President Bush's Domestic Spying Program
Del Williams
December 19, 2005
President Bush held a Press Conference this morning in order to continue making a case for spying on Americans who may be in contact with members of the Al-Queda by telephone.
He basically said that he did nothing illegal, but he is not sure about the person who leaked the spy program. "It was a shameful act for someone to disclose this important program in a time of war. The fact that we're discussing this program is helping the enemy."
Normally, no wiretapping is permitted in the United States without a court warrant. But Bush said he approved the action without such orders "because it enables us to move faster and quicker. We've got to be fast on our feet."
Here are the basic facts of the domestic surveillance (spy) program:
1.President Bush claims that the law gives him the right to spy on the communications (phone calls and email) of Americans without getting a warrant from a judge. His critics say, maybe not.
2. The New York Times published the story just ahead of book being published, which spells it out. They held the story for a year. Motive: You guess.
3. How does the program work?
Only international calls are monitored without court order — those placed from within the United States and going overseas, or those placed from other countries to individuals living in this country. In addition to eavesdropping on those numbers and reading e-mail messages to and from the Queda figures, the N.S.A. began monitoring others linked to them, creating an expanding chain. While most of the numbers and addresses were overseas, hundreds were in the United States, the officials said.
Many of the details about the program remain secret, however, officials familiar with it say the N.S.A. eavesdrops without warrants on up to 500 people in the United States at any given time. The list changes as some names are added and others dropped, so the number monitored in this country may have reached into the thousands since the program began, several officials said. Overseas, about 5,000 to 7,000 people suspected of terrorist ties are monitored at one time, according to those officials.
Condoleezza Rice defended the program by saying, Mr. Bush decided to skirt the normal process of obtaining court-approved search warrants for the surveillance because it was too cumbersome for fast-paced counterterrorism investigations, an assertion that some national security experts, members of Congress and civil liberties advocates have challenged.
Most people targeted for N.S.A. monitoring have never been charged with a crime, including an Iranian-American doctor in the South who came under suspicion because of what one official described as dubious ties to Osama bin Laden.
You should be concerned because it seems that 9/11 has become the catalyst for eroding the civil liberties of Americans. First it was the Patriot Act, now it is the Domestic Survellance program. Who knows what else has not been revealed. The President is doing a great job on the defense, but how would he feel if he was not the President and someone else put this measure in place? He would probably have issues with it. The means do not always justify the ends. 9/11 Should not be used as the reason to take away the rights of Americans. Isn't it ironic that the issue that the Islamic world has with America is our freedom and now our nation is chipping away at them?
Many in Congress are calling for an investigation, but since the program is classified it would appear that the public might never know the scope of the program. Is this impeachable? Could our country have a second impeachment in 8 years? One has to wonder. Further, who leaked the program and why? Was it to sell a book, or to disgrace the President?
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/12/20051219-2.html
He basically said that he did nothing illegal, but he is not sure about the person who leaked the spy program. "It was a shameful act for someone to disclose this important program in a time of war. The fact that we're discussing this program is helping the enemy."
Normally, no wiretapping is permitted in the United States without a court warrant. But Bush said he approved the action without such orders "because it enables us to move faster and quicker. We've got to be fast on our feet."
Here are the basic facts of the domestic surveillance (spy) program:
1.President Bush claims that the law gives him the right to spy on the communications (phone calls and email) of Americans without getting a warrant from a judge. His critics say, maybe not.
2. The New York Times published the story just ahead of book being published, which spells it out. They held the story for a year. Motive: You guess.
3. How does the program work?
Only international calls are monitored without court order — those placed from within the United States and going overseas, or those placed from other countries to individuals living in this country. In addition to eavesdropping on those numbers and reading e-mail messages to and from the Queda figures, the N.S.A. began monitoring others linked to them, creating an expanding chain. While most of the numbers and addresses were overseas, hundreds were in the United States, the officials said.
Many of the details about the program remain secret, however, officials familiar with it say the N.S.A. eavesdrops without warrants on up to 500 people in the United States at any given time. The list changes as some names are added and others dropped, so the number monitored in this country may have reached into the thousands since the program began, several officials said. Overseas, about 5,000 to 7,000 people suspected of terrorist ties are monitored at one time, according to those officials.
Condoleezza Rice defended the program by saying, Mr. Bush decided to skirt the normal process of obtaining court-approved search warrants for the surveillance because it was too cumbersome for fast-paced counterterrorism investigations, an assertion that some national security experts, members of Congress and civil liberties advocates have challenged.
Most people targeted for N.S.A. monitoring have never been charged with a crime, including an Iranian-American doctor in the South who came under suspicion because of what one official described as dubious ties to Osama bin Laden.
You should be concerned because it seems that 9/11 has become the catalyst for eroding the civil liberties of Americans. First it was the Patriot Act, now it is the Domestic Survellance program. Who knows what else has not been revealed. The President is doing a great job on the defense, but how would he feel if he was not the President and someone else put this measure in place? He would probably have issues with it. The means do not always justify the ends. 9/11 Should not be used as the reason to take away the rights of Americans. Isn't it ironic that the issue that the Islamic world has with America is our freedom and now our nation is chipping away at them?
Many in Congress are calling for an investigation, but since the program is classified it would appear that the public might never know the scope of the program. Is this impeachable? Could our country have a second impeachment in 8 years? One has to wonder. Further, who leaked the program and why? Was it to sell a book, or to disgrace the President?
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/12/20051219-2.html
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