Matthew Rothschild: The Time to Stop Bad Laws

[marmar]

from The Progressive:



The Time to Stop Bad Laws

October 18, 2007 By Matthew Rothschild


By now, the Democrats should have learned something: that the time to stop bad laws is before they are passed.

The idea, the conceit, the ruse that they can go back and rectify a bad law later is ridiculous—especially with Bush as President.

We’re reminded of this simple, inescapable fact this week by two things: the one-year anniversary of the Military Commissions Act, and the effort to revise the Protect America Act, which passed in August.

Both times, Democrats promised to revisit these massive infringements on our rights.

Both times, they failed to make a dent.

The Military Commissions Act still crushes habeas corpus.

And the Protect America Act still gives Bush enormous powers to spy on Americans without having to go to any court to get permission.

When some Democrats tried to improve on the Protect America Act, look what happened?

Bush threatened a veto, and Republicans in Congress demagogued it to death.
Rep. Roy Blunt even went so far as to say that, “If Osama calls to order a pizza, we should know about it. We should not have to go to court.”

But what Roy Blunt didn’t say is that the original FISA law already allowed Bush to do this, as it gave the President the right to tap a phone and retroactively, 48 hours later, go to the FISA court. Nothing the Democrats proposed would have stopped the government from tracing that pizza call.

Bush himself laid it on thick at his press conference on October 17. “This war against Al Qaeda requires actionable intelligence,” he said. “That’s why this FISA bill is important.”

With the Protect America Act, Bush doesn’t ever have to go to the FISA court fist.
To make matters worse, the Democratic leaders in the Senate have now caved in to Bush even further, agreeing to grant immunity to the telecom companies that colluded with Bush in the illegal spying on Americans.

Senator Russ Feingold didn’t go along, however. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.progressive.org/mag_wx101807