Delator
20-01-2006, 08:23
This is a column from my local newspaper. It pretty much sums up my thoughts on Bush's NSA program and the War on Terror™ in general. Feel free to comment.
link provided below
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Loss of Liberty is Terrorists' Gain
Whatever rights democratic governments have, they have them as a gift from their people.
Our country's founders knew all too well about governmental abuses of its citizens. As a result, our founders demanded that special provisions that described the rights American citizens would keep unabridged by the government be added to our Constitution — the Bill of Rights.
The Fourth Amendment states that the people are to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. Before the government can conduct a search or seizure, a judge must first decide that probable cause exists for issuing a warrant allowing the seizure. It has long been held that the Fourth Amendment protