The State of the Union

Statement

The State of the Union
by Mark Lawrence

I found President Bush's State of the Union address to be uninspiring, but one section captured my attention:

"To protect America, we need to know who the terrorists are talking to, what they are saying, and what they're planning. Last year, Congress passed legislation to help us do that. Unfortunately, Congress set the legislation to expire on February the 1st. That means if you don't act by Friday, our ability to track terrorist threats would be weakened and our citizens will be in greater danger. Congress must ensure the flow of vital intelligence is not disrupted. Congress must pass liability protection for companies believed to have assisted in the efforts to defend America." [Emphasis added]

While he couches it in the language of patriotism and keeping America safe, this part of the speech calls for Congress to ignore the rule of law. I have spoken out against warrantless wiretapping frequently; it is a blatant violation of the rights laid out in the Constitution. The telecom companies who assisted the President are now subject to lawsuits for their role in the violation of these constitutional rights. What the President wants to do is retroactively grant them immunity.

This is a fundamental subversion of the rule of law. Congress needs to stand strong and block any attempt at granting this immunity.

Warrantless wiretapping does not protect America; it only weakens our legal system. Congress needs to step up to prevent further warrantless wiretaps, and the next President needs to have a better understanding of our Constitution than our current one does.

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