RichardHarlos.com

I find these two pieces of information patently infuriating:

…the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 10 to 8 along party lines to approve a bill negotiated with the White House to allow—but not require—Bush to submit the National Security Agency’s warrantless wiretapping program to a secret court [FISA] for constitutional review.

That bill, which could come before the Senate next week, is considered by many to be a ratification of the administration’s current surveillance program, which monitors the overseas phone calls and e-mails of some Americans when one party is suspected of links to terrorism.

and:

…the House Armed Services Committee voted 52 to 8 to ratify the White House’s version of legislation creating military commissions for trying terrorism suspects. The measure would give Bush the authority he seeks to

• withhold classified evidence from defendants,
• admit testimony that defendants might maintain was coerced, and
• protect U.S. intelligence agents from legal action over their interrogation methods.

House Republican leaders plan to bring the tribunal bill to a vote next week.

Both of these snippets come from the 14 September 2006 Washington Post article GOP Leaders Back Bush on Wiretapping, Tribunals [update: 14 Sep 2006] but for a concise explanation of what’s going on with the NSA surveillance bill, labeled SB2453 (also known as the National Security Surveillance Act; full 41-pages of the bill as a pdf file here), you’d do better to visit this article on Wired.com called NSA Bill Performs a Patriot Act which has a nicely formatted set of bullet points to consider.

There’s also a shocking expose on the kinds of behaviors that are considered torturous and how many of them are only now being prohibited. Read about it at GWBush on Torture: Come on Baby, Make it Hurt so Good.

It seems the whole freakin’ administration has gone insane, and the Congress along with it.

If you feel similarly outraged, I urge you to contact your representatives right away! Not sure who your rep’s are? Please refer to my post on How to find and contact your elected representatives: governor, house, senate, etc. and see how easy it can be to make your voice heard. Please do it now.