"Reichstag smoulder"

[libertango]

... the term coming from pecunium.

Anyway, here's the roll call in the Senate for the FISA bill. This is the one that contains telco immunity, and a number of wholly superfluous security theater style measures that contribute not one whit to stopping actual terrorists in the field.

(Subtle hint: It's been known since Mohamed Farrah Aidid in Somalia that the easiest way to send messages with no wiretap at all is to send individual messengers. The odds are extremely high that no terrorist message will ever be intercepted, because they're not stupid enough to use a medium that can be readily tapped. That means this bill gives powers to the executive branch with no practical purpose other than to spy on everyday citizens.)

Others have commented on Obama's switch on this issue, mostly because the use of the issue of terror has become the Red-baiting of our time, and he doesn't want to be seen as "soft on terrorism" in an election. More disappointing to me was the vote of Webb of Virginia, who has been mentioned as a Veep candidate (including by me). No longer, as far as I'm concerned.

Mad props to Senators Feingold (who led the fight against the measure), Dodd, Cantwell, and Murray (which is to say, both of Washington's Senators remain committed to the Constitution).

Comments

[ckd]

I'm pleased to say that both of my senators also opposed the bill (Kennedy didn't vote, but (a) had a good reason to not be there and (b) had previously expressed solid opposition), as well as my Congressman (I've been very happy with Capuano; this just reinforces that).

[randy-byers.livejournal.com]

Glad to see that Cantwell and Murray did the right thing. Webb, by the way, officially declined consideration for veep earlier this week.

[farmgirl1146.livejournal.com]

You are right. Individual couriers are the best way to get truly sensitive information to your comrades. The British were the best at this in WWII. The FISA bill and other anti-terror bills puzzle me because I wonder what the endgame on these is. Are we dealing with misfeasance or malfeasance?

While Mohamed Farrah Aidid may have utilized it to great effect in the modern world (I am not familiar with what he actually did and how he did it), Darius and many others did too. I read somewhere not that long ago that Darius sent out five couriers with the true message and five couriers with the fake message, and by some predetermined sign his generals knew which was which. He used encryption.