President Bush claims that his administration was "protecting America" when telecommunication companies were asked to provide private data to the government without a warrant.

Many have argued that this was illegal and an abuse of power, and now, the president is insisting on immunity for those same companies in the latest version of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

It's important to recognize that it's our Constitution that ultimately protects us, most notably from the abuses of those who are sworn to uphold it. Congress needs to continue to stand firm and deny immunity for the telecom industry. Ignorance of the law, or being encouraged to ignore it, is no defense.