Speeches: Barbara Boxer’s Newsroom

Barbara Boxer’s speech on FISA

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What Leadership looks like

Senator Russ Feingold holds the line on the FISA bill.

Senators Dodd and Boxer are with Senator Feingold. Senator Dodd and Feingold:

“This is a deeply flawed bill, which does nothing more than offer retroactive immunity by another name. We strongly urge our colleagues to reject this so-called ‘compromise’ legislation and oppose any efforts to consider this bill in its current form. We will oppose efforts to end debate on this bill as long as it provides retroactive immunity for the telecommunications companies that may have participated in the President’s warrantless wiretapping program, and as long as it fails to protect the privacy of law-abiding Americans.

“If the Senate does proceed to this legislation, our immediate response will be to offer an amendment that strips the retroactive immunity provision out of the bill. We hope our colleagues will join us in supporting Americans’ civil liberties by opposing retroactive immunity and rejecting this so-called ‘compromise’ legislation.”

Senator Boxer:

I know that many of my colleagues in the Senate think we know enough about this program.

But we do not know enough. The Bush Administration trampled on the Constitution, and we are not doing anything in this bill to provide accountability.

This bill goes along with the premise that we hold up the Constitution when it suits us, and we set it aside when it hinders what we want to do.

Simply put, this bill is a fig leaf that attempts to hide the truth about the warrantless surveillance program at the expense of the rights of our citizens.

And if we vote for it today, we are perpetuating a cover-up.

I want to be clear – I support giving our government every tool necessary to track down terrorists and protect our citizens.

I voted to go after al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden, and I believe it is the responsibility of the Congress to provide all of the tools necessary to fight terrorism and protect the American people.

But we have another responsibility, I believe, of equal importance; and that is our responsibility to uphold the Constitution and the rights of our citizens….

We can and must do better, and therefore I oppose this bill.

Senator Ron Wyden:

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, announced today that he would oppose new legislation amending the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) due to his continued opposition to a provision that would grant blanket retroactive immunity to any telecommunications company that participated in the President’s warrantless wiretapping program.

“This is not the first time that the President has pressured Congress into interfering in federal court cases to cover-up his attempts to secretly rewrite the law. Congress’s previous attempts to bail-out the President—from the Detainee Treatment Act to the Military Commissions Act—have not only failed to solve the legal mess, but have often provided cover for the Administration’s failed counterterrorism policies,” said Wyden.

“I see no reason for Congress to grant blanket immunity to companies that went along with the President’s wiretapping program for the better part of six years, even as it became increasingly clear that the legal foundation for this program was built on sand,” Wyden continued. “It is not the role of Congress to substitute its judgment for the judgment of the courts. And while this bill offers the illusion of a fair judicial process, in reality, as the House Republican Leadership has noted, this is a mere ‘formality.’” …

I hope that my senators remember their best moments:

This/That/Whatever

Workout notes Yoga class, then 8 miles of walking. I did part of the Steamboat course today and it was pleasant though some teenagers made fun of my walking. It happens, but when it does one has to:

Science: How engineers learn from animal evolution. This video is 20 minutes; it is 20 minutes well spent. At the end, you learn by what force a geko climbs up a vertical surface. Hint: it isn’t glue, nor is it suction.

This video is beyond fascinating.

Midwest Flooding Some might be unaware of the scope of the flooding in Iowa; his is a photo of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. On my way to the Fans race (June 6), I drove through here; on the way back I took another route due to some flooding. Things were to get worse.

If you look at the bridges, the second bridge from the top is the IH-380 bridge that I drove across.

Previous topic

I put my sidebar poll on the Daily Kos and my diary has now scrolled off of the main site.
Here are the results:

Do you “belive in god”?
1. Strong theist. 100 per cent probablity of God; “I do not believe, I know
6% 7 votes
2. Very high probability but short of 100 per cent. “I cannot know for certain, but I strongly believe in God and live my life under the assumption that God exists
10% 11 votes
3. Higher than 50 per cent but not high. Somewhat agnostic, but lean toward the existance of God.
5% 6 votes
4. . Exactly 50 per cent; impartial agnostic.
2% 3 votes
5. Lower than 50 per cent but not very low. Technically agnostic but leaning toward atheism. “I don’t know if God exists, but I am skeptical.
8% 9 votes
6. Very low probability but short of zero: ” I cannot know for certain, but I think that God is very improbable and I live my life as if no God existed
44% 48 votes
7. Strong Atheist: “I KNOW that God does not exist
21% 23 votes

| 107 votes

Note: a “main page” poll (such as a “who won the debate poll”) usually gets 5-6 k votes.

Still, we have about 75 per cent atheist or agnostic, which sounds about right for that place.

Templeton Conversation: There is much discussion on “does science make religion obsolete”. I’d say “huh?” Yes, it makes religion as a way of knowing obsolete, though there might be some value to certain religious practices (prayer, meditation, reflection, yoga, etc.) and there might be some value to people getting together for mutual support, comfort, and to challenge each other to be the best that they can be.

But you’ll see lots of stuff discussed there.

Pew Religious Landscape Survey: only 60% of Americans believe in God (a personal god)

This blog headline might strike you as odd or dishonest, especially if you see articles like this one:

92% of Americans believe in God or a universal spirit, Pew survey finds

Americans overwhelmingly believe in God and consider religion an important part of their lives, even as many shun weekly worship services, according to a national survey released today that also found great diversity in religious beliefs and practices. [...]

Yes, the basis for this article (and its headlines and lead in) is this Pew Survey. There is a ton of stuff here; you can keep yourself occupied for hours. The statistics are summarized here, and there is a link to the 268 page report. But take a look at this data table:

(larger)

The top line shows that indeed 92 percent of Americans believe in a deity or a universal spirit. But look across the line: only 60% believe in a personal god; 25% believe in some impersonal spirit or force (what Dawkins calls “sexed up atheism”) and 7% have some different conception.

In short, as a whole, this country is not as blindly religious as some might think.
Even when you look at, say, Catholics, only 60 per cent of these believe in a personal god, only 25 per cent of all Jews, and 41 percent of Muslims! (6 per cent of Atheists too; I admit that I don’t understand that one )

The following is also encouraging:

Most Americans agree with the statement that many religions – not just their own – can lead to eternal life. Among those who are affiliated with a religious tradition, seven-in-ten say many religions can lead to eternal life. This view is shared by a majority of adherents in nearly all religious traditions, including more than half of members of evangelical Protestant churches (57%). Only among Mormons (57%) and Jehovah’s Witnesses (80%) do majorities say that their own religion is the one true faith leading to eternal life.

Again, if you are interested in such things, you’ll find plenty to keep you occupied and entertained.

Where do I fit in? I posted some stuff about myself a few posts earlier (e. g., how I did on the belief.net surveys)

But here is a brief summary of where I am now:

When it comes to belief in a deity that performs miracles or supernatural acts (either currently, or in past world history): I am an atheist. I deny magic, “the sun standing still”, talking donkeys, virgin births, resurrected bodies, stone tablets given by a deity, flaming chariots, miraculous night journeys, golden tablets given by angels, angels equally.

Oh yes, I disbelieve astrology, tarot cards, chakras, healing crystals, dousing pendulums and the like.

When it comes to something (as Dawkins puts it) “grand and wonderful” that exists in something outside of our space time continuum and that doesn’t currently influence the universe: I am agnostic, though leaning toward atheism.

When it comes to something being outside of of our space time continuum and that doesn’t currently influence the universe that I have zero conception of: I am agnostic.

When it comes to believing that religious practices such as prayer, meditation, yoga and rituals can work to help people live happier, more contented lives on a personal level: I am a believer.
In this respect, I do not believe in supernatural miracles; I believe that there are secular reasons that such things work.

I also think that people coming together at church can be a good thing for people’s emotional health; I still, on rare occasion, attend a Unitarian Church.

Huge hat tip to Friendly Atheist.