A Peculiar Blog

Remember all that was going on a while back over the issue of telecoms being granted immunity from prosecution over their part in the illegal wiretaps and the nsa’s illegal domestic spying scandal?  Well, now it’s looking like maybe that bright light in their future isn’t the shining hope they’d expected but rather the led tail lights of the law about to slam on it’s brakes right in front of them.

In an action that proves that not all democrats are bad, Senators Russ Feingold (WI) and Dick Durbin (IL) have proposed the “Judicious Use of Surveillance Tools in Counter-terrorism Efforts” (JUSTICE) Act.

This bill, if passed, would put in place better safeguards against abuse and raise the standards for judicial oversight of surveillance activities.  It’s aim is to bring much needed reform to some of the most abused parts of the PATRIOT Act.  It would also repeal the provision of the FISA Amendment Act that was snuck in to give telecommunications companies retroactive immunity for their participation in the Bush administration’s illegal warrant-less surveillance program.

Of course, there’s the question of whether Obama would sign such a bill if it does pass.  You may remember that while he talked a good game about holding the telecoms responsible, in the end he voted FOR their gift of retroactive immunity.