Senators Mikulski and Cardin,
I write to urge you to vote against the bill before the Senate that will grant immunity to the Telecommunications companies for violating our civil rights at the request of the Bush Administration.
As a Gold Star Parent, I am incensed that the President and Vice-President regularly violate the very protections accorded to us in our Constitution that they are sworn to preserve, protect and defend and those rights that my son died to protect. Then they insist that there be no repercussions for the Telecommunications companies who aided and abetted this atrocity. In no way should they be released from the legal penalty for their actions. If it was you or me, we would both be held accountable and they should be as well.
Sincerely,
Edward W. Kirkpatrick
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I worked for nearly 20 years in the telecommunications industry for C&P Telephone, Bell Atlantic and then AT&T. In those days, the sanctity of the customer record was inviolate without a proper warrant. Today, in a climate of fear and slipping closer to fascism, American Corporations are willing to forego the niceties of our Constitutional protections because it takes too long (24hrs) for a FISA court to issue the warrant. As the extension of this law expires today, the Cheney/Bush administration still has all the powers they need to do this type of surveillance in a timely fashion. If they did not, Bush would have agreed to another extension. The only reason they want this bill is to exonerate their friends from their crimes.
We do have a lot to fear these days, but I think we have met the enemy and it is us.
