Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2008 01:01:05 -0700 (PDT)
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House closes its doors for spying bill By PAMELA HESS, Associated Press Writer
30 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - The House held a closed session Thursday for the first time in 25
years to discuss a hotly contested surveillance bill.
Republicans requested privacy for what they termed "an honest debate" on the
new Democratic eavesdropping measure that is opposed by the White House and
most Republicans in Congress.
Lawmakers were forbidden to disclose what was said during the hour-long
session. The extent to which minds were changed, if at all, should be more
clear Friday, when the House was expected to openly debate and then vote on the
bill.
Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee of Texas said she didn't believe anyone
changed positions but that the session was useful because no one would be able
to complain on Friday that their views had not been heard.
"We couldn't have gone more of an extra mile to make sure we're doing the best
for national security," she told The Associated Press.
Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan, the top Republican on the House Intelligence
Committee, said in an interview that he read aloud the titles but not details
of intelligence reports "that shows the nature of the global threat and how
dynamic the situation is, and how fluid."
Hoekstra said the House discussed the procedures intelligence agencies use to
protect the identities of innocent Americans whose calls and e-mails are
incidentally intercepted in wiretaps.
Hoekstra said three Democrats spoke as did eight or nine Republicans.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said "there was nothing new, nothing that wasn't
public, nothing that can't and shouldn't be debated on the floor tomorrow in
open session."
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said he heard nothing new that would
change his mind about the bill.
"Tomorrow, I will urge members on both sides of the aisle to vote for this
legislation," Hoyer said.
The last such session in the House was in 1983 on U.S. support for paramilitary
operations in Nicaragua. Only five closed sessions have taken place in the
House since 1825.
Four members declined to sign the confidentiality oath required to participate
in the closed session, House staff members said.
Many Democrats initially objected, calling it a political ploy by Republicans
to delay a vote on the bill. House leaders did in fact push off the scheduled
vote until Friday, just before taking a two-week recess. If it passes, the bill
would need Senate approval before going to the president.
President Bush has vowed to veto it, saying it would undermine the nation's
security.
Bush opposes it in part because it doesn't provide full, retroactive legal
protection to telecommunications companies that helped the government eavesdrop
on their customers without court permission after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist
attacks.
About 40 lawsuits have been filed against telecommunications companies by
people and organizations alleging they violated wiretapping and privacy laws.
The lawsuits have been combined and are pending before a single federal judge
in California.
The Democrats' measure would encourage the judge to review in private the
secret government documents underpinning the program in order to decide whether
the companies acted lawfully. If they did, the lawsuits would be dismissed.
The administration has prevented those documents from being revealed, even to a
judge, by invoking the state secrets privilege. That puts the companies in a
bind because they cannot use the documents to defend themselves in court.
It wasn't clear what information would be presented in the closed session. Just
a fraction of Congress has been allowed to read secret documents underpinning
the surveillance program, and those who have arrived at varying conclusions.
The Senate Intelligence Committee, after seeing classified material, said the
companies acted on the good-faith belief that the wiretaps they allowed were
lawful. Democrats on the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees were
unconvinced after being presented with the same material.
The surveillance law is intended to help in the pursuit of suspected terrorists
by making it easier to eavesdrop on foreign phone calls and e-mails that pass
through the United States. A temporary law expired Feb. 16 before Congress was
able to produce a replacement bill. Bush opposed an extension of the temporary
law as a tactic to pressure Congress into accepting the Senate version of the
surveillance legislation. The Senate's bill provides retroactive legal immunity
for the telecommunications companies.
Bush said lawsuits against telecom companies would lead to the disclosure of
state secrets. Further, he said lawsuits would undermine the willingness of the
private sector to cooperate with the government in trying to track down
terrorists.
Hoekstra said intelligence was already being lost.
"Each and every day our capabilities are eroding," he said.
Directing his message at the House, Bush said, "They should not leave for their
Easter recess without getting the Senate bill to my desk."
Bush predicted the Senate would not pass the House version of the bill, and
said even if it did, he would veto it.
At least one Senate Republican said the lawsuits should go forward to determine
whether the wiretapping program was illegal. But Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen
Specter wants to substitute the government for the phone companies as the
defendant in the court cases.
"The president can't have a blank check," Specter said in an interview. "If you
close down the courts, there's no check and balance."
