As a candidate for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Elizabeth Dole, the people of North Carolina and our nation deserve to know my values and where I stand on the FISA bill before Congress.
As a kid growing up in Greensboro, I was taught to believe in equality and fair play.
That’s why I unequivocally oppose giving telephone companies amnesty for felony violations of the current FISA law.
Equality means the law applies equally to the powerful and the powerless.
Fair play means the telephone companies deserve the opportunity to convince a jury that collaborating with the Bush Administration to listen in on Americans’ private conversations in violation of the law was the right thing to do.
And the American people deserve to know the scope of the wiretapping programs the government is running with our tax dollars. We’ve seen reports indicating wiretaps began before September 11th. The Administration won’t explain what it’s been doing. Its accomplices in the phone companies should explain it in court.
Retroactive immunity would allow the administration to continue to blanket its domestic surveillance operations in secrecy and avoid accountability by pardoning its accomplices.
Retroactive immunity would set a legal precedent for the government and its accomplices to ask for immunity for torture, kidnapping, obstruction of justice and other potential crimes committed in our names.
I believe in accountability, equality and fair play. I believe no one - no corporation and no government official - is above the law.
These are the values I will bring to Washington when I represent North Carolina in the U.S. Senate and why I oppose amnesty for telephone companies.
My primary opponent State Senator Kay Hagan, disagrees. She says she would vote for amnesty for the telephone companies’ violation of the law and our Fourth Amendment rights – just as Senator Elizabeth Dole did.
http://jimnealforsenate.com/
P.S. Unfortunately, I am booked up all tonight and won’t be able to respond to comments until tomorrow – but I will be reading and responding first thing in the morning.