Obama Democrats and Bush Republicans had a few things in common. Specifically, an overcommitment to unconstitutional mass surveillance laws: FISA and the PATRIOT Act. Both laws were linked to controversial public bids for mass surveillance that have violated U.S. citizens’ civil liberties and have been found unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. King County municipalities and WA State bureau administrators appear to be sleepily delaying recognition of this important information. 

Washington State accepts federal funds for FISA telecommunications surveillance projects based on the prior mandates. They are not turning away federal means to sustain unconstitutional mass surveillance voted through 11th hour CROmnibus bills in 2019.

The FISA Court (FISC), the clandestine court who issued flawed FBI surveillance orders, recently fell prey to the FBI’s corruption as found in the Horowitz report. Now there is talk of abolishing it. An Obama national security attorney and “friend of the court”, David Kris, was appointed as special adviser and investigator of FISA malfeasance. This appointment signals an institutional will to preserve the FISC’s mission: rubber stamp surveillance of Americans. The U.S. Congress and the FBI seem to be on separate pages — legislation is being considered to defund mass surveillance and end law enforcement waivers and commercial immunities as FISA sunsets.

As SCOTUS checks and balances apply to the legislative and executive branches, more members in both chambers must migrate to Constitutional rule. Abuse of the citizen was inevitable and corruption was the fruit found on the ground.

 It is time to contact our state’s Expenditure Limit Committee to let them know they cannot allocate state public resources or accept federal funds for unconstitutional projects, no matter how big the federal purse is. It is time for partisans to stop endorsing the damages of FISA-led surveillance with votes, court compliance, and public appropriations and comply with the rules of the Highest Court in our country.