Fergie's Tech Blog

Major Newspapers Slam Specter's Surveillance Bill

Via The EFF.

Last week, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter said that he had negotiated a proposed bill with the White House regarding the NSA's illegal spying program. Having now seen the draft legislation, the Washington Post, LA Times, and NY Times published editorials criticizing this sham "compromise."

• Washington Post: "Mr. Specter's bill ... has been turned into a green light for domestic spying. It must not pass....This bill is not a compromise but a full-fledged capitulation on the part of the legislative branch to executive claims of power."
• LA Times: "[Specter's] compromise solution is too much of a compromise and not enough of a solution."
• NY Times: "The bill the president has agreed to accept would allow him to go on ignoring the eavesdropping law.... [The FISA court] is not the right court to make the determination [about the domestic spying program's constitutionality]."

Kudos to these papers for joining the growing chorus of opposition to Specter's surveillance bill. Professors Jack Balkin, Steve Vladeck, and many other bloggers have also already been calling out the proposal's many dangers.

posted by Fergie @ 7/17/2006 09:45:00 PM