Florida Congressional candidate Joe Garcia issued a press release on the FISA compromise.
“The laws that were created under FISA were sufficient to meet our country’s national security needs. What the Bush administration has done, again, is present Americans with a false choice between national security and civil liberties, while this bill increases neither. I oppose any broad retroactive immunity provided to companies who may have broken the law. The legal purpose of immunity is to use the protection granted by such immunity as an inducement to divulge information about what occurred. Immunity in this case would do the opposite: it would shut down any investigation into what actually occurred. “
Tough-talking rhetoric is fine. If words matched deeds then Joe Biden would be the Democratic nominee.
Given companies immunity from prosecution has already proven to be a stupid idea. KBR can not be prosecuted for crimes on Iraq soil. Jamie Leigh Jones was gang raped and can not take the perpetrators to criminal court. Many other women have been sexually abused in Iraq because Congress approved not allowing contractor to be prosecuted.
The State Department granted Blackwater security members immunity after the killing of Iraqi civilians. The FBI's investigation was destroyed. No Blackwater member would talk to federal investigators. They all cited their immunity deals.
Congress gave the Bush White House a blank check to allow their corporate allies to commit more crimes. Silly Blue Dog Democrats never learn. The question is has Joe Garcia learned that fundamental lesson?
Joe Garcia has always opposed all the FISA bills brought up in this Congress and he took on the telecoms previously by forcing them to lower rates when he was PSC Chair. Because of these actions, BellSouth took him to the Florida Supreme Court and he partly won. Joe will be a strong progressive voice on these issues.
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