Free 3G iPhones for Congress in Return for FISA Capitulization?

I finally figured out why Congress caved on the president's FISA requests. The answer: free 3G iPhones for all those who voted for FISA courtesy of AT&T. Incidentally, John McCain requested a rotary dial iPhone.

Next time you see your favorite Congressman cruising the beltway they will be doing it in style. God Bless America.

The Audacity of Hype

Am a an idiot for having the audacity to hope that Barack Obama was a different kind of politician. He certainly had me going for awhile.

The New York Times wrote today:

"The new Barack Obama has abandoned his vow to filibuster an electronic wiretapping bill if it includes an immunity clause for telecommunications companies that amounts to a sanctioned cover-up of Mr. Bush’s unlawful eavesdropping after 9/11."

I began this primary season as a Ron Paul supporter, but after McCain grabbed the nom early on I reluctantly switched to Obama and even voted for him in the Texas Democratic primary and caucus.

The campaign finance flop didn't really bother me all that much, though it did bring his integrity into question. It would have been a foolish maneuver for Obama to accept public financing given his ability to raise money on the web.

His flip-flop on FISA however is a deal-breaker for me. If he refuses to come out against FISA I will refuse to vote for him in the general election. Not to say I would cross-over and vote for McCain, who is even worse. I can't vote for Bob Barr either due to his voting track record.

If only I was old enough to write myself in.

Kudos to Lloyd Doggett for Voting NO on FISA

I received the following email from Congressman Lloyd, the house rep. for Texas' 25th congressional district. Keep up the good work Congressman.

June 25, 2008

Dear Cooper:

Thank you for expressing your concerns about amending the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). I agree. Last week, I voted against the alleged "compromise," which I believe grants the Administration most of what they wanted including effective immunity for telecommunication companies that helped in conducting unauthorized surveillance.

While some of my colleagues point to some of the improvements that were made in this FISA legislation - such as a provision reaffirming that FISA is the exclusive means by which foreign intelligence surveillance may be conducted in the United States -- such improvements are nothing that cannot be undone by a Presidential signing statement and they certainly do not balance out the negative aspects of the bill.

Over my opposition, this measure was approved by a vote of 293 to 129.

I will continue my efforts in Congress to protect our freedoms. Please keep me advised of any federal matters on which I may be of assistance.

Sincerely,
Lloyd Doggett

Speculation Driving Up Value of Civil Liberties

Are our civil liberties worth more today than they were eight years ago? The price of nearly every commodity in the marketplace has risen sharply over this same time span, ie. oil and food. Civil Rights are traded on the Standard and Poor Index.

Over the past eight years our supply civil liberties have been eroding. The Patriot Act and other legislation and non-legislative steps the Bush administration has taken to "protect" us from another group of "ists" has lowered the supply of available civil liberties. With Friday's passage of the FISA upgrade, that supply is even lower no thanks to the Lame-o-crats.

Many are speculating that these measures will heavily increase the value of remaining civil rights. Civil rights are a finite resource and are being done away with faster than we can replenish the supply. Have we reached "peak civil rights"?

If so, we are in luck because this should cause the value of our remaining rights to rise exponentially if I am capable enough to understand complex economic jargon like supply and demand. I wonder how well what's left of my privacy will trade on Monday. A big thanks to Democrats for helping the value of my remaining civil liberties skyrocket.