[Davis Democrats] Our Congressman Mike Thompson Stands Up Against Bush's Kangaroo Trials

[John Chendo]

>   
>  Mike Thompson. Our Congressman and Democratic primary victor in CD#1,
> deserves our hearty thanks for defending our U.S. Constitution against a
> foolhardy Executive and their Big Corporate Sponsors. The following is Mike¹s
> letter explaining his position against  universal warrantless spying by the
> Executive. Please express your appreciation for his courage.
> 
>  
> June 20, 2008
> 
>  
> 
> 
>  Thank you for contacting me regarding the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. I
> appreciate you taking the time to share your concerns with me on this
> important issue. 
> 
>  
> 
> Today the House considered legislation (HR 6304) reauthorizing the Foreign
> Intelligence Surveillance Act. Despite the fact that this bill was the result
> of a bipartisan compromise and in many ways represented an improvement over
> previous FISA legislation, I voted against the bill because it does not
> provide sufficient oversight of surveillance on U.S. citizens and does not go
> far enough to safeguard American's civil liberties.  Although a majority of
> Democrats voted against the bill, it passed the House by a vote of 293-129.
> 
>  
> 
> While it is certainly true that we live in a dangerous world today and must
> provide our national security agencies with the best tools possible to combat
> terrorism, we must not do so by sacrificing the very freedoms that make our
> democracy so special.  If this bill becomes law, it will still allow for
> warrantless surveillance and it also fails to hold telecommunication companies
> accountable for their participation in any illegal surveillance.
> 
>  
> 
> In particular I was opposed to the inclusion of a loophole which circumvents
> the requirement for prior judicial review in certain "exigent" or emergency
> circumstances.  This would allow the government to begin surveillance on a
> target for seven days before going to court for a warrant.  The government
> could continue surveillance for up 60 days during the warrant application
> process and could continue to use the information collected afterwards even if
> the warrant is denied.  The failure to properly define the limits of this
> provision creates the opportunity for open-ended fishing expeditions without
> any understanding of how innocent Americans will be protected.
> 
>  
> 
> It is my sincere hope that Congress will revisit this issue next year with a
> new President who places greater importance on the protection of our
> constitutionally-guaranteed civil liberties.  In the mean time, rest assured
> that I will keep your concerns in mind as Congress continues to debate issues
> related to our civil liberties.
> 
>  
> 
> Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me.  Please continue to
> contact me on all issues of importance to you and our district.
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Sincerely, 
> 
> MIKE THOMPSON
> Member of Congress
> 
>