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    Monday
    1 December 2008

    ACLU and EFF suits challenge FISA Amendments

    American Civil Liberties Union

    ACLU

    The American Civil Liberities Union filed a Motion For Leave To Participate In FISC Proceedings Required By The FISA Amendments Act Of 2008 in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court, requesting that all proceedings regarding the constitutionality of the FISA law be open to the public and transparent.  This is contrary to how the secretive FISA court normally operates.  As part of the action the ACLU requests that the proceedings be adversarial (i.e., that the ACLU or others as opposed to just the Government can participate in the FISA court).

    Electronic Frontier Foundation

    Electronic Frontier Foundation

    Additionally the ACLU filed another action in federal court in the Southern District of New York, alleging that the terms of which grants massive new warrantless eavesdropping powers in the President violate the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

    The ACLU’s lawsuits do not challenge the constitutionality of the telecom immunity provisions of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 because those sections will be challenged by Electronic Frontier Foundation and local/affiliate ACLU groups in separate actions regarding NSA Spying.

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    The Constitution Dies Tomorrow

    Bill of Rights

    Bill of Rights

    Over 200 years ago, we enshrined the rule of law as the only monarch in America. Tomorrow, the Senate will likely vote to shred that precedent. Democrats, “compromising” with Republicans, will act together, in a bipartisan fashion, to destroy your right to be free from search without a warrant.

    read more | digg story

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    The Return of Total Information Awareness

    Information Awareness Office

    Information Awareness Office

    The government project known as TIA (Total Information Awareness) has returned. It’s now known as ADVISE (Analysis, Dissemination, Visualization, Insight, and Semantic Enhancement) and run out of Homeland Security instead of Defense. You trust Homeland Security more than Defense right? We weren’t really using the fourth amendment anyway, were we?

    To quote a friend:

    “I knew they’d have to drive a stake through Poindexter’s heart to put this to rest.”

    Here is a lengthy Christian Science Monitor article about it: Link

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    Repeal the 22nd Amendment?

    Steny Hoyer as Whip

    Steny Hoyer as Whip

    I predicted this would happen. Someone is trying to do it and that someone is House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD). He introduced bipartisan legislation (H.J.RES.25.IH) on February 15th 2005 to repeal the 22nd amendment, which states that “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.” Representatives Berman (D-CA), Pallone (D-NJ), Sabo (D-MN) and Sensenbrenner (R-WI) joined Hoyer in sponsoring the resolution.

    Sensenbrenner is the very same man who has proposed the Orwellian and absurd drug laws as mentioned earlier this week here on The Hollow Men. I suspect the democrats involved are paying some sort of lip service to the administration. Contrary to what is says in the statement that Bush would not be eligible for re-election I am sure that is intended.

    I thought we did away with the monarchy during the American Revolution?

    As a side note apparently other legislation was introduced in 2003 to repeal the 22nd amendment as well. H.J.RES.11.IH - Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the twenty-second article of amendment, thereby removing the limitation on the number of terms an individual may serve as President.

    The current legislation H.J.RES.25.IH - Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the 22nd amendment to the Constitution.

    Both of these may already have been axed but I haven”t found any further information about them. If you know anything send us a message.

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    Election Postponement: Republic or Fascism?

    What is Fascism

    What is Fascism

    When I first heard about this I thought it must be joke. I thought surely this is a mistake, some foolish rumor that made it into the news. But on closer inspection I see that no - the idea is indeed being bandied about like it is something that happens every so often.

    Ostensibly this is part of the whole idea of “guaranteeing” secure elections in the event of a terrorist act. It’’s bullshit.

    DeForest B. Soaries Jr., chairman of the newly created U.S. Election Assistance Commission, wants Ridge to ask Congress to pass legislation giving the government power to cancel or reschedule a federal election. Seems rather counter to the ideals this country was founded on.

    Currently, no federal agency has the power to cancel or reschedule a national vote. There is a reason for this, elections are about the people’s right to choose who their leaders are, not of the leaders to tell us when we can choose, or even worse who we can choose. There is no historical or constitution precedent for this. Read the rest of this entry »

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