Betrayed by Obama, but the ACLU offers hope

Today Americans hoping for change were betrayed by the candidate we thought was different. Barack Obama voted along with the Republicans to pass legislation that legalizes the warrantless eavesdropping done by the Bush administration and the major telecoms. It also prevents lawsuits against the companies that betrayed their customer's privacy. Obama's position on this legislation is a huge disappointment because it demonstrates that he shares the same outlook on civil liberties as the Bush administration.

This is not some fringe issue either. If the government can spy on us without warrants, then no one can stand up to that government without living under a magnifying glass, with every action scrutinized. We all break the law, but only those that are inconvenient to the powerful will be held accountable, while the well connected will break the law with impunity and hold onto positions of power. Want an example? Eliot Spitzer. He was a thorn in the side of the ruling elite, so they used the Patriot Act's expanded police powers to spy on him, and then used illegally gathered (according to the 4th amendment) information to discredit and disgrace him.

The ACLU has vowed to fight on and will challenge the new law in court as it is in clear violation of the 4th amendment.

"This fight is not over. We intend to challenge this bill as soon as President Bush signs it into law," said Jameel Jaffer, Director of the ACLU National Security Project. "The bill allows the warrantless and dragnet surveillance of Americans' international telephone and email communications. It plainly violates the Fourth Amendment."

Read the press release here

If you want change, Obama isn't going to give it to us. Do not send him money. Do not support him. Support groups like the ACLU and the EFF.