Rise up Stand up! -UPDATED

Congratulations to our friends in the House of Representatives who finally stood up to the bully. In simply stating their case clearly and distinctly and with passion, they've exposed the simplistic fear-mongering that has highlighted the Presidents dealings with National Security issues. I love Glenn Greenwald's analysis in today's Salon:

If Democrats describe what Bush is doing clearly, simply and honestly, then reporters will write it down and read it. It's what they do. Even reporters can understand that when Bush says: "Give me all the new warrantless eavesdropping powers I want and give AT&T protection from lawsuits, otherwise we'll be hit way worse than 9/11," that is pitiful fear-mongering of the type authoritarian politicians always invoke to obtain more unchecked power. Just make that case -- as Democrats did yesterday -- and it will prevail.

The Falsehoods: Mr. Bush claims that it is the Democrats in Congress that have put us at grave risk to a terrorist threat. Mr. Bush claims that the telecom companies need retroactive immunity for any past misdeeds regarding illegal wiretapping or "they won't cooperate in the future."

These two blatant attempts at bullying and intimidation are false and were exposed by the simple action taken today by the House Democrats. As has previously been posted on this blog, simple FISA 101 says that the President can still surveille to his hearts content IF HE DOES IT LEGALLY. Further, if the Telecoms are presented with a legal warrant they are required to comply! The President simply wants the power to require the telecoms to break or ignore the law at his whim and retroactive immunity would give him that power.

Greenwald again:

The claim that telecoms will cease to cooperate without retroactive immunity is deeply dishonest on multiple levels, but the dishonesty is most easily understood when one realizes that, under the law, telecoms are required to cooperate with legal requests from the government. They don't have the option to "refuse." Without amnesty, telecoms will be reluctant in the future to break the law again, which we should want. But there is no risk that they will refuse requests to cooperate with legal surveillance, particularly since they are legally obligated to cooperate in those circumstances. The claim the telcoms will cease to cooperate with surveillance requests is pure fear-mongering, and is purely dishonest.

The boy has cried wolf so often that the real threat has been obscured and forgotten. Chicken Little has run around scaring us into worrying about the falling sky that we can't remember that it is just the rain. President Bush has been exposed as being willing to protect large corporations rather than protect the country.

American Progress:

Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) pointed out that "the president has said that American lives will be sacrificed if Congress does not change FISA. But he has also said that he will veto any FISA bill that does not grant retroactive immunity. ... So if we take the president at his word, he's willing to let Americans die to protect the phone companies."

Stand up Democrats! Speak clearly and passionately.

Our country really can't afford to be bullied any longer by ... George W. Bush's "you're-all-going-to-die-unless- I-get-everything-I-want" threats. - Greenwald