FISA: Deal or No Deal? - Via ACLU Blog - Government Spying: Here in Washington, rumors are swirling about a deal on FISA being brokered by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Ranking Intelligence Committee Member Senator Kit Bond. We’re taking the news to heart and getting ready for the other shoe to drop in this saga. Letting the Protect America Act expire in February was a brave act and since then the House has continued to do the right thing by doing nothing. Now with a Hoyer/Bond deal about to drop and news that Senate Intel Chairman Jay Rockefeller is floating his own proposal, we’re getting back into the trenches. It should be clear that deal that’s being worked out and ultimately agreed upon by Bond and Hoyer will be likely very, very close to the unconstitutional bill passed by the Senate in February. Since it’s implied that Bond is speaking for the White House — as he has throughout this process — the proposal will likely include attempts to soften the idea of blanket immunity for the telecoms by allowing the FISA court to determine whether cases can go forward. Bad idea.  read more »