Merkley on Huffington Post: The Senate should say "no" to telecom immunity
Posted by Carla Axtman on February 5, 2008
Today on the Huffington Post, Jeff Merkley has a blog post up reminding us why it's so important for the U.S. Senate to vote "no" on telecom immunity:
For the last several years, telecommunications companies have turned over to the federal government the records of millions of Americans. These records were released under no warrant or judicial oversight. Only President Bush, his closest advisors and the telecom companies know the extent of this warrantless surveillance.
As Jeff says, the President shouldn't be deciding what's legal here. The courts should.
If you haven't already, please sign the petition to ask Senator Gordon Smith and Senator Ron Wyden to vote against immunity for telecom companies.
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Jeff Merkley was born in the small town of Myrtle Creek, Oregon, the son of a sawmill worker. He's fought hard for working families in Oregon and he's ready to help lead America.
As Oregon's Speaker of the House, Jeff Merkley led one of the most effective, efficient and progressive legislative sessions in Oregon's history - with big achievements for schools, ethics, health care, jobs, alternative energy, and protections for working families.
Discover why Jeff Merkley is ready to lead.
From the Oregonian:
Merkley raced [quarter-midget cars] as a child, and once owned -- and crashed -- a Harley. He roomed with an impoverished family in Ghana as a teen, hitchhiked across Israel as a young man and went on, as he puts it, to help shut down one of Portland's worst crack alleys.
"I've lived," he says, "a pretty unconventional life."
Read the Oregonian profile of Jeff Merkley's life before politics.
© 2008. Jeff Merkley for Oregon. P.O. Box 29136, Portland, OR 97296. 503-274-4439
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Comments
Wow Jeff.
You're right. This is so important.
So many of my friends have just disappeared since 9/11.
I have long suspected that the government, or Bush's CIA henchmen were responsible, and that they were abducted as the result of illegal surveilance, and that they are now at Gitmo being waterboarded.
It has been really difficult for those of us still here. Communicating with the folks back home for instructions and financing has been particularly risky. We have been unsuccessful
in every endeavor.
The improved communications we can expect will really help out, and hopefully we can finally start to get things done, now that we can't be illegally spied on. Praise Allah
Thank you.
Wow B.
You're nutty.
Opposing immunity for telecoms has nothing to do with the way the nation currently conducts surveillance or permits wiretapping. It's all about companies having illegally provided information to the government and not letting them off the hook for their actions.