Congressional Dems Poised to Give Bush What He Wants: Access to Your Privacy

In spite of progressive attempts to stop the government from spying on innocent people, Democrats are all oiled up and panting to give big telecom special immunity from prosecution when they turn over your records to George W. Bush.

We need to keep an eye on Blue Dog Representative Jim Cooper as this thing unfolds. Blue Dogs would just as soon sell you out in the name of national security as they would represent you. And AT&T is one of Mr. Cooper's most powerful constituents.

He'll Do for AT&T, But Not for the Rest of His Constituents

While our Congressman Jim Cooper is voting against legislation that is not in AT&T's interest, he is promising to forego any legislation that would bring federal dollars to any project in his district, worthy or not. How can an elected representative make blanket promises not to advocate for his all of his constituents the same way that other members of Congress do for theirs? It's a promise that makes Republican advocates of slashing domestic programs to the bone (and then pulverizing the skeleton) happy. Pandering to conservatives with unrealistic promises along with yesterday's vote against the Democratic pro-civil-liberties legislation should make progressive-leaning Nashvillians wonder how well Jim Cooper is respresenting us or the best interests of our community.

House Dems Locate Their Kahunas and Pass a Pro-Civil Liberties Surveillance Bill Without Jim Cooper's Help

Nashville's U.S. Congressman Jim Cooper voted against the House version of the FISA bill yesterday even though the House passed the measure as a pro-civil liberties alternative to the Senate's abdication to the Bush Administration's retroactive immunity scheme.

Why would Mr. Cooper oppose an audit of Bush's warrantless wiretapping program, a shorter sunset provision, breaks on presidential circumvention, protection against "reverse targeting" of U.S. citizens, and restrictions on "basket warrants" of entire groups instead of individuals? Most of all, why does he support the idea of putting corporations above the law of the land? (Might the answer lie in the fact that AT&T has headquarters in Nashville?)

T'was in the Darkest Depths of Mordor: AT&T Fingered

The Bush Administration confirms for the first time that the telecommunication corporations have played a central role in Big Brother's domestic eavesdropping program.

Those lawyers bringing the suit against AT&T intend to use this confirmation in court against big telecom.

Did anyone really believe that AT&T was not intimately involved in snooping ordinary Americans?