clevermanka | Misc.

Our hard fought victories on the Bush administration's illegal wiretapping program are in danger once again.

Earlier this year the House of Representatives—thanks in large part to pressure from the grassroots and the netroots—stood strong and refused to pass the Senate version of "FISA reform." That legislation, you'll recall, would have granted retroactive immunity to the Bush administration and the telecom companies that reportedly helped him eavesdrop on Americans without legally-required warrants.

Now, however, comes word that parts of the Democratic leadership in the House—most notably, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland—are negotiating with Bush's allies in Congress to push through "compromise" legislation—legislation that will give the administration practically everything they've asked for.

Click here to tell Speaker Pelosi: no compromises on illegal wiretapping.

There's simply no reason to rush into passing bad legislation now. Under the existing FISA law, our nation's intelligence agencies already have the tools they need to legitimately monitor terrorist communications.

The only reason Bush is trying so hard to push this bill through Congress before he leaves office is to prevent legal discovery of prior violations of the law—disclosures which would be detrimental to the administration and any telecom companies that assisted in the lawbreaking.

After you send Speaker Pelosi your message, please be sure to pass word along to a few friends as well. Every American should be outraged by the Bush administration's violations of our privacy—and the efforts by some in Congress to excuse that behavior after the fact.

Thank you for working to build a better world.

Michael Kieschnick, President
CREDO Mobile

P.S.—Only one mobile phone company enthusiastically supports civil liberties groups like the ACLU with a portion of your monthly bills. Click here for the details of our special offer for online activists.

I'm not sure how many of you read Coilhouse, but I'd say 90% of the people on my f-list need to see the video highlighted in entry I saw this morning. I'm looking at you,

scary_manilow and

secret_malady.

The jacket is progressing nicely, although I have some concerns about the structural integrity. Yes yes, I realize the fabric recommendations said "Twill, wool, or linen" but the brocade, it...it...well, see the icon attached to the post. Here is a link to the pattern I'm using (mine is a bit modified) for the jacket. All was going swimmingly last night until I realized I couldn't find the front lining piece. After a bit of hunting, I decided to just cut another piece. After all, I had enough lining fabric left over. I pinned the pieces together, double-checked the instructions, and realized that the reason I couldn't find the lining piece is I wasn't supposed to have one. The front flaps of the jacket are lined with the fashion fabric. *facepalm* At that point I decided to wrap things up for the evening and went to bed.

Misc.

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