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In pushing to pass the FISA Amendments Act, the U.S. House of Representatives is moving to undo one of the most important promises of the Bill of Rights: The right of protection from unreasonable search and seizure. It’s in the fourth amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America, which reads:

“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

The FISA Amendments Act (H.R. 6304), establishes a regime of search and seizure of the papers, persons, houses and effects of American citizens with NO search warrant, NO proof of probable cause, NOT describing the place to be searched or the things to be seized. The FISA Amendments Act is also against the separation of powers established in the original core of the Constitution, in that it establishes Executive power that is beyond judicial review and congressional oversight.

The FISA Amendments Act of 2008 is a direct assault upon American freedom, and as such, it merits full and open debate in Congress before it is passed. However, the turncoat Democrats of Congress, led by Steny Hoyer, are afraid of full and open debate. They don’t want the American people to know what’s in the FISA Amendments Act. They don’t want you to read it. They don’t want to give American citizens time to think about it.

That’s why they’re rushing the bill through in less than 24 hours, on a Friday in the summertime. They’re hoping no one will notice. Democratic Congressman Michael Arcuri has helped them do that with a resolution to limit debate to just one hour. They’re undoing the fourth amendment to the Constitution in the Bill of Rights, and they restrict debate on the measure to just one hour?

Is this what the Democrats were elected to Congress to do? To shove through legislation for George W. Bush, to help him gain more powers and violate the Constitution? To close off debate?

That’s what Arcuri and Hoyer believe in. Is that the vision you had for the the Democratic Congress back in 2006?

The debate began at 10:48 AM. That means that at 11:48, all debate on this bill in the House of Representatives will be cut off, whether members of the House have questions about the legislation or not. The vote will take place soon after - we’ll be watching, and we’ll be taking names of every single Democrat who joins George W. Bush and the Republicans in attacking the Bill of Rights.