Protect America Act Expired... And We're Not Dead Yet

The Protect America Act that made wiretapping and government spying into your home legal expired at midnight on Friday night/Saturday morning, and despite the heavy duty fear mongering by the President and his minions, we're still here.

Now I don't mean to sound glib about the whole thing, but it really pisses me off that the same people that fell asleep at the switch on 9/11 have been using the fear tactic for the last 6½ years whenever it was convenient to distract, deceive and draw the American people into a false sense of panic. Any time presidential approval ratings were down or any time another scandal surfaced, the threat of terrorism was used by the Bush administration as a form of smoke and mirrors. Pay no attention to the retarded man behind the curtain.

And then came the end of last week with Bush insisting that the House pass the "good bill" that a weak-kneed Senate voted in favor of, that not only expanded the eavesdropping that has been going on for years, but that also granted retroactive immunity for telecom companies that aided and abetted the Bush administration of conducting illegal wiretapping, and that failure to do so would allow the terrorists "to bring destruction to our shores that would make September the 11th pale by comparison."

That dirty motherfucker... he dares to scare ignorant Americans and blame Congress after he said he would veto any bill that didn't grant retroactive immunity to the telecom companies and refused to grant any temporary extension to allow further debate. Watch the video (link above). Even national intelligence director Mike McConnell's jaw hit the floor when Bush spewed out the 9/11 "pale by comparison" line.

What does immunity have to do with anything? Everyone knows that normal FISA procedures would continue after the sunset of the PAA. The FISA court still exisits. All you need to do is actually follow the law and obtain a warrant, which by the way, can also be gotten retroactively.
And how ridiculous is it that the Heritage Foundation has actually put a "FISA Overtime Clock" on their website. Are they hoping for an attack so they can play the "I told you so" game? For fuck's sake! And to top it off, the time clock isn't even correct!

Sorry George, we're not dead yet.

Democratic Senate Caves Again!

MOTHERFUCKER!

The Senate rejected a series of amendments that would have restricted the government’s surveillance powers and eliminated immunity for the phone carriers, and it voted in convincing fashion — 69 to 29 — to end debate and bring the issue to a final vote. That vote is expected later this afternoon, with the result all but assured. On the vote to end debate, 28 Democrats and Senator Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont, opposed the measure. Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Lindsey Graham did not vote.

...Beyond the immunity provision, the Senate measure would also widen the executive branch’s surveillance powers by allowing the National Security Agency and intelligence agencies to use broad orders — without getting court orders in advance — to eavesdrop on groups of overseas targets, rather than using individualized warrants.

Here are the 20, TWENTY! Democrats that voted for ending debate. I suggest you right this list down for future reference because these are the scumbags we don't want representing the Democratic party.

Baucus (D-MT), Yea
Bayh (D-IN), Yea
Carper (D-DE), Yea
Casey (D-PA),Yea
Conrad (D-ND), Yea
Feinstein (D-CA), Yea
Inouye (D-HI), Yea
Johnson (D-SD),
Kohl (D-WI), Yea
Landrieu (D-LA), Yea
Lieberman (ID-CT), Yea - They still list this motherfucker as an Independent Democrat.
Lincoln (D-AR), Yea
McCaskill (D-MO), Yea
Mikulski (D-MD), Yea
Nelson (D-FL), Yea
Nelson (D-NE), Yea
Pryor (D-AR), Yea
Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea
Salazar (D-CO), Yea
Webb (D-VA), Yea - Jim, what the fuck?!
Whitehouse (D-RI), Yea

And our presidential candidates, how did they vote?

McCain (R-AZ), Yea
Obama (D-IL), Nay
Clinton (D-NY), DID NOT VOTE.