http://thatsmycongress.com An independent chronicle of the battle for and squabbles within the U.S. House and Senate, covering the most interesting campaigns and the most controversial legislation. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:47:48 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Another day has gone by in which Barack Obama has refused to address the concerns that a growing number of his supporters have expressed about the FISA Amendments Act, which Obama says he will vote for on Tuesday. There's a reassuring competence in the people protesting Obama's support for the FISA ... http://thatsmycongress.com/index.php/2008/07/03/obama-refuses-to-address-supporters-concerns/ Barack Obama shocked his supporters last month by declaring his support for George W. Bush's Orwellian program of spying against millions of Americans, codified and retroactively legalized by the FISA Amendments Act. It's not too late for Barack Obama to change his mind, however. The Senate vote on ... http://thatsmycongress.com/index.php/2008/07/02/listen-to-your-supporters-on-fisa-obama/ Marine mammals are in serious trouble. Fish populations are so gravely depleted that Pacific grey whales have been seen migrating north with such severe starvation that their ribs are showing. Seal species around the world are being devastated by climate change. What's the response of the Republican Party? ... http://thatsmycongress.com/index.php/2008/07/02/young-plan-to-aim-lower-for-marine-mammals-belly-flops/ If you want to think about great American traditions, there's no tradition more central to the tradition of being an American than the Bill of Rights. The guarantees of freedom established in the Bill of Rights are what made America great. Among the amendments in the Bill of ... http://thatsmycongress.com/index.php/2008/07/01/welshfisa/ There are two subtly different meanings of the word compromise. One meaning, used by those politicians of the FISA Amendments Act, suggests reconciliation between two opposing sides. That sounds so nice, doesn't it? Who could argue against coming together, so that both sides can have a little ... http://thatsmycongress.com/index.php/2008/06/30/do-not-compromise-the-constitution-says-cummings/ For the last couple of months, Republicans in Congress have been whining and complaining that gasoline prices in the United States would go down a whole bunch, if only the the Democrats in Congress would do only something to increase the amount of oil drilling taking place on federal lands. Well, ... http://thatsmycongress.com/index.php/2008/06/29/republicans-vote-against-hurried-oil-drilling-on-existing-leases/ Over at Protect America Act, they have taken it upon themselves to recognize the good work of those members of the House of Representatives who voted one week ago against the FISA Amendments Act. The FISA Amendments Act does not just grant retroactive immunity to giant telecommunications corporations who ... http://thatsmycongress.com/index.php/2008/06/28/thank-the-defenders/ Congressman Neil Abercrombie represents Hawaii in the U.S. House of Representatives, but on June 20, 2008, he also represented all Americans who believe that freedom is the best source of security. Abercrombie voted against the FISA Amendments Act, criticizing the changes that the proposed law would make to the ... http://thatsmycongress.com/index.php/2008/06/26/abercrombie-links-fisa-amendments-act-with-bush-abuses/ The following are the heroes of the Senate today. They came together to defend the Constitution, to stop the FISA Amendments Act, a proposed law that essentially removes the fourth amendment's protections from unreasonable search and seizure from the Bill of Rights. They attempted to filibuster the bill. ... http://thatsmycongress.com/index.php/2008/06/25/barack-obama-abandons-senate-while-filibuster-flounders/ In 2006, Nancy Pelosi, eager to become Speaker of the House, made a terrible promise: "Impeachment is off the table," she said. The signal could not have been more clear to George W. Bush: It didn't matter what he did. He would not be held accountable to the law. ... http://thatsmycongress.com/index.php/2008/06/25/kucinich-is-right-on-impeachment-and-accountability/