Last night, with bitter sadness, I noted that Barbara Mikulski has decided to betray her Oath of Office and vote for George W. Bush’s FISA Amendments Act (H.R. 6304). Mikulski is joining the Republicans in the Senate to support one of the most abusive, blatantly anti-constitutional programs of the last seven years.
It is with a bit more hope that I look at the position of Mikulski’s colleague from Maryland, Senator Benjamin Cardin. Cardin has announced that he will vote for the attempts to amend the FISA Amendments Act to remove retroactive legal immunity for telecommunications corporations that illegally helped President Bush spy on millions of Americans. Cardin will then vote against the FISA Amendments Act if no such amendment is passed.
That’s not a perfect position, because the FISA Amendments Act is a reprehensible law even if retroactive immunity is taken away. However, it’s a position that’s much better than Mikulski’s disgusting pandering to the politics of fear.
It’s not too late to make a difference. The FISA Amendments Act vote in the Senate was delayed a day because of the funeral of Jesse Helms. The vote will take place today. Please, Call your senators NOW, through the congressional switchboard at (202) 224-3121 – and tell them to vote NO on the FISA Amendments Act.
