Reuters: Phone companies shield may be added to security bill

[Eugene]

Phone companies shield may be added to security bill

By Susan Cornwell
Reuters
Friday, September 29, 2006; 2:46 PM

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A provision that would shield telephone
companies from liability for providing call records to help
the U.S. government track terrorists may be added to a port
security bill, U.S. Senate sources told Reuters on Friday.

Lawmakers were rushing to finish legislation to boost security
at American seaports before going home this weekend to campaign
for November congressional elections. The House and Senate had
a tentative agreement on the port safety provisions, but the
bill was attracting last-minute amendments.

Republican sources said Alaskan Sen. Ted Stevens was considering
adding liability protections for phone companies that assist
with President George W. Bush's warrantless domestic spying
program, called the Terrorist Surveillance Program.

-snip-

Some Democratic senators and their aides said they had not seen
a text of the ports measure, and were opposed to the idea of a
telephone company liability shield.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/29/AR2006092900807.html

[fooj]

1. For the love of God...

Do these people ever stop?

[Cronus Protagonist]

2. No

They never do. Until they're jailed, that is.

[pinniped]

3. I guess we can't get mad at AT&T anymore because when they dish....

out records without a warrant it will be legal.

[ozymandius]

4. Wouldn't this be a bill of attainder?

And thus unconstitutional?

[sarcasmo]

5. Much of what they have done has been unconstitutional.

[Delphinus]

6. They killed the Constitution!

RIP

[reprobate]

7. Bill of Attainder.

Definition: A legislative act that singles out an individual or group for punishment without a trial.