CHICAGO, July 7 IL-ACLU-FISA-deal
CHICAGO, July 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the United States Senate returns from the Independence Day recess to debate a major overhaul of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois today called on Senator Barack Obama to vote no and reject this unconstitutional measure. Last month, the House of Representatives passed the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 (H.R. 6304), a bill that not only allows for the wide, sweeping and unwarranted collection of Americans' communications, but also grants immunity to telecommunications companies for their collaboration in domestic spying. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill as early as tomorrow, July 8. The ACLU of Illinois strongly opposes this legislation.
"Since 9/11 it seems the Bush administration, with Congress as a willing accomplice, has sidestepped our most cherished constitutional principles whenever convenient," said Colleen K. Connell, executive director of the ACLU of Illinois. "Senator Obama recognized the need to protect these principles and the rule of law last summer - he should not cave to the Bush Administration now."
In August 2007, Senator Obama not only voted against allowing President Bush's warrantless spying program to continue, but also made strong statements highlighting his intense opposition to the Bush domestic spying program and to granting a "get out of jail free" card to the telecoms for collaborating with the White House. More recently, he has said that he will support the measure now before the Senate.
High-ranking Republicans tout the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 as a victory for the administration. As Senate Intelligence Ranking Member Senator Christopher Bond (R-MO) told reporters in Washington, "I think the White House got a better deal than even they had hoped to get."
"After years of being outraged at the Bush administration's flagrant disregard for FISA, Congress now is poised to give the president even greater powers to spy on our phone calls and emails," added Connell. "Not only will the FISA Amendments Act allow for the wholesale violation of Americans' Fourth Amendment rights, it will shut the door on investigations into the administration's warrantless wiretapping program by closing active court cases. The Senate is the last opportunity for any real improvements to be made to this legislation - senators should fix the bill or vote it down."
"Senator Obama should take the lead in making certain that the American people learn the breadth and scope of the Bush illegal spying program."
For more information, go to www.aclu.org/fisa.
SOURCE ACLU of Illinois
