Report by Martha Coleman, CT ChapterA consortium of telecommunication giants breathed a deep sigh of relief Friday as the House passed a bill that effectively forgave them of abusing the Constitutional Rights of U.S. citizens. “It seems as though all the ‘campaign contributions’ paid off,” exclaimed a spokesperson for the group, adding a sly wink. The bill, which was dubbed “an overhaul of the wiretapping laws” not only purports to legalized the use of warrantless wiretaps, a Constitutional violation according to the U.S. Supreme Court, but retroactively forgives past violations of Constitutional rights by the Bush Administration and participating telecommunication companies.
The bill, which was provided to Congress less than 24 hours before the vote, was hurried through the House in total disregard of the standard seven day waiting period that provides an opportunity for Congresspersons to read the legislation. George W. Bush addressed Congress Friday prior to the vote, saying the plan “will help our intelligence professionals learn our enemies' plans for new attacks, and help us keep tabs on ‘subversives,’” adding air quotes and a mischievous grin to his last word as if it was an inside joke. Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) addressed the speed at which the bill moved through the House by asking rhetorically, “Who the hell reads bills anyway?” “We have ‘special consultants’ to do the reading for us,” added Hoekstra, referring to corporate lobbyists.
No comments:
Post a Comment