Posted on 12/22/2008 8:59:18 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
“UPDATE II: Via email, several very knowledgeable bloggers — including Marcy Wheeler and Christy Hardin Smith — are arguing, persuasively, that Cheney did not really disclose any specific new facts yesterday about Democratic complicity”
IOW, ‘nevermind’...
Oh brother.
First of all, it's not illegal. Secondly, the author seems to be claiming to be having telephone conversations with Al Qaeda since he refers to "eavesdropping on our conversations."
The surveillance of foreign commnicatons from suspected enemy sources overseas is not illegal. Every President throughout history has done it. This is not warrantless surviellance of US citizens but instead warrantless surveillance of foreign entities.
If the demorats suspend the ability of the Commander in Chief (usurp his Consitutinal power) in this fashion due to the misconception that you and others have and then we are attacked again there is going to be hell to pay -— and those who caused this with thier misconceptions are going to have to pay it.
Next time it may not be 3000 of us but 300,000 or 3 million. You people who do not understand that the Commander in Chief has the Constitutional power to intercept enemy communications coming in to this country are dangerous nuts, imo. Do you honestly believe that you have a Constitutional right to privacy in regards to your conversation with someone in a cave in Pakistan?
How long because the intelligence/military community has been doing this for decades upon decades through hard, soft, and transmitter taps on unsuspecting American citizens. Watch your gossip because some people out there are trained to pick up key words :)
Can you show me some evidence of US citizens being spyed upon without a warrant?
The MSM continually lies in this issue by characterizing this as surviellance of US citizens. It is not.
There has to be a foreign entity involved. If a US citizen becomes a target in the surveillance then a warrant is pursued but the Commander in Chief has the Constitutional duty to defend this nation from foreign entities and does not need a warrant to intercept foreign communications.
W may have been working to protect us, but with Gang Obama and the Demoncrats in control of Congress this power is “DANGEROUS”.
The loopholes within the PATRIOT ACT can lead to total “OPPRESSION” under an administration who wishes to push their ideas whether we like them or not...and let's understand that very PERSON has been elected.
God Help US - We're going to need HIS PROTECTION.
In regards to picking up ‘keywords’ on programs such as Eschalon they are not listening unless certain ‘keywords or phrases’ get flagged and then they still pursue a warrant to target US citizens for surveillance (which was supposed to be the reason for the FISA court)in due time.
But in the case of foreign entities then no warrant is needed. Nor should one be needed.
No it is not dangerous to American citizens for the Commandr in Chief to have th power to intercept foreign ‘enemy’ communications. Do you really believe that you have a right to privacy in a conversation with someone in a cave in Pakistan?
What is dangerous is what will happen if people usurp this power from the Commander in Chief.
Hey Glenn Greenwald.....Cheney IS the MOST HONEST politician....you just can;t handle the TRUTH!!!
Now that they are in power enjoy the power given to them to “USURP” the People's Constitutional Rights.
BTW, MERRY CHRISTMAS !
If anybody has any doubts about what a war-time President can and can’t do, look no further than Abraham Lincoln; a) instituted a draft, b) created a state from counties that had SECEEDED - from Virginia; c) suspended the writ of habeus corpus;, etc.
Before 9/11, a friend of mine who worked at communications in the military and would listen/check for key words that come across. He could not dilly dally and listen to conversations that long in his “area” but if the right set of key words came across his superiors would start listening.
This “super secret organization” (Which I guess some people are still naive about) were listening for signs of terrorism as well as working with the DEA and the “War on Drugs”.
Wiretapping now is a lot easier to do since 9/11 because “restrictions” have been wiped out but that has not changed the fact that our government never did sweep the phone lines before 9/11. Again are you kidding me? Of course they could NOT USE these taps in a court of law but “knowledge” is power if you want to cheat a little to get some legal probable cause/or in terrorism case protect the country.
What goes out into the air/lines could possibly be “accidentally” picked up and this is somehow a new revelation to you. My you are one trusting individual, government has never fudged on the "law" or bent it, keep living the dream.
You haven’t in anyway illustrated how the power of the Commander in Chief to intercept foreign “enemy” communications is a threat to our Constitutional rights.
If you have a problem with the ‘Patriot Act’ then please be more specific as to what you have a problem with in regards to it.
Every President in history has had the power to intercept foreign (suspected enemy) communicatons. How is that a threat to US citizens? If there is a known case of a President spying on US citizens (not involving foreign entities) then I will be against it but there isn’t in regard to ths issue.
Merry Christmas!
Let me try this - Who is to say with this new administration they don't like you having Conservative meetings because the local people like your ideas. The whole idea is to take back your district and elect more Conservative minded people. But, in the mind of a Socialism, this can't be allowed to take place. They see these meetings as dangerous and decide this is a form of usurpation on the part of the group. With all the general loopholes of the Patriot Act, the group is placed on the possible terrorist list. Insane? They did this to a handful of white guys in Alabama who had a few guns last year. So please don't talk to me about the President's powers. I am well aware of the Presidential Powers and as long as W has been in office I have supported him. This new administration is a totally different animal and a dangerous one at that....
Most of all, who is going to tell Obama to play nice with these powers?
Now, I'm tired of discussing THE PEOPLE’s CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS. Without a doubt, YOU do not “GET IT”.
That is freaking hilarious, so hilarious that Congress back in the late 1990’s wanted to look more closely at the NSA due to “instances” of abuses. Of course the NSA gave them a bunch of flack. Why the flack if they were so pure? Hell, Congress had no idea what they were doing, how comforting.
bump for later reading
I know the softies claim that torture does not work and you're more likely to get false information using toruture. Maybe so. I don't know but I'll leave that decision to those who really care about the safety of the American people--and it isn't liberals.
If I've misinterpreted your post, I'm sorry.
To my knowledge there has never been an instance where this was improperly applied. It's just another case of lying Democrats.
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