Emptywheel has been live blogging the FISA debate in the Senate today, covering the Senators speeches and fact checking the liars:
Jello Jay on bulk collection (time from opponents, this is a Feingold amendment).
Feingold argues amendment will prevent bulk collection by requiring govt to have some foreign intell interest in bulk info. I believe will interfere with legitimate intelligence activities. I do not believe it provides additional protections. There important classified reasons underlying that concern.
Why it's unnecessary: Bulk collection would be unreasonable by Fourth Amendment. Bill provides that collections have to be in accordance with 4th Amendment. Minimization. Cannot primarily target a US person.
Feingold only requires that it certify that bulk intelligence has foreign intelligence interest. But it already requires that the collection is targeted at people outside of the US. Remedy does not improve upon protection in bill. I thus oppose.
More from mcjoan at Daily Kos:
But again, getting every vote possible for the basic amendments, including no telco amnesty, in the Senate will make the House's defense of their version of the bill easier when it comes to conference. Keep the pressure up on those Dems. Contact your own Senators and also this list of Senators likely to be persuadable. Tell them (1) NO on telco amnesty, (2) NO basket warrants or reverse targeting, (3) sequestration of illegally harvested evidence, (4) make FISA the exclusive means of surveillance, and (5) vote for a 4 year sunset. Read on...
Contact your Senators and tell them to uphold the Constitution, stand up for our civil liberties and say no to telecom immunity.
