House passes new surveillance law

By PAMELA HESS, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON – The House Friday easily approved a compromise bill setting new electronic surveillance rules that effectively shield telecommunications companies from lawsuits arising from the government’s terrorism-era warrantless eavesdropping on phone and computer lines in this country.

The bill, which was passed on a 293-129 vote, does more than just protect the telecoms. The update to the 30-year-old Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is an attempt to balance privacy rights with the government’s responsibility to protect the country against attack, taking into account changes in telecommunications technologies.

“This bill, though imperfect, protects both,” said Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., and a former member of the intelligence committee.

President Bush praised the bill Friday. “It will help our intelligence professionals learn enemies’ plans for new attacks,” he said in a statement before television cameras a few hours before the vote.

More: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080620/ap_on_go_co/terrorist_surveillance

If you can’t see that your rights are being taken from you, you are irrelevant. More and more governmental agencies are spying on people’s personal privacy. As a result, they are recking lives.

How could recking someone life be a part protecting your privacy?

Let say you were (or are) a political activitists who believe in equal justice and equality. Don’t think for a second your actions are not being recorded.

But since most people aren’t political activists, I guess you have nothing to worry about. Right? Wrong!

Just “regular” people carrying on their daily lives are targets for this spying.

I have seen with my own eyes how both blacks and whites were being spyed upon, just because someone in government had to justify their jobs. And in ordered to make themselves seem busy, they took it upon themselves to spy on anyone.

Maybe that sounds incredible to you, it happens all the time.

I have personally given accounts of my experience with the system and how I did not do anything to cause this situation to occur.

But it isn’t about following the laws or being a law abiding citizen anymore. It is about control.

Let say a progressive person want to run for political office. The violation of privacy can lead to that person’s information being exposed. Since no one will take responsibility for disseminating this information, it’s your word against the data provided.