Telecom Immunity Part Deux

Whatever you may think about this particular case, the logic of this is astounding.

Those pushing for this law are tacitly admitting that some Telecommunications personnel have broken the law, otherwise this law would do nothing.

However, if there were laws broken, we should be seeing some indictments (and I have not heard of this happening.)

The only reading I can give this to make any sense out of it is this: the Bush administration knows that some Telecom execs broke the law at the urging of Bush admin officials. The Bush administration has no intention to turn around and prosecute them, but are afraid a subsequent administration might do so. The problem with this scenario is that it is basically a criminal conspiracy.

Anybody else with an explanation that doesn't cast such a bad light on Bush?

 

How can there be another way to look at it? If laws hadn't been broken, we wouldn't be talking about this. It's completely bizarro world.

 

Those 'small gummint' conservatives are so cute. All we need is a little law granting retro-active immunity for telephone companies, what's the big deal? It is just the 'free market' at work. This story is just mind boggling.

 

Of course, there isn't another way. The problem here is that the only check Congress has on the President when all other avenues fail (which they already have) is impeachment. And neither the Republicans nor the Democrats want to do this.

Most people don't remember (or ever knew) this, but the same thing happened in 1973 with Nixon. It became absolutely clear by April of that year that Nixon had been involved in obstruction of justice and other impeachable acts. But a strange thing happened; Congress backed off. The idea that they really had to begin impeachment raised issues of overturning the vote of American's just the year before, and other balance of power (between Democrats and Republicans) issues, that it was easier to hope it all went away.

It was the tapes that finally forced the issue. I'm afraid the lesson Bush learned was to not tape (or destroy them.)

 

I think this is the most interesting topic that is not getting the press that it deserves. It's not just the Republican, lots of Democrats want to quietly pass immunity for telecom companies and hope that no one notices. Jay Rockefeller has worked with Cheney on it and is especially pushing it hard. Democratic aides have been threating Dodd in political rags.

As I understand it, if telecom immunity is passed then we'll have no way to find out the extent of illegal spying that was pushed by President and what the companies that agreed to break the law actually did (and not all agreed to such as Qwest, those who did like AT&T profited from it). To make it even weirder, if it was allowed to go to federal court, telecom companies already have immunity from prosecution if they can show written government authorization. Rockefeller's argument is that the companies wouldn't be able to defend themselves because of the State Secrets Act but under the current FISA law telecom companies are allowed to present classified information in secret to the court. It's bizarre.

It will be interesting to see how it plays out and if Mountainia is right. The longer it drags on the more people that are going to find out about this craziness and push their Representatives. How is this not a criminal cover-up with government and certain companies working in tandem to cover each other's butts?

 

Also, the last time that Congress considered retroactive immunity for corporations was back in 1965 when six banks merged and broke anti-trust laws. The Democratic Attorney General at the time called it "outrageous" and "a private relief bill for the banks concerned". It's really an extraordinary story, hopefully Dodd and Feingold will filibuster on Monday otherwise it might be over.

Here is a good overview of how it currently stands.

 

I thought that happened a couple of weeks ago.

 

Retroactive immunity for the telcos is nothing more than BushCo trying to cover its ass. If a case ever makes it to court, the telcos will point the finger at the DOJ, who in turn will say they were acting on instructions from the WH; nevermind impeachment, this would open Bush and/or Cheney to actual criminal prosecution.

Specter tried to throw in a revision that would make the Feds the defendant in any trial, but that would just allow the Feds to say "national security, bitches" and walk away.

 

Oh. I guess that means we can't change it then.

Was the Patriot Act a bad idea? Yes, but I don't think those who passed it had any idea of the extent to which Bush would abuse it. I seem to recall the WH categorically denying that any violation of the FISA court provisions had occured.

 

bush will just pardon them when leaving office. so either way, they end up immune.

 

It went on for 5 years. It is probably still going on. That aint "in a time of great fear". It is the warrantless investigation of communications of Americans inside the US. No one gave * that "power", that is why he wants immunity for his cohorts so badly.

 

I read an article that said W was "Chucking the toys out of his pram over this". Made me laugh.