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WASHINGTON (AP) -- A ragged fence and a canyon called Smugglers Gulch mark the westernmost stretch of the California-Mexico border, a favorite crossing point for illegal immigrants and drug runners.

A bipartisan group of senators, representatives, and members of the 9/11 Commission flanked President Bush Friday at his signing of sweeping intelligence reform legislation. But an equally diverse collection of citizens' groups criticized what they saw as the potential for government oppression and invasions of privacy codified in the new law. President Bush called the new law, "the most dramatic reform of our nation's intelligence capabilities since President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947. "Under this new law, our vast intelligence enterprise will become more unified, coordinated and effective," Bush said. "It will enable us to...

It remains to be seen whether intelligence reform legislation will produce substantive improvements in our national security. Republicans and Democrats alike certainly hope so, as do we all. But Congress and the White House failed to approve other reforms passed by the House of Representatives that would have ensured heightened border security and the ability to control immigrant documentation and identification, which the 9/11 commission recommended. The debate over intelligence legislation, thanks to Reps. Jim Sensenbrenner and Duncan Hunter, did succeed in raising the level of a critical political and public dialogue on the importance of securing our borders and...

Illegalize illegals: Time for showdown in open frontier By WILLIAM F. BUCKLEY JR. The new intelligence law, courtesy of 9/11, is mystifying because it does not face directly what is the most prominent threat to homeland security. It is: inimical action by non-Americans. All the people who participated in 9/11 were foreigners, here under various auspices. And yet the bill that has evolved from the findings of the 9/11 commission reads like an elocutionary exercise by a national committee to avoid saying anything unpleasant about unpleasant people born abroad. Specifically, the threat at this moment is from foreign terrorism. The...

Along with 74 of my House colleagues, I voted against the so-called intelligence reform legislation passed by Congress last week. First and foremost, the changes brought about by this bill will not prevent another catastrophic terrorist attack on the United States like the one we suffered on 9-11. This legislative effort was designed to make people feel safer because they perceive something is being done. Unfortunately, any sense of security as a result of this bill is illusionary.

If there's any truth in the adage "you can't fight City Hall," then it is triply difficult to take on the U.S. Senate, the White House, and the national media. Yet that is what my California colleague, Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-El Cajon, did in fighting for an intelligence reform bill that gives military commanders and troops in the field direct authority to access real-time satellite and signals intelligence.

December 9, 2004 -- THE immigration wars have started again in Washington, with this round, like the last, pitting mainly Republicans against Republicans: conservative Republicans in the House vs. President George W. Bush. The charge from the right: that when it comes to immigration, the president is soft on enforcement. The only trouble is it isn't true. The president's plan for a guest-worker program — first proposed in January and, according to the White House, one of its priorities for the coming year — is in no way antithetical to enhanced enforcement. On the contrary, better enforcement is the heart...

TITLE I—REFORM OF THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITYSubtitle A—Establishment of Director of National Intelligence Sec. 1011. Reorganization and improvement of management of intelligence community. Sec. 1012. Revised definition of national intelligence. Sec. 1013. Joint procedures for operational coordination between Department of Defense and Central Intelligence Agency. Sec. 1014. Role of Director of National Intelligence in appointment of certain officials responsible for intelligence-related activities. Sec. 1015. Executive Schedule matters. Sec. 1016. Information sharing. Sec. 1017. Alternative analysis of intelligence by the intelligence community. Sec. 1018. Presidential guidelines on implementation and preservation of authorities. Sec. 1019. Assignment of responsibilities relating to analytic integrity. Sec....

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Congress' new blueprint for U.S. intelligence spending includes a mysterious and expensive spy program that drew extraordinary criticism from leading Democrats, with one saying the highly classified project is a threat to national security. In an unusual rebuke, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, the senior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, complained Wednesday that the spy project was "totally unjustified and very, very wasteful and dangerous to the national security." He called the program "stunningly expensive."

During President George W. Bush's first term, I was among his greatest cheerleaders and his toughest critics. I praised his execution of the war on terror while criticizing his education reform package, which was nothing more than a capitulation to Ted Kennedy, and which produced the legislation now known as "No Child Left Behind," an intrusive bit of federal education expansion despised by Republicans and Democrats alike. I commended the president's signing of the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, but excoriated him for compromising on the issue of stem cell research. I applauded his courage for defending traditional...

Text of press release from the office of Rep. Joe Pitts:Washington -- Congressman Joe Pitts (R, PA-16) called S. 2845 National Intelligence Reform Act of 2004 good, but incomplete. The legislation, modeled after the recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission, outlines an overhaul of the U.S. intelligence community. Congressman Pitts opposed the bill which passed the House this evening. He issued the following statement outlining his concerns with the bill. "The purpose of this bill was to enact the 9/11 Commission's most important recommendations," said Congressman Pitts. "The House version did just that, and I voted for it. This House-Senate...

