Update: Harry Reid has delayed the bill until 2008. Let’s hope we can keep the immunity out when it returns again next year. Let your senators know.

Usually, when you start a legal action, you consider the merits and go ahead when you have a good case. If your case is just, you should win.

You don’t usually expect your case to cause the President to personally lobby congress to grant a retroactive immunity to the parties who broke the law. You don’t usually expect to have them try to toss out your case by having an act of congress grant amnesty to those you are suing.

But this could happen tomorrow, in our battle against AT&T for letting the NSA wiretap without warrants. The house passed a bill without the amnesty the President wanted, and the Senate had two bills, but right now they’ve picked the bad one, with the amnesty, and powerful forces are pushing to make it go through quickly, and then add the amnesty to the house bill.

Senator Chris Dodd is going to show some great spine tomorrow and try to filibuster the bill and trigger debate. However, pro-amnesty forces are gathering the 60 senate votes needed to shut down the bill and grant amnesty. Your senator is probably among them. One of my senators, Dianne Feinstein, is among the worst. But it’s not too late to call your own senator and tell them not to engage in this travesty of justice.

In Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Darth Sidious, a.k.a. Emperor Palpatine, tells his puppet trade federation to invade Naboo.

“But my lord, is that legal?” asks the trader.

“I will make it legal” says Lord Sidious.

That’s the precedent they are setting, as I’ve written before. Do what the President says, ignore checks and balances because he can make it legal, retroactively. It’s a sad say for the rule of law.

Do me a favour and call your senator and let them know what you think about this issue. Let them know their constituents will remember this action, and see if you can turn the tide.