A Democrat With Some Courage
It's good to know there are still some Democrats in Washington with courage to act rather than simply bloviate. Thanks to Chris Dodd's commitment to filibuster and the help of a few of his colleagues (absent anyone named Clinton or Obama who were too busy doing other things), the FISA bill with retroactive immunity for telecom corporations has been withdrawn. It'll be up for consideration again next month, hopefully without the retroactive immunity provision. Check out Dodd's closing comments.
Some appropriate comments from the Church Committee of 31 years ago:
Personal privacy is protected because it is essential to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Our Constitution checks the power of Government for purposes of protecting the rights of individuals, in order that all our citizens may live in a free and decent society. Unlike totalitarian states, we do not believe that any government has a monopoly on truth.
When government infringes those right instead of nurturing and protecting them, the injury spreads far beyond the particular citizens targeted to untold numbers of other Americans who may be intimidated.
Free government depends upon the ability of all its citizens to speak their minds without fear of official sanction. The ability of ordinary people to be heard by their leaders means that they must be free to join in groups in order more effectively to express their grievances. Constitutional safeguards are needed to protect the timid as well as the courageous, the weak as well as the strong. While many Americans have been willing to assert their beliefs in the face of possible governmental reprisals, no citizen should have to weigh his or her desire to express and opinion, or join a group, against the risk of having lawful speech or association used against him....
The natural tendency of government is toward abuse of power. Men entrusted with power, even those aware of its dangers, tend, particularly when pressured, to slight liberty.
Our constitutional system guards against this tendency. It establishes many different checks upon power. It is those wise restraints which keep men free. In the field of intelligence those restraints have too often been ignored....
The United States must not adopt the tactics of the enemy. Means are important, as ends. Crisis makes it tempting to ignore the wise restraints that make men free. But each time we do so, each time the means we use are wrong, our inner strength, the strength which makes us free, is lessened.
Just when my election year cynicism was beginning to get the best of me, somebody in Washington actually steps up and does the right thing. Go figure.
You have that right!
Ever since the last election day, I've been wondering when the 'real' Democrats will stand up in Congress. Pelosi and Reid are disasters in my book. And why Dodd wasn't the majority leader is beyond me. I have watched the Senate on C-Span fairly often, and have been pretty disgusted by our 'heroes' collapse in the face of Administration and corporate pressure. Dodd's forthright speech in the Senate yesterday, was like a ray of sunshine.
Dodd for majority leader. Absolutely.
I had thought that I'd like to see Dodd in a cabinet position, but after this episode I think we need him as majority leader.
One of the pitfalls of childhood is that one doesn't have to understand something to feel it. - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Jesus Swept ticked me off. Too short. I loved the characters and then POOF it was over.
-me
I've always liked Dodd.
I've never had much hope for his presidential campaign - but he showed his statesmanship here, and his ability to lead. Senate Majority Leader indeed.
Be the change you wish to see in the world. --Gandhi
It troubles me that Dodd had to threaten a filibuster
to get Democrats to agree openly to withdraw the FISA retroactive protection for telecoms.
I am troubled by the weakness of character of so many Democrats. It is almost as though they have forgotten who they are to some degree.
Maybe Dodd will start a "I've found my backbone" trend. I hope so.
If not for Dodd, I feel the retroactive protection for telecoms would have happened.
When Elected, I will try to stand against those forces which weaken our resolve as Democrats.
Marshall Adame