[vanishing liberty]

I have never understood why the administration couldn’t go after terrorists in accordance with the limitations placed on it by FISA. Why does our government want to be able to operate in total secrecy, spy on whoever it wishes with no record? Doesn’t sound good to me. To protect our freedom, we must protect ourselves against our own government as well.

Yes, the ACLU does a lot of crazy things. But if this is right:

“The law lets government “conduct intrusive surveillance without ever telling a court who it intends to surveil, what phone lines and e-mail addresses it intends to monitor, where its surveillance targets are located, or why it’s conducting the surveillance,”

then I have to say I am in agreement with them. A secret government invites abuse of our rights. Remember, it may well be Marxist, terrorist-loving libs we’re giving this power to.

[tobyhill]

***A secret government invites abuse of our rights.***

and loose lips sink ships. If you’re not talking to terrorist then you have nothing to worry about unless you’re naturally paranoid then you probably worry all the time anyway.

[goldstategop]

Its called protecting sources and methods of information. Those are things we wisely shouldn't share with the enemy. A free society has of necessity to rely on covert means to protect itself from those who would destroy it. In a perfect world, no surveillance of foreign communications would ever be necessary. But since we don't live in one, its absolutely critical we know what the enemy's plans are. We were in the dark about 9/11. This law helps our government to prevent and intercept another stealth attack upon our country. The larger point the ACLU misses is that freedom is and cannot be absolute and the Constitution is not a suicide pact.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[mysterio]

Why does our government want to be able to operate in total secrecy, spy on whoever it wishes with no record? Doesn’t sound good to me.

Me either.