Blank Check to Spy

BLANK CHECK TO SPY
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
[Commentary] Today the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on modernizing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), the 1978 law that regulates domestic wiretapping and searches. The hearing is an effort on the part of committee Chairman Arlen Specter to move along his very dangerous bill -- negotiated with the White House -- to put the National Security Agency's domestic surveillance program before the federal courts. No matter how adamantly Sen Specter denies that his bill would give Congress's blessing to domestic spying outside of FISA's strictures, it does so explicitly and unambiguously. Several better ideas are already out there, from legislators who, unlike Sen Specter, have actually been briefed on the NSA program.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/25/AR200607...
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* "Modernizing" FISA is Dangerous, Premature: CDT Testimony
A movement to "modernize" the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) could give the White House carte blanche to conduct warrantless surveillance on Americans without any judicial oversight. In testimony Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, CDT Policy Director Jim Dempsey will again urge lawmakers to probe the full extent of the President's domestic surveillance program before making any attempt to change FISA. CDT has criticized a proposed legislative compromise between the White House and Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA) as being an unreasonable capitulation to the administration's demands.
http://www.cdt.org/testimony/20060725fisa.pdf