He added: "Wiretaps are important for national security. There's no doubt about
that. Al-Qaida and terrorism continue to be a major threat to this country. It
is my hope that the president will not find it necessary to veto the bill, that
we'll be able to work it out."
Associated Press writers Kimberly Hefling and Terence Hunt contributed to this
report.
Get an alert when there are new stories about:
Rep. Jerrold Nadler
Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee
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House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer
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Thu, 13 Mar 2008 23:26:42 GMT
From: "Apollo Alliance" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Theresa J Steed" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Apollo Update: New Report Focuses on Green Collar Jobs
About the Alliance Resources State & Local Apollo Donate Now
Dear Theresa J,
We've got our people in Pittsburgh this week, where they are attending the
two-day Good Jobs, Green Jobs conference. There's a lot of excitement in
Pittsburgh and nationally about our idea that the clean energy transition
brings not only environmental sustainability, but also hundreds of thousands of
new, family-supporting, career-track jobs.
During the conference Apollo is releasing a first-of-its kind guide to cities
to help them enhance one critical component of America s shared prosperity:
Training people to employ in higher wage, family-supporting careers in the new
clean, green, energy efficient job sectors. The new guide, "Green-Collar Jobs
in America 's Cities, is jointly authored by the Apollo Alliance and Green For
All, and is accompanied by a similar study and plan of action for state policy
makers, "Greener Pathways."
Green Collar Jobs in America's Cities
Apollo Alliance
Greener Pathways
Center on Wisconsin Strategy
The city and state guides recognize that with gathering momentum, many of
America's largest cities and metropolitan regions are defying national trends
in housing foreclosures, unemployment, and income stagnation, and instead are
becoming new engines of job growth and prosperity. Underlying this remarkable
transformation in the well-being of cities is an entirely new economic
development strategy based on being more efficient in using energy, being more
sensitive to natural resources, more thoughtful about housing and
transportation, and much smarter about developing businesses and jobs that meet
the environmental conditions and market needs of the 21st century.
You can read our account of the new reports, and the role the Apollo Alliance
played in the coalition that produced them here: Apollo News Service
Piece by piece we're making progress toward a clean energy economy and a new
shared prosperity producing the good jobs of this American century.
Until next time, thanks so much,
Keith Schneider
Communications Director
Apollo Alliance
*************************************
Thu, 13 Mar 2008 16:06:52 -0700
To: "Institute for Public Accuracy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
From: "Institute for Public Accuracy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Five Years Later: Oil Contracts: Success of War?
Institute for Public Accuracy
915 National Press Building, Washington, D.C. 20045
(202) 347-0020 http://www.accuracy.org [EMAIL PROTECTED]
PM Thursday, March 13, 2008
Five Years Later: Oil Contracts: Success of War?
Interviews Available
BEN LANDO, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
President Bush has repeatedly called for the passage of the
proposed Iraqi oil law. Lando is energy editor for UPI. He has recently launched
the web page <http://www.IraqOilReport.com>.
ANTONIA JUHASZ, [EMAIL PROTECTED], http://www.TheBushAgenda.net
Juhasz is the author of the book "The Bush Agenda: Invading the
World, One Economy at a Time" and is with the group Oil Change International.
She said today: "Five years after the invasion, the very same oil companies
that owned and controlled Iraq's oil from the end of World War I until
nationalization in the early 1970s, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, BP, Shell
and Total are now poised to make their grand return. Each has signed
technical service contracts with the Iraqi government for work on five
of Iraq's largest oil fields. These contracts offer a mere foot in the door,
however, as both the companies and the Bush administration pressure the
Iraqis to pass the Iraq oil law and give the companies the Big Prize:
renewed ownership and control of Iraq's oil. Oil was the reason for
this war five years ago, it is the reason why we remain entrenched in this
war today."
On Friday, Juhasz will be testifying at the "Corporate Pillaging
and Military Contractors" civilian panel at Winter Soldier with journalist
Jeremy Scahill. Juhasz wrote the oped "Whose Oil Is It, Anyway?" which
appeared in the New York Times. Her forthcoming book is titled "The
Tyranny of Oil: The World's Most Powerful Industry and What We Must Do to Stop
It."
Oil Change International will be one of the groups participating in
protests on the fifth anniversary of the beginning of the invasion of
Iraq on March 19 in Washington. They will lead protests at the American
Petroleum Institute in Washington. See: <http://www.nowarnowarming.org>
and <http://www.5YearsTooMany.org>.