FIRE DREIER LIAR JUNE 2005 PRIMARY RALLY IF YOU ARE FURIOUS OVER DREIER'S VOTE ON THE INTEL BILL COME VOICE YOUR FURY AT A RALLY IN FRONT OF Dreier's OFFICE. Let's send the message to Dreier he will be ousted June 2005 Primary FIRE LIAR DREIER JUNE 2005 PRIMARY RALLY - BRING A SIGN, MAKE A SIGN, Join in Date: Thursday, Dec. 9 Place: Dreier's Glendora Office 2220 East Route 66, Glendora, CA 91740 Time: 4-6pm ********************************************************************************* ********************************************************************************* Call David Dreier - let him know we his constituents are mobilizing for the JUNE 2005 Primary and email Dreier! if you...

The House voted Tuesday to overhaul a national intelligence network that failed to prevent the Sept. 11 attacks, combining under one official control of 15 spy agencies, intensifying aviation and border security and allowing more wiretaps of suspected terrorists. "We have come a long way toward taking steps that will ensure that we do not see another September 11th," said House Rules chairman David Dreier, R-Calif. Now "we have in place a structure that will ensure that we have the intelligence capability to deal with conflicts on the ground wherever they exist." The House voted 336-75 to send the Senate...

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. House intelligence bill negotiated Tuesday would double the number of border agents and substantially increase the size of immigrant detention facilities over the next five years. House and Senate conferees broke a stalemate over legislation containing recommendations from the 9/11 Commission, and final congressional votes could come as early as Wednesday. President Bush pushed for passage in recent days, but debate over authority of a new national intelligence director and proposed immigration restrictions threatened to kill it. Although some say the bill doesn't go far enough to restrict immigration, it authorizes the number of Border...

Since "Free Republic is an online gathering place for independent, grass-roots conservatism on the web. We're working to roll back decades of governmental largesse, to root out political fraud and corruption, and to champion causes which further conservatism in America.", I and others think it's a good idea to centralize what the goes on in the Senate (or House). So if you see something happening on the Senate/House floor and you don't want to start a new thread to ask if anyone else just heard what you heard, you can leave a short note on who said what and about...

INTEL REFORMED OR NOT: The early indications say - not bad. Score a win for Congressman Hunter who because of his persistence got the very good language added:"The new national intelligence director shall respect and not abrogate the statutory responsibilities of the heads of the departments of the United States government." With these words of insurance Hunter is now free to support the measure and give President Bush a clear win on his first legislative agenda item since the election. Hunter's biggest concern dealt with red tape getting in the way of the chain of command that would prevent the...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. The National Intelligence Reform Act of 2004 remains stalled due to disagreements between House and Senate Republicans over the content of the bill.  House Speaker Dennis Hastert withdrew the bill after House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) and Rep. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, voiced their strong objections to the legislation at a closed meeting of House Republicans on November 20.  The main feature of the bill is to create a Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to manage the CIA and 14 other agencies...

The CIA is the best place to work in the United States. No federal agency has a smarter, more dedicated or harder-working set of individuals than the CIA's women and men. I had intended to work at the CIA for the duration of my career, and I left it with deep regret and a great sense of personal loss. I was neither forced out nor pressed to resign. Resigning was my decision alone. I cannot state these facts more clearly, and I fiercely deny the accusations that I am a disgruntled former employee. I am, however, a disgruntled American —...

Congress's chief opponent of legislation to revamp the intelligence community says he remains unmoved, leaving the White House scrambling this weekend for a solution to the impasse that has frustrated the bill's backers and raised questions about President Bush's clout among Republican lawmakers. For Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), the House Armed Services Committee chairman at the center of the logjam, the role is a familiar one. During 24 years in Congress, he has bucked Democratic as well as Republican presidents when he felt they provided too little money, equipment and weaponry for U.S. troops. When it comes to safeguarding satellite intelligence...

It could happen any day now: A U.S. military unit heads into an urban combat zone in Iraq's Sunni Triangle. Its members believe they know where Abu Musab Zarqawi is hiding. Their mission is to capture or kill the most murderous terrorist this side of Osama bin Laden. Their chance of succeeding--and getting back alive--will be enhanced by accurate and timely intelligence fed to them from overhead satellites. Question: Who should control those satellites?

WASHINGTON, Nov. 30 /U.S. Newswire/ -- 911 Families for a Secure America, representing more than 300 families whose relatives were victims of the 911 terrorists attacks, held a press conference today at the Capitol to set the record straight on the 911 bill and what they call "the true obstructionist". The Families identified Sen. Joe Lieberman as the primary obstacle to passage of the 911 Bill due to his insistence that no immigration safeguards be included in the proposed legislation. 911 Families in conjunction with United to Secure America launched a national ad campaign today praising 911 conferees who have...

