Sunday, February 05, 2006
President Bush and the NSA
President Bush's empowerment of the National Security Agency to spy on Americans without court authorization directly contravenes the 4th Amendment of the Bill of Rights, which protects Americans "against unreasonable searches and seizures." Not since Abraham Lincoln suspended habeus corpus has the U.S. constitution been at such risk.
Bush claims expediency and the need for speed required his actions. However, according to The New American (February 6, 2006), the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) already provides that the Attorney General can apply for a warrant within 72 hours after initiating surveillance. FISA judges have only turned down five requests of 19,000 made since 1979.
In a Dec. 17, 2005 radio broadcast, President Bush argued that his actions would have stopped the 9/11 terrorists who crashed a plane into the Pentagon. They had made phone calls overseas to other members of al Qaeda prior to the attack. However, these terrorists and other 9/11 murderers were already under FBI surveillance but upper echelons in government wouldn't act upon the FBI agents' warnings. The President's current actions in circumventing the Constitution would not have helped the incompetence surrounding the 9/11 tragedy.
What is required is greater vigilance and greater cooperation among U.S. agencies (which now may be happening). In addition, the U.S. needs to close its borders to illegal immigrants and imprison and immediately expel foreigners who violate their visas. This president is unwilling to do that and until Congress is persuaded to act against illegal immigrants, nothing will happen.
Bush claims expediency and the need for speed required his actions. However, according to The New American (February 6, 2006), the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) already provides that the Attorney General can apply for a warrant within 72 hours after initiating surveillance. FISA judges have only turned down five requests of 19,000 made since 1979.
In a Dec. 17, 2005 radio broadcast, President Bush argued that his actions would have stopped the 9/11 terrorists who crashed a plane into the Pentagon. They had made phone calls overseas to other members of al Qaeda prior to the attack. However, these terrorists and other 9/11 murderers were already under FBI surveillance but upper echelons in government wouldn't act upon the FBI agents' warnings. The President's current actions in circumventing the Constitution would not have helped the incompetence surrounding the 9/11 tragedy.
What is required is greater vigilance and greater cooperation among U.S. agencies (which now may be happening). In addition, the U.S. needs to close its borders to illegal immigrants and imprison and immediately expel foreigners who violate their visas. This president is unwilling to do that and until Congress is persuaded to act against illegal immigrants, nothing will happen.
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