Diverse activists from left and right band together against telecom immunity

An extremely diverse group of online activists ranging from the ACLU to Ron Paul supporters have come together to create The Strange Bedfellows, a campaign dedicated to preventing Congress from offering immunity to the telephone companies that participated in the President's illegal warrantless wiretapping program. They raised $170,000 in 48h to buy ads to get the word out.

The ACLU is joining with activists from the Ron Paul campaign, represented by Break the Matrix, Rick Williams and Trevor Lyman, and civil liberties writer Glenn Greenwald of Salon, and leading liberal bloggers including, Jane Hamsher of firedoglake, Matt Stoller of Open Left, John Amato of Crooks and Liars, Howie Klein of Down with Tyranny, Digby, Josh Nelson of The Seminal and activist Josh Koster to tell Congress that we will not let them ignore the Constitution or give immunity to telecoms which deliberately broke our laws for years.

This group of Strange Bedfellows is mobilizing a broad-based left-right coalition of office holders and candidates, public interest groups and individuals who are devoted to preserving basic constitutional liberties to join in the fight. The goal is to work together to impede the corrupt FISA/telecom amnesty deal.

Glenn Greenwald said, "The Beltway establishment has made clear that they support the Bush administration's assault on our basic constitutional protections and the rule of law. Constitutional rights and the rule of law are not liberal or conservative principles. They're American principles, and this broad-based alliance is devoted to defending them from the bipartisan political class that wants to trample upon them."

Link (Thanks, Raisedbywolves!)

[#1 posted by websorcerer , June 19, 2008 6:55 AM]

You may contact your congressional representatives about this issue by going to eff.org and clicking on the link on their home page.

[#2 posted by raisedbywolves , June 19, 2008 7:40 AM]

I am so glad to see this here! Thanks Cory!

You guys can get up-to-the-minute coverage of this issue from civ-lib advocate Glenn Greenwald at Salon: http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/

Talk to your representatives. This is a very crucial and time-sensitive issue.

[#3 posted by zuzu , June 19, 2008 10:48 AM]

Which goes to show that the left-right political spectrum borrowed from the French Legislative Assembly of 1791 is an enormous red herring.

Really, politics boils down to either you favor freedom, or you favor authority.

Furthermore, if the Neo-Cons talk so much about the importance of the rule of law regarding illegal immigration (and "undocumented workers"), why should that argument not also apply to telecommunications companies? Why no amnesty for immigrants, but yes amnesty for telecoms?

[#4 posted by jnoring , June 19, 2008 11:16 AM]

Cory, your "left-right" dichotomy does not really reflect political reality. Ron Paul and his supporters are essentially libertarians who are trying to work within our two-party system. Most "right" folks tend to support telcom immunity.

Now if you consider "minimum government in all respects" (which libertarians espouse) to be a right-wing position, then I have a bridge to sell you. <laugh/>

[#5 posted by jellyfish24 , June 20, 2008 12:50 PM]

Does anyone have any stats on the number of people wiretapping has affected vs. the crime/threats that it has prevented?

Any info would be much appreciated ;-)