House Approves Warrantless Wiretapping

inKubus writes to mention an AP article about the approval of a warrantless wiretapping bill by the house. The legislation's goal would be to legitimize the wiretapping program President Bush previously authorized, with a few new restrictions. Despite this victory for the President, "Leaders concede that differences between the versions are so significant they cannot reconcile them into a final bill that can be delivered to Bush before the Nov. 7 congressional elections. The Senate also could vote on a similar bill before Congress recesses at the end of the week. For its part, the White House announced it strongly supported passage of the House version but wasn't satisfied with it, adding that the administration 'looks forward to working with Congress to strengthen the bill as it moves through the legislative process.'"

Comments

Re:Oblig Quote

[Anonymous Coward]

Those who would refuse to secure themselves over an imagined lost liberty will be dead.

Your call.

Re:Republicans!

[Anonymous Coward]

Bullshit. This isn't about terrorists, it's about my privacy and my rights as an American. The true test is whether or not our leaders are competent enough to defeat terrorism without destroying the laws and rights that made this country great.

No, it's about fighting terrorism. You should have zero expetation of privacy when making an overseas call. Goverments (our own included) can and in some instances probably are listening in on it in one way or another on all kinds of international communications. You'd have to be a fucking idiot to think otherwise. This isn't a new practice. Do a little digging about what went on during World War II. The goverment routinely looked through international mail to gather intelligence. Then again, what more can you expect from the typical Slashfag poster who would find a way to rip the President if he was handing out food to starving children?

The Fall of the Republic

[nagora]

So, the leader has blatantly broken the law and lied about it and been caught. So what do you do about it? Have the law amended so that the leader has not broken the law!

Isn't that exactly what Caesar requested his senate do for him in order to make him Dictator?

Whither democracy?

Terrorists

[Mijion]

This is just what the terrorists want. They don't want us to have freedom!

Re:Well worn quotes not a substitute for thought

[CaptainZapp]

Adams and Franklin were refering to resisting an occupation force, the US is combating an externally commanded islamo-fascist terror insurgency.

One could rightfully argue, that the biggest threat to the American values are not "islamo-fascists", but the current adminsitration, which has all marks of a rather paranoid cult, and is extremely busy to render your rights null and void.

Re:Republicans!

[Nimey]

Fuck me. I wish I had unlimited mod points so I could mod down every one of you fucking wankers who think it's clever to post that to /. for the ten thousandth time.