In August of 2007, Congress passed the Protect America Act (PAA) which closed a loophole in U.S. laws that are designed to protect our nation from terrorists. Before last August, U.S. national security officials were required to seek warrants from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) Court before intercepting communications from suspected foreign terrorists in foreign countries. The time it takes to secure such a warrant can result in the loss of a window of opportunity to capture the critical communications.
The PAA was authorized for only six months; expiring on Feb. 16, 2008. The Senate passed a full renewal, but the now-adjourned House has not considered renewing it, allowing the PAA to expire. The reason given is that the bill currently includes immunity to telecommunications companies that prevent them from being sued. There are 40 surveillance-related lawsuits currently pending against AT&T, Verizon and Sprint. Without immunity, the telecommunications firms would most likely decline cooperation with the U.S. authorities, rendering the PAA useless and crippling U.S. electronic foreign intelligence gathering efforts.
Carol Shea-Porter and many other Democrats in Congress don’t seem to give a whit that our national security is compromised. PAA does not allow spying on U.S. citizens, it addresses spying on suspected foreign terrorists. But, even that is too much for Shea-Porter to accept. She grandstands, using liberal hot button phrases like “fear-mongering” and “scare tactics” insisting “nothing terrible is going to happen” in her effort to score political points. No one can guarantee that no more terrorist attacks will occur. In fact, the odds are that eventually another one will occur. But, it is surveillance laws like PAA that have helped keep us safe for the past seven years and Carol Shea-Porter seems intent on tearing those safeguards down all for the sake of political maneuvering.
Stephen Poschmann is a member of the Bedford Republican Committee.