Posted on 12/27/2005 12:24:55 PM PST by NotchJohnson
Bush Reaches Out And Taps ... Your Phone And Mine December 22, 2005
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I’m sure President Bush had a hard time figuring out what Christmas present to give us Americans. Peace in Iraq? Impossible. Balanced budget? Too many tax cuts.
Bipartisanship? Against his nature. Still, you think he could’ve come with a better idea ... than tapping our phones.
And make no mistake about it: What Bush is doing is totally against the law. Bush and his lackeys insist he has legal authority under the Congressional resolution authorizing the use of force in Afghanistan, the Constitution, and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA. Besides, they add, they briefed leaders of Congress on what they’re doing, so what’s the big fuss? They’re dead wrong on all counts.
The Constitution clearly does not give the president unlimited powers. There’s also no way, even in Bush-speak, that a resolution authorizing war against foreign enemies can be interpreted as authorizing war against citizens of the United States. And while there are provisions in FISA that allow instant wiretapping to protect the nation, the Bush administration did not follow them.
Under the FISA law, enacted by Congress in 1978 to protect Americans from another Richard Nixon, it’s a federal crime to monitor phone calls made by any American without approval of a special, secret court in the Justice Department. In times of national emergency, however, the president may order immediate wiretaps — as long as he seeks court approval within 72 hours. President Bush knew what the law required. In a speech on April 20, 2004, he said: “Any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires — a wiretap requires a court order.” In that speech, he was talking about the Patriot Act. But one day earlier, he made the same point about court orders required by “the FISA act.”
So, Bush knew the law. Nonetheless, he never sought or received a court order. He knowingly and deliberately broke the law. He refused to comply with the FISA process, for which briefing members of Congress is no excuse. Again, the law requires a special court order. Bush can’t argue: Oh, I decided to chat with a few friends on the Hill instead.
The question is: Given that it was relatively easy, under the law, to obtain legal authority to wiretap — since 1978, only five requests out of thousands have been turned down by the special court — why didn’t Bush simply follow the rules? Answer: Because, ever since 9/11, Bush believes he’s above the law. Just listen to him. For the last four years, he and Cheney have repeatedly asserted, “We’re fighting a different kind of war.” Or, just as often: “Sept. 11 changed everything.”
Wrong! Sept. 11 did not change everything, Mr. President. Even after Sept. 11, we are a nation of laws, not of men. Even after Sept. 11, we have a president, not a dictator. Even after Sept. 11, the president of the United States, like every other citizen, must obey the law. And if he breaks the law, he must pay the consequences.
Members of Congress are, understandably, reluctant to take action against the president until they gather all the facts. This is why Republicans and Democrats have joined in calling for hearings to begin immediately upon Congress’ return from the Christmas break. But here, too, Bush refuses to cooperate. Public hearings on the spy scandal, he complains, would reveal our secrets to the terrorists.
Laugh out loud at that one. What’s so dangerous about showing the world that we expect every American, including the president, to obey the law? Isn’t that what America’s all about? Don’t be fooled. President Bush doesn’t oppose hearings because they might undermine national security. He opposes hearings because they’ll unmask him as a law-breaker.
Of course, Bush’s admission that, shortly after Sept. 11, he directed the National Security Agency to begin secretly intercepting international phone calls made or received by American citizens should come as no surprise. This is the same president, after all, who invoked 9/11 as a license to: invade Iraq, dump the Geneva Conventions, torture prisoners, sic Pentagon spies on antiwar protestors, and turn the FBI loose on Greenpeace, the Catholic Workers League and PETA.
Still, Bush’s illegally wiretapping of phone calls made by law-abiding citizens is the most brazen abuse of power since J. Edgar Hoover bugged Martin Luther King’s hotel room. Big Brother lives. His name is George W. Bush.
Well, calls from (no "to", for I never call them!) my inane friends in the U.S. should still require a warrant ... But calls to/from whomever we are at war with are fair game, as common sense dictates.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/27/opinion/27casey.html
Unwarranted Complaints
By DAVID B. RIVKIN and LEE A. CASEY
Published: December 27, 2005
Washington
rebuttal
As I understand it, it is electronic devices that look for certain buzzwords or terms and then that particular communication is monitored by a machine. The phones, emails and other communications are phone numbers and email addys gotten from terrorists phones and computers. The MSM is trying to sell the public that it's widespead when it's targeted listening done by machines.
Btw, where was this yahoo when the Martins listened in on Newt and even recorded it? Where was he when McDermott gave the tape to the NY Times? Did he defend Newts privacy?
This was his reply.
"Ask NSA. BP"
I figured as much. What a loser!
No reply here.
What kind of person can get away with making wild accusations without facts to back it up? It really, really makes me mad. This is what Bush has to deal with.
100% same exact reply
"Ask NSA. BP"
Loser soesn't even begin to describe it.
A big, steaming pile of BS!
The libs already have a response - "we don't know because Bush and WH won't cooperate with Justice or Congress. We have to IMPEACH, I say IMPEACH. That is the only answer to this corrupt Admin".
Boy, oh boy! Talk about 4th Amendment violations - Press would go nuts if he ever thought about it.
A wiretap on my phone would give a Fed agent an earful that they need to hear! Like- you want to find our enemies? Go to any local mosque! Open a phonebook. Get some INS people into trucks and start a roundup.
Oh- I have a LOT to say that they need to hear!
It was a nickname given to me from birth.
Personally I think he and all sock suckers like him are already nuts.
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