over. It restores FISA and existing criminal wiretap statutes as the exclusive means to conduct surveillance - making it clear that the President cannot circumvent the law and disregard the civil liberties of the American people. It also firmly re-establishes basic judicial oversight over all domestic surveillance in the future.
It does, however, grant retroactive immunity, and I voted in the Senate three times to remove this provision so that we could seek full accountability for past offenses. Unfortunately, these attempts were unsuccessful. But this compromise guarantees a thorough review by the Inspectors General of our national security agencies to determine what took place in the past, and ensures that there will be accountability going forward. By demanding oversight and accountability, a grassroots movement of Americans has helped yield a bill that is far better than the Protect America Act.
It is not all that I would want. But given the legitimate threats we face, providing effective intelligence collection tools with appropriate safeguards is too important to delay. So I support the compromise, but do so with a firm pledge that as President, I will carefully monitor the program, review the report by the Inspectors General, and work with the Congress to take any additional steps I deem necessary to protect the lives - and the liberty - of the American people."
Easily dissected and a clear capitulation. And using fear of terrorists to weaken the controls we should have upon government, to ensure that they follow their own laws.
Giving up freedoms, in order to "protect the lives - and the liberty of Americans" not only capitulates to Republican fear-mongering, it is capitulating to Al Qaeda and magnifying their victory over us on 9/11.
My two Obama bumper-stickers are still on my car for now. I see no better choice, but let me be clear, that I am deeply disappointed with the individual I have supported for President on this issue.
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