I'm actually impressed to see that the House Democrats have some backbone. Yesterday was a good day. And although my letter to Montana Senator John Tester had no effect on the proceedings, I feel good having participated in the discussion. Perhaps when the vote comes to the floor in the Senate, the majority will pass it on to the President's desk and he'll veto it. But I now know what kind of effect MoveOn.org constituents can play when they campaign against a bill. By a 213-197 margin (although ten Democrats voted for the bill), the House of Representatives believes it's important to hold an industry responsible for domestic spying on Americans.
MoveOn.org reports,
Notably, many of the 21 "Blue Dogs" who previously signed a letter indicating their support for telecom immunity and the Rockefeller bill.
I've heard the argument against the bill-- we've gotta encourage these telecommunication companies to work with Congress in the future, and the Constitution isn't as important as stopping the threat of terrorism "in a post 9/11 world."
But why should we condone criminals? Verizon Wireless knew what they were doing when they appeased the executive branch and broke United States law. This is not about preventing terrorism. It's been a political move and I don't feel any more safe that my phone could be tapped without a warrant.