For more information, contact at the Institute for Public Accuracy:
Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020, (202) 421-6858; or David Zupan, (541)
484-9167
You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
****************************************
Let us keep on keeping on. This is one fight we don't want to lose,
FellowDemocraticGrassRoots! Now we need 2/3 of the House and Senate, to get
these criminals out of our Congress. Hooray, we have been given a very welcome
thank you from ACLU, and as I understand it a lot of people have law suits
going on. Together with our Democratic Congress standing and holding the line
for our Constitutional Laws and our Rights. To you, we thank you also, you are
standing so tall you are overpowering our news and emails.
We are grateful to each other for standing up and not just giving in, to
Tyrany. Remember all the quotes of famous Americans who given much to our
country. At this time, I can't help but remember the Jefferson Quote, and
Benjaman Franklin, and Ike Eisenhower for warning us of this possiblity with
too large of Corporations, and too mighty a military. I guess those foes were
just tempted too much. I don't care too much for Treasonists. Do you?
Perhaps our Pentagon pay is a little too high. We tax payers are getting tired
of nothing but wars and a lot of frivilous words and lies. It is time for all
good AMericans to come to the aid of our country. Let your your color be
known. I really want to thank our Democratic Congress for standing strong and
long, since 1996 holding the line for our Congressional care about our
U.S.Constitutional Law and order, and Rights! It is about time we get something
to show for our hard work and all the IRS Taxes we have trustingly
given to these ungrateful people who actually make life harder, everday, those
swindlers in the GOP party and also the twofaced Leaders. We are going to
demand decent people to run in the Congress and for any elected office. I
think Our Big Money Media is part of this whole scheme. It is time to bring
them to reality, not wishes or greed. The USA Government is not for sale,
neither is our U. S. Constitution and its laws, order and rights, with dignity.
I am honored to be the mail girl for the Democratic Grass Roots, Org. Thank you
so much for all that you do. I really hope that we can get the rights to make
them accountable.
Que*****
Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:33:46 -0500 (CDT)
From: Caroline Fredrickson, ACLU <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: House Leadership Standing Up To Bush
Dear Friend,
When we asked you to throw your support behind the ACLU and our FISA fight you
didnt just throw it you hurled it and then some! Your efforts helped get
House leadership to reject Bush's fear mongering.
I last wrote to you after hearing that administration officials would use any
means necessary to get Congress to pass Bushs spying bill, a bill that would
give the president a free pass to spy on the emails and phone calls of
Americans without a warrant and whitewash illegal spying.
But thanks to you, key members of the House have introduced compromise
legislation on FISA. While we have concerns about aspects of the new bill, it
is important to note that the House is standing up to the executive branch and
its demands to engage in unchecked wiretapping on US soil, and the House
compromise legislation does not grant retroactive immunity to
telecommunications companies that facilitated years of illegal surveillance.
Even with administration officials issuing ominous warnings, the American
people are prevailing. House leadership, at least for now, is finally standing
up to Bush fear mongering.
Here are just a couple highlights of what we recently accomplished together:
On Monday, we delivered our "Keep Standing Up to Fear Mongering" petition with
more than 50,000 signatures to House Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Hoyer and
representatives who stood up to President Bush.
Last week, our Calling for Freedom campaign generated tens of thousands of
phone calls to Congress.
Congress still has not passed Bushs spying bill and in fact, House leadership
introduced a better bill. The president threatened to veto the compromise bill,
but the House is planning to vote on it today anyway.
Nobody would have imagined that we could have held them off this long, and we
truly could not have done it without you. Thats why we have to keep going now,
more than ever. Were making some progress but we cant lose sight of our
ultimate goal: We must throw Bush fear mongering out of our national
conversation.
Dont think for a second that Bush and his henchmen are going to give up on
using fear to scare Congress into selling out the Constitution and our most
fundamental rights. If Congress doesn't cave in now, we can be sure the spin
machine will grow even louder. That's because the longer this fight goes on,
the less likely it is that Congress will pass a spying bill that gives
President Bush everything he wants.
We never could have accomplished so much without you. Thank you for your
steadfast commitment, and for all you have done to protect our most fundamental
rights.
Well keep you posted about our next steps very soon.
Sincerely,
Caroline Fredrickson, Director
ACLU Washington Legislative Office
© ACLU, 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor New York, NY 10004
---------------------------------
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