Slashdot Mirror
President Bush Blocks NSA Wireless Tapping Probe
scubamage writes "By denying security clearance to federal attorneys from the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) seeking to gather evidence in the NSA illegal surveillance scandal, President Bush has effectively blocked the Justice Department's investigation into the matter of who exactly authorized the illegal actions to take place. The president is apparently able to strictly control who does and does not have security clearance to examine documents regarding the program, citing that giving more people access would endanger national security. His denial is the first of its kind in American history. To quote the article, 'Since its creation some 31 years ago, OPR has conducted many highly sensitive investigations involving Executive Branch programs and has obtained access to information classified at the highest levels,' chief lawyer H. Marshall Jarrett wrote in a memorandum released Tuesday. 'In all those years, OPR has never been prevented from initiating or pursuing an investigation.'"
It amazes me how soon that people forget about reality.
The fact is that there have been thousands of terrorist attacks that have been halted due to these government activities. Just because Bush and the government is aggressively protecting us doesn't give anyone the right to complain! Sadly, it's hard for the government say "look what we stopped", because if we give the terrorists any information, we put ourselves at massive risk. I for one don't want to lose my way of life.
Would you rather have you and your children dead, or safe? That's really the question on the table. It seems like many here would choose dead. Supporting our president's right to spy on criminal terrorists is saving us from certain destruction. To risk a little bit of theoretical "personal privacy of innocent Americans" seems like an extremely reasonable price to pay.
This is war. Old laws can no longer apply if innocent American lives are on the line. It is the only morally just course of action.
URL: http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/81616- crisis-0
In effect, Bush is asserting the same powers seized by Adolf Hitler in 1933. His Federalist Society apologists and Department of Justice appointees claim that President Bush has the same power to interpret the Constitution as the Supreme Court. An Alito Court is likely to agree with this false claim.
Bush Justice Department official and Berkeley law professor John Yoo argues that no law can restrict the President in his role as Commander In Chief. Thus, once the president is at war - even a vague, open-ended "war on terror" - Bush's Justice Department says the president is free to undertake any action in pursuit of war, including the torture of children and the indefinite detention of American citizens.
In a further bid this week to tighten their grip upon the United States, military leaders have announced that their nation's judges no longer have oversight over their actions, and as we can read as reported by the Reuters News Service in their article titled "US Says Gov't, Not Courts, Should Judge Spy Secrets," and which says:
"The United States government, not any court, is the best judge of whether to keep programs such as its controversial effort to eavesdrop on citizens a secret, an assistant attorney general said on Wednesday. Peter Keisler, an assistant attorney general, and other U. S. officials made the claim in the latest filing to a lawsuit alleging that telecommunications firm AT&T illegally allowed the government to monitor phone conversations and e-mail communications.
"In cases such as this one, where the national security of the United States is implicated, it is well established that the executive branch is best positioned to judge the potential effects of disclosure of sensitive information on the nation's security, they wrote in a filing on Wednesday evening."
Doctors destroy health, lawyers destroy justice, universities destroy knowledge, religion destroys spirituality
I think you americans do not understand the rage, the hate and the loathing that (almost) everyone out of your country feels right now against that pitiful "president" you have.
Worst thing is, that the feeling is moving towards the american people as well for elected him... TWICE!!
What are you gonna do about it? When the fuck are you gonna wake up??
Now you can troll me, I am just another peasant from the third world anyway...
Every 4 years we have an election for President. The president is limited to two terms total. I'm not worried that my presidents actions are akin to some Despotic European Fascist trying to hold on to the Presidency, or like some South American Socialist Dictator trying to take over the country, or like some Middle Eastern Islamunist seeking vengeance because of some cultural inferiority complex.
The submitter started with an incorrect statement. He stated that the foreign surveillance program was illegal. It is not. The only people that still claim it is illegal are those that cling to the mistaken notion that the wiretaps were for domestic calls, they were not. So, I guess the slashdot editors continue either in blind ignorance or willful ignorance of the facts of the situation.
So, it seems very justified that the President would block a useless investigation of a legal program especially since it seems that nobody in DC can keep their mouth shut about anti-terror programs.
Jack
Well put. Tough to argue with that logic.
(And folks wonder why liberalism is dead.)
Perhaps we should go back to the Clinton model where Intelligence agencies and Law enforcement didn't share infomration, aka the Gorelick Wall, like it was pre-9/11.
I know I would feel safer with my rights protected like that.
The opposite of progress is congress
how much more hysterical bullshit, civilian deaths and money grubbing do we have to put up with from these maniacs.
Um, a lot more. Either until george finishes his term, or until there's a civil war...or never, since he's probably going to announce his emperorship soon.
So, just bend over and take it like a man!
BDR Gear
Outdoor gear, MREs, and more!
is how I tagged this story. For the rest of this post, see the sig.
...Rob
The American Dream isn't an SUV and a house in the suburbs; it's Don't Tread On Me.
Although I am against some of this wiretapping nonsense (the lack of oversight is what concerns me most, not that they are doing it), I find it interesting to see the fingerpointing in this. There is a lot of bias and misinformation, notably in the blurb's rant about 'illegal activity'. Well you can blame Bush for this all you want and the 'war on terror' but the truth is this program has been around for a long time and Clinton used it as well. It's debatable to even call it 'illegal' really. Anything relating to rights and terrorism is a big buzz in the media and so it gets played up. I think some things need to change but all of this 'Bush is the evil slayer of my rights!!' stuff is a bit misdirected IMO. Where were these Chicken Littles for the past few decades?
The US: the new banana republic. Generalissimo El Busho indeed and his legal enabler Gonzales. Congrats; Europe and Canada no longer consider you civil enough. How could bullshit like this fly with your voters? It only flies because you're not a civil enough nation. Not when most of your population take their voting fatwas regardless from the likes of Falwell and poverty is believed to be evidence of divine disapproval. What self-aggrandising fucks; "I drive an SUV because I deserve it!". Thank goodness I live in godless old Europe.
One of these days there'll be spy drones flying all over the globe looking for terrorists. Least intrusive way to effectively find them and prevent terrorist attacks. Wait for it...
By the way, the original post is full of bias. Calling his actions illegal is premature. He doesn't think it's illegal, YOU do... so you call it "controversial", not illegal. The man is our leader and he's acting in the nations best interest, you think he's just doing this to protect his image, like Nixon?
As an American, I think it is your right to hate me, hate anyone, if you like. I don't have to agree or even like it. But if you come over here, kill my people, try to kill me, and call me the great devil, then I'm not going sit here and take it. Situation:
Two people are fighting across the street. It's a great idea to talk to them, from you safe side of the street and try to get them to stop and talk to each other. I'm all for it. Now let's say they wuit fightig, for a while, but then they start again. You talk to them from your safe side of the street and get them to calm down again. Then one pulls a knife. Their figh escalates. Then the guy with the knofe comes accros to your side of the street, stabs you in the arm, abviously a non fatal wound, but it hurts like hell. What are you going to do? Talk to him some more? He's about to stab you again. This time it could be fatal. You don't know , and there's no time to talk it out. You pull a handgun and blow his head off. Is that murder?
I'll care what you other non-american people think when you've been stabbed. England and Spain know how it feels. Ask them.
For you Americans calling for Bush's impeachment; you'd be calling for the death penalty of that person who killed his attacker above. Idiots.
You people should learn some history. Take a look at some of the stuff FDR did.