Fox's Goler falsely claimed FISA will expire February 15
SUMMARY: On Special Report, Wendell Goler falsely asserted that "the president is trying ... to get the House to pass a permanent extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act [FISA]" and that "[t]he president threw down the gauntlet, said he's not going to accept any more extensions, that this act must be permanently renewed before it expires in two days." In fact, FISA is not set to expire February 15; the Protect America Act's revisions to FISA are set to expire.
In a February 13 report on the congressional debate over the reauthorizing of the Protect America Act (PAA), Fox News White House correspondent Wendell Goler falsely asserted that "the president is trying ... to get the House to pass a permanent extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act" and that "[t]he president threw down the gauntlet, said he's not going to accept any more extensions, that this act must be permanently renewed before it expires in two days." In fact, as Media Matters for America has repeatedly documented, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) is not set to expire February 15. What is set to expire are the PAA's revisions to FISA, which, among other things, expanded the government's authority to eavesdrop on Americans' domestic-to-foreign communications without a warrant.
Following Goler's report, guest host Bret Baier stated, "Again, the big question mark, what happens if it doesn't get through?" The question was left unanswered on Special Report. However, the PAA's "transition procedures" point out what happens if the revisions are allowed to expire on February 15: All new authorizations for surveillance would be governed by the FISA statute as it existed prior to the PAA revisions, while all current authorizations would remain in effect until their scheduled expiration date.
Media Matters has documented numerous instances of media falsely reporting that the government's ability to eavesdrop on the communications of suspected terrorists would expire if the PAA were not extended.
From the February 13 edition of Fox News' Special Report with Brit Hume:
BAIER: We'll bring in Wendell Goler here at the White House. Wendell, sum up, if you will, what the president is trying to get the House to do, and what is the major issue in this legislation?
GOLER: Well, the president is trying, Bret, to get the House to pass a permanent extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The problem is that lawmakers -- in the House, at least -- have concerns about wiretaps conducted after 9-11; whether the administration knowingly broke the law; and whether telephone companies that allowed the government to intercept phone conversations, presumably from foreign countries into the United States or from foreign countries to other foreign countries that were routed through the United States, whether those telephone companies should be immune from lawsuits. About 40 lawsuits are filed right now.
The president wants the current extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to give the telephone companies immunity from prosecution. A number of Democrats in the House, Bret, are reluctant to do that.
They proposed today a three-week extension of the current act, which has itself been extended. The president threw down the gauntlet, said he's not going to accept any more extensions, that this act must be permanently renewed before it expires in two days. The House attempted to pass the extension; it was voted down. Now they have two days to pass the Senate bill. Bret.
BAIER: All right. Wendell Goler at the White House. Again, the big question mark, what happens if it doesn't get through? We'll be watching. Wendell, thanks.
OOOH we'll all be murdered in our sleep because shrub won't be able to spy on us without a warrent.
What is this part 12 of a continuing series?
Still some hope the House won't cut off our privacy at the ankules (Hi hissy buff). I'd like to see some senators take some heat, that includes Hillary, on the FISA vote.
Col, Better tell that Kenny guy to start growing his shrubs higher.
Bush and his administration complain about how dangerous it would be if they were not allowed to spy on anybody, whenever they want. They also do everything they can to hide their own actions. Cheney even tried to evade accountability by claiming to be effectively his own branch of government. Apparently the existing laws, which allow 72 hour retroactive authorization for surveillance, are insufficient, and they want unrestricted access to everybody.
Now Fox is equating illegal spying with FISA. This is beyond ridiculous.
It is a crime to the Nth degree against, not only our Constitution but the memory of our founding fathers, our democracy, to We The People, the people of the rest of planet Earth, our children, their children and our childrens children, etc, etc.....
I sincerely hope, whether it's Hillary or Barack that they do the right thing and restore to US the seperation of powers and all that makes our government good by disavowing or repealing:
Corporate Personhood!
Every single 'law' that the Bush regime and their Republican cohorts in Congress passed over the last 8 years
NAFTA and CAFTA
NCLB
Get us out of Iraq
Investigate, like Clinton had started by having the Iran Contra hearings investigated, every single move that these people made.... starting with those secret Energy meetings that Cheney ran
The OSI (Office of Strategic Intelligence - or whatever it is called?)
The lead up to the illegal occupation and the bull$hit lies that were used to wage it.
BlackWater
Forcibly remove ownership of our VOTES from the clutches of for-profit companies!!
And then strengthen the FISA Act and enact public finance laws of elections, re-tax wealth as from the days of Jefferson, Madison, Adams and Hamilton and remake it a crime for corporations or churches to be able to use 'lobbying' (legalized bribery) through campaign contributions!
Almost forgot...... repeal the TeleCommunication act of 1996 and renact the Fairness Doctrine!
Pass a law that makes it illegal for any media to lie about something that they know is true!
Fine the daylights and allow for those 40 or so lawsuits to take place against the telecom companies so that we can have our Constitution back!
Reopen the 9/11 commision and have a real and seperate and uninfluenced party run it!
SAVE DEMOCRACY, VOTE FOR A DEMOCRAT!!
GOLER: Well, the president is trying, Bret, to get the House to pass a permanent extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
Either Mr. Goler is stupid, uninformed, or a liar! The FISA Law is stil enacted, and the bill being considered is an Orwellian abomination called the Protect America Act.
I of cource lean toward he's a liar, but stupid is a strong second.
Happy Thoughts;
Dan Grady