Anatomy of a democratic moment

Glenn Greenwald summarizes what it took to get retroactive immunity for telecom companies that helped the U.S. government engage in warrantless surveillance of U.S. citizens taken off the table until at least January.

Every citizen who believes that the 4th amendment and the rule of law are still vital components of American democracy should continue to assist Senator Dodd in proctecting the Constitution by contacting the offices of their Senators (or perhaps Democratic senators, seeing as Republicans are pretty much a lost cause) and explaining the importance of this issue. Contact local media and ask them why this is issue is not being covered. Do the same with national media. If you know of media figures who you believe to be sympathetic to the issue but who are not covering it, write them and urge them to do so.

Contact the offices of Vichy Dems like Senator Harry Reid and (respectfully) ask why the senator is working to undermine the 4th amendment. Express your dissapointment and/or outrage (again, respectfully.) Emphasize that granting retroactive immunity for lawbreaking for profit would legistate an incentive for goverment and corporations to conspire to circumvent and subvert our Constitutionally guaranteed civil liberties. Tell them that this legislation says that our rights are not inalieanable but, in fact, very much alieanable - that they are subject to the personal fiat of a Ruler.

Nothing could be more foreign, more poisonous and antithetical to this nation's history and purpose than that.

The Dodd campaign was looking for material to use during a filibuster. Citizens should continue to research the matter and look for historical rhetoric to contrast what the Bush administration and Vichy Dems are doing with this nation's most basic and founding principles. I'm thinking of things along the lines of this which make the difference stark and apparent.

It should also be emphasized that the 4th amendment wasn't primarily written with the policing of criminal activity in mind. It was written with the the policing of dissident activity in mind. It can hardly be imagined that the founders would have intended for the goverment and corporate entities to have legal immunity to survey every communication that citizens partake in.

Indeed, the Republic of Letters from which this nation was born would not have been possible had such a tool been at the disposal of the monarchy.