[Scrubbin_Bubbles]

Dear Mr. ________

Thank you for contacting me to express your views regarding extending the Protect America Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-55), which was signed into law by the President on August 5, 2007. I welcome the opportunity to share my thoughts with you on this serious issue.

It has been neither an accident nor luck that America has not been attacked since that horrific day on September 11, 2001. As a result of the hard work of many in the intelligence community, those who would kill many more Americans have been thwarted in their attempts to attack us again. Nevertheless, as the recent National Intelligence Estimate stated, the terrorist threat to the U.S. homeland remains persistent and continues to evolve, especially as the terrorists become more proficient in their use of modern technology.

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA; P.L. 95-511), which was signed into law in 1978, provided a framework for securing a judicially approved warrant for the electronic collection of foreign intelligence information. That framework provided that a warrant was not required for foreign intelligence surveillance of individuals outside the United States. However, since 1978, there have been many technological changes that have enabled those who are trying to do harm to America to communicate with one another. The 1978 FISA law failed to keep pace with the changes in technology. This became apparent in May 2007 when the FISA court, which was created to approve applications for FISA warrants, issued a ruling that caused significant intelligence gaps in our collection of intelligence information from foreign terrorists overseas. As a result, the intelligence community was not able to capture a great deal of foreign intelligence information that it had been able to capture before the FISA court ruling without first obtaining a FISA warrant.

Congress addressed this technology issue when it passed, with my support, the Protect America Act last August. That law included a six-month sunset provision requiring Congress to take another look at the issue this year. On February 12, 2008, I voted for, and the Senate passed with a strong bipartisan vote of 68-29, the FISA Amendments Act of 2007 (S. 224 that was introduced by Senator John Rockefeller (D-WV). S. 2248 not only addressed the technological challenges facing the intelligence community, but also included safeguards to protect the civil liberties of the American people. For example, S. 2248 would require for the first time that a court order be obtained to conduct foreign intelligence surveillance of an American abroad. Historically, such surveillance has been conducted pursuant to Executive Branch procedures when, for instance, a U.S. citizen was acting as an agent of a foreign power, such as spying on behalf of a foreign government. Other provisions were also added clarifying that the government cannot "reverse target" without a court order. In addition, S. 2248 increases the role of the FISA Court and of Congress in overseeing the acquisition of foreign intelligence information.

S. 2248 also included a provision that would grant legal protections to the telecommunications companies that assisted with foreign intelligence collection between September 11, 2001 and January 17, 2007. I supported that provision because those companies were asked to assist the intelligence community in defending the country, and they did so in good faith. Allowing those companies to be held liable for that assistance would be unfair and would serve as a grave disincentive for the private sector to partner with the government on issues of national security in the future. It is important to remember that the federal government itself does not have the capacity of its own telecommunications company and must rely on private providers in this instance. As the nature of the terrorist threat continues to evolve, we will need the assistance of everyone - the private sector and the general public - to keep us safe.

Unfortunately, the House did not pass a similar version of S. 2248; and the Protect America Act has expired. The intelligence community now must operate under the 1978 FISA law, which means it is hampered in its ability to collect the information it needs to do its job effectively. I strongly urge the House to follow the Senate's lead and pass a law similar to S. 2248. An updated FISA law that includes a provision granting the telecommunications companies with legal liability protection is critical to our safety and security.

Please be assured that I will keep your views in mind as the Senate continues to work with the U.S. House of Representatives to reconcile the differences between the two versions of the bill. I believe our national security is paramount, and please be assured of my commitment to maintaining the balance between the crucial need for tools to fight the war on terror and the equally important need to protect our civil liberties.

Thank you again for sharing your views and concerns with me. I hope you will continue to visit my web site at Joe Lieberman, Senator from Connecticut for updated news about my work on behalf of Connecticut and the nation. Please contact me if you have any additional questions or comments about our work in Congress.

Sincerely,


Joseph I. Lieberman
UNITED STATES SENATOR

[MSP]

Liberman, name sounds familiar...

[Sparky]

I got the same exact letter myself this morning too.

[Jamsan]

You guys know better than to post more than a paragraph without cliff notes...

[Jackalope]

It has been neither an accident nor luck that America has not been attacked since that horrific day on September 11, 2001. As a result of the hard work of many in the intelligence community, those who would kill many more Americans have been thwarted in their attempts to attack us again. Nevertheless, as the recent National Intelligence Estimate stated, the terrorist threat to the U.S. homeland remains persistent and continues to evolve, especially as the terrorists become more proficient in their use of modern technology.

not to say that sounds like a load of crap, but...

[MSP]

Not ALL of the efforts to protect the homeland are crap. It's probably been a combination of luck and tactics. Not to defend this particular piece of legislation or anything, just saying.

[Scrubbin_Bubbles]

Originally Posted by Sparky

I got the same exact letter myself this morning too.

You mean he didn't take time to write us different letters

[Torx]

i deleted my letter from the tn senator, the other senator hasnt responded yet.
mine was alot, ALOT shorter than libermans

the tn senator basically said what he chose was right, and i shouldnt question why, and i should just live with others making decisions for me like a sheephead.

[tweakmonkey]

You should send him this video to catch him up to speed.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2081592330319789254

[tex]

Originally Posted by Torx

the tn senator basically said what he chose was right, and i shouldnt question why, and i should just live with others making decisions for me like a sheephead.

Post it. The first part sounds very probable, the rest sounds like complete and total fucking bullshit.

[Torx]

i deleted my letter from the tn senator, the other senator hasnt responded yet.
mine was alot, ALOT shorter than libermans

[tex]

No undelete?

[mistawiskas]

Just think, our tax dollars paid for that letter.

[Torx]

i dont think i can "undelete" an email that was compressed in a past OE idx file thats been rewritten like a million times already

UNLESS MR SIX FIGURES KNOWS HOW okay, i'll stop, ill stop!!

[tex]

Originally Posted by Torx

i dont think i can "undelete" an email that was compressed in a past OE idx file thats been rewritten like a million times already

UNLESS MR SIX FIGURES KNOWS HOW okay, i'll stop, ill stop!!

It all goes to the recycle bin!

[ivanolo]

Originally Posted by Torx

the tn senator basically said what he chose was right, and i shouldnt question why, and i should just live with others making decisions for me like a sheephead.

See, that's my problem right there. I subscribe to the belief that we elect our government officials to carry out the wishes of the people while keeping to the Constitution, not to make decisions for us based on their own moral code.

[mistawiskas]

They, in no way represent the people. When was the last time any politician asked you for an opinion on anything?