The senate has just removed more rights from American citizens, and as an extra bonus have provided immunity to the telecoms who broke the law and violated our rights at the request of King George.From the NYT article:

Democratic opponents, led by Senators Russ Feingold of Wisconsin and Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut, argued that the plan effectively rewarded phone companies by providing them with legal insulation for actions that violated longstanding law and their own privacy obligations to their customers. But immunity supporters said the phone carriers acted out of patriotism after the Sept. 11 attacks in complying with what they believed in good faith was a legally binding order from the president.

“This, I believe, is the right way to go for the security of the nation,” said Senator John D. Rockefeller, the West Virginia Democrat who leads the intelligence committee. His support for the plan, after intense negotiations with the White House and his Republican colleagues, was considered critical to its passage but drew criticism from civil liberties groups because of $42,000 in contributions that Mr. Rockefeller received last year from AT&T and Verizon executives.

So if you’re ever caught up in a federal fishing expedition (and remember, what makes you an “enemy combatant” is some federal bureaucrat saying so; proof is not required) just say “I was doing it out of patriotism” and you’ll get immunity.

Oh, wait, you haven’t purchased a senator for $42K? Never mind.