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Indybay Feature

The FISA Amendment Law is signed into Law

by Kim
On July 10, Bush has sign into law the FISA Amendment Act. The law allows the government to spy on emails, phone calls, web surfing, and other communications if they are conducted by a person communicating with someone outside of the country. The law also garneted an immunity to telecommunication companies who participated in the secret spying conducted by the Bush Administration. But many fear that this bill is excusing President Bush lawless behavior, an assault on the first and fourth Amendment, and a further justification to spy on activists.
On July 10, Bush has sign into law the FISA Amendment Act. The law allows the government to spy on emails, phone calls, web surfing, and other communications if they are conducted by a person communicating with someone outside of the country. The Law also includes immunity to telecommunication companies who participated in an illegal spying by the government. An older version past by the House was threatened to be veto by President Bush for not including this immunity.
The ACLU has issued a statement calling the law unconstitutional, and other has pointed that this law is an assault on fundamental rights such as the first and fourth amendment.
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/07/09/18514791.php

According to Mark Klein a person who worked for AT@T for 22 years, the government had build secrets rooms in communication companied all through the U.S. and have been monitoring countless citizens in all sort of internet communications, not just foreign communications.
http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2006/04/70621

Numerous democrats have voted for the bill, among them Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama. Obama, although promising to oppose the bill if it guaranteed immunity to the telecommunication companies, has voted for the bill. Obama has justify this by stating that the government should have the ability to defend the American people from terror attacks and that the newer version of the FISA bill allows a secret court, not the president, the right to decide who can be spied on.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/rospars/gGxsZF

In 2004, according to the government’s own figures none of the 1,758 wiretap warrants were denied by the FISA secret court.
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