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Senate Committee Votes to Authorize Warrentless Wiretapping
LividBlivet writes, "The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill that not only authorizes, but extends, US warrentless wiretapping. No accountability. No oversight. No definition of 'terrorist.' No record of who voted for what. Great way to devolve a democratic republic into a fascist theocracy. Me worried? Yea." Here is the text of SB2453, the National Security Surveillance Act (PDF). Confusingly, the committee also voted out two other bills, one of which "all but declares the warrantless wiretapping illegal," according to Wired.
If you have nothing to hide, then why are you complaining, citizen? Only the tourists have to worry! (they envy our freedom)
The problem with your statement is that the President has the powers that you question, and they are granted to him by the Constitution. You know that nastly little document that is the frameworks for our government. The President is tasked in a time of war to protect the country as he/she sees fit, and guess what we are at war. Our enemy has said that they are at war with us.
The FISA court was created in 1978 or so because Congress felt the need to stick their noses in places it doesn't belong.
As a note as well, please be aware that the wiretapping was of communications with endpoints in locations that were select like Iraq, Iran and Syria. They were not tapping conversations between two endpoints in the US.
This is a very positive development for national security. Islamic fascist terrorists should not feel at liberty to scheme within the borders of the US. It is hoped that a mistimed cell phone call from Waziristan will lead to a 500 lb GPS bomb hit on the point within 30 seconds.
an ill wind that blows no good
[sarcasm] Oh no - the government can tap my phone conversations any time they want to now!!! Ack! Now they are gonna find out that: 1. I watch daytime TV and Springer is my favorite. 2. I can't stop calling Home Shopping Network and buying overpriced, useless, crap. 3. I like to have phone sex with girls from "Spank Me Harder, Mommy" sex line. 4. Nobody ever calls me because I am a 47 year old virgin, who smells like cabbage. (They will learn this because of my conversations with anyone who picks up the phone in sections 1-3 above.) Now is the time to ACT! Don't let your personal and private secrets get listened to and filed in the "Useless Loser" category of the government's database! Vote to impeach George Bush, and make all future president's wear French Maid outfits and say "Mother May I" before and after every public appearance. [\sarcasm] Really people - this has been going on for a very long time. It is becoming politicized simply because one party controls the media, and the other controls the government. When the same party controls both media and government, this type of thing was routinely swept under the rug. If you are REALLY concerned about YOUR privacy - there are plenty of websites that will tell you how to "live off the grid" and disappear. Yes - I am a veteran. I may disagree with what you have to say - but I HAVE served and I DO believe in your right to say it.
My Slashdot Journal! YAY!
"The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill that not only authorizes, but extends, US warrentless wiretapping. No accountability. No oversight. No definition of 'terrorist.' No record of who voted for what. Great way to devolve a democratic republic into a fascist theocracy. Me worried? Yea."
Read the text of the bill linked above, not the Wired article for the full story.
Oh, and that "Me worried? Yea." part? You're overstating your importance...to...well, anyone.
Don't worry. If you really read what's going on with that bill, you'd know that 1) It's for people communicating the terrorists, 2) It's being overseen by a court, and 3) it's ALSO being overseen by Congress.
If you have 50 cases where a law can be circumvented, it has no practical force anymore. That's what has happened to virtually every area that restrains law enforcement and the intelligence agencies in the past several decades. What we have now are just general behavior guidelines, not anything that could be construed as law and order. The irony, as I have said before, is that we continue to play Russian Roulette by allowing immigration in a "time of war" from the very countries whose people largely hate us. Despite the Neocons' penchant for WWII analogies, they can't seem to grasp the fact that we didn't allow immigration from Italy, Germany or Japan during the hostilities.
The short answer is that if you want to be reasonably safe from terrorism, deport all Saudi and Egyptian nationals from the United States and bar them from getting visas. If you think this is extremist, just imagine what would happen to these people if they got caught by a mob after a terrorist sets of a nuclear bomb. We can't know what's in their heart for America, but we do know one thing: these countries have a disturbing tendency to create people who are violently opposed to the core values of America and we don't owe them shit in terms of immigration privileges if they want to come here and change those values.
The sad fact is that despite this administration's incompetence on everything from Iraq to Katrina, it is still going to be a tight race.
Woah woah woah. Sure I'll let you blame Iraq on the Administration, but Katrina lies solely on the feet of Nagin, about the most worthless mayor that side of the mississippi.
Your hair look like poop, Bob! - Wanker.
That's because there is absolutely no proof of it. It was investigated relentlessly after the 2000 election, but nothing ever came of it. Repeating a lie over and over does not make it true, no matter how much your bleeding heart wants to believe.
That same ex-president had no power because his wife was wearing his pants while they weren't around his ankles.
By the way, are you aware that the Korean "War," Vietnam "War," Gulf "War," and Gulf "War" II are all similarly fake? The last time the US was actually at war, FDR was President!
"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
By all means lets bring back the mindless liberals who incubated and nurtured Al Qaida. Death and carnage will be everywhere. But at least we'll be "free".
an ill wind that blows no good
Gee, yes because Sandy Berger is a good person to belive. Oh wait, he was the person convicted of stealing documents in his pants from the National Archives. Personally I have the same habit of stashing documents in my pants and socks while walking out of my local library.
When talking about the credibility of Madeline Albright, there is not enough space here to even begin to describe.