Government

Bush Admits to Domestic Spying - “Will Continue to Do So”

December 18, 2005 ⋅  E-Mail Article ⋅  Print Article ⋅ Post a comment

Here is further evidence that President Bush is willing to sacrifice American civil liberties to further exercise his “authority” on terrorism. While Americans trust the President to protect them (at least 51% of them), Bush signs over 30 secret orders authorizing the National Security Agency (NSA) to eavesdrop on American citizens.

I know, I know…you’re thinking – I have nothing to hide – so what?? The point is we (the United States) have a laws prohibiting domestic spying.

But what the Bush Administration has done is allow the NSA to monitor e-mail, telephone calls and other communication of any domestic citizen of the United States.

“This is as shocking a revelation as we have ever seen from the Bush administration…It is, I believe, the first time a president has authorized government agencies to violate a specific criminal prohibition and eavesdrop on Americans.” – Kate Martin, Director of the Center for National Security Studies

I understand there are difficulties and lengthy procedures to get warrants to perform special surveillance (which wastes time in time-sensitive situations), but to openly admit to conducting highly-classified covert “intelligence” gathering, with out any checks and balances, without Congress or Senate knowledge, has to have some kind of ramifications (legal comes to mind).

“The president believes that he has the power to override the laws that Congress has passed…I don’t want to hear again from the attorney general or anyone on this Senate floor that this government has shown it can be trusted to use the power we give it with restraint and care” — Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.)

“The president has claimed an extraordinary power: the right to conduct surveillance without judicial review,” — Marc Rotenberg, Law Professor Georgetown University

My question is when will this type of activity stop? When will people wake up and realize that you are giving up your civil liberties. Do you think you will get them back? If this surveillance doesn’t get the Bush Administration the information they are looking for, what will they do next?

“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” — Benjamin Franklin

President Acknowledges Approving Secretive Eavesdropping

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