It could happen any day now: A U.S. military unit heads into an urban combat zone in Iraq's Sunni Triangle. Its members believe they know where Abu Musab Zarqawi is hiding. Their mission is to capture or kill the most murderous terrorist this side of Osama bin Laden. Their chance of succeeding--and getting back alive--will be enhanced by accurate and timely intelligence fed to them from overhead satellites. Question: Who should control those satellites? Should it be the military commanders of the troops heading into combat? Or should it be a civilian bureaucrat--removed from the military chain of command--sitting in...

WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites) told lawmakers Friday he is working as hard as possible to strike a deal on legislation to implement the Sept. 11 commission's recommendations on how to make the country safer from terrorist attack. Bush told House and Senate members at the White House that "he's working on it as hard as he can," said Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., who briefed reporters after the session. "We've talked to other people who are working on it, progress is being made, and we hope that it can be finished up (next) week." The president's task...

Thursday, Dec. 2, 2004 12:31 a.m. EST 9/11 Families Back Sensenbrenner in Intel Fight Leaders of a group representing more than 300 family members of 9/11 victims urged Congress on Tuesday to scrap the intelligence reform bill because it doesn't include key provisions to secure the nation's borders against terrorist infiltration - the same objection raised by one of the bill's leading opponents, Wisconsin Sen. James Sensenbrenner. "No bill should pass the Senate, the House, anywhere, unless it contains immigration reform," said Joan Molinaro, the mother of a New York City firefighter killed on September 11 and a member of...

Found an interesting article concerning our driver's license becoming a National ID that is in the Intelligence Reform bill that will decided by the 108th Congress in a special session starting December 6. One of the mandates are states will be required to participate in the Driver License Agreement (DLA) as proposed by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA), a private corporation which is composed of executives from law enforcement, motor vehicle administrators. The article is located at Free Congress Org. Driver's licenses are a state matter which should not be dictated by the Federal Gov't. States with...

At the heart of a dispute over legislative intelligence reform are confidential meetings between the defense secretary and the CIA director during which they decided where to point spy satellites.     Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and former CIA director George Tenet, and their staffs, talked frequently about where to position satellites that relay overhead images and overheard conversations during the war on terror. [snip] The procedure for "tasking intelligence assets," as the discussion is called, is spelled out in the 1947 National Security Act. Amended numerous times since then, the act details the working relationship between the CIA director...

The new national counterterrorism center established by President Bush under an executive order is to begin operations in early December, at about the same time that Congress may be debating whether to approve a law that would create a different version of the same agency. The center would be the "primary organization in the United States government for analyzing and integrating" all intelligence "pertaining to terrorism and counterterrorism, excepting purely domestic counterterrorism information." The center's director is to supervise correlation of the terrorism intelligence and produce reports to be sent to the president and other senior officials. It would operate...

Defying President Bush, Reps. Duncan Hunter and James Sensenbrenner - who led opposition dooming legislation based on the Sept. 11 commission's recommendations - said they won't change their minds without Senate concessions. "It'll be tougher now because the well got even more poisoned by the senators and their supporters thoroughly criticizing Duncan Hunter and myself by name on the talking head shows yesterday," Sensenbrenner told The Associated Press on Monday. The two men turned back a last-second deal Saturday to pass stalled legislation to create a new national intelligence director and national counterterrorism center. The overhaul was supposed to help...

DOBBS: House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner led the fight to include recommendations of the September 11 Commission to prevent illegal aliens from obtaining driver's licenses. Congressman Sensenbrenner and House Intelligence Committee chairman Pete Hoekstra will be here to talk about why the negotiations failed and why Congress is refusing to protect the American people. Snip~ President Bush says he'll push ahead with plans to legalize millions of illegal aliens. Could it be President Fox and President Bush consider our southern border an inconvenience? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One out of every ten Mexicans lives in the United States. Snip~ Tonight, anger...

Senators have made it much harder to reach a new agreement on the intelligence overhaul bill after their harsh comments during the weekend about the Republicans who blocked the measure, one key House negotiator said yesterday. "An already poisoned well got poisoned even more badly," said Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., Wisconsin Republican and House Judiciary Committee chairman. He and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter think that the compromise bill that House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert wanted to bring to a vote on Saturday went too far in constricting the power of the military to use real-time intelligence...

<p>DALLAS (AP) — President Bush on Monday accused John Kerry of having proposed "deeply irresponsible" cuts in intelligence spending just two years after the first attack on the World Trade Center, part of a re-election effort to depict his Democratic rival as weak on national security and the war against terrorism.</p>

DALLAS (AP) -- President Bush on Monday accused John Kerry of having proposed "deeply irresponsible" cuts in intelligence spending just two years after the first attack on the World Trade Center, part of a re-election effort to depict his Democratic rival as weak on national security and the war against terrorism. Bush, during a fund-raiser in Dallas, called attention to a 1995 bill that Kerry sponsored to trim intelligence spending by $1.5 billion over five years. The cut was part of what Kerry called a "budget-buster bill" to strip $90 billion from the budget and end 40 programs that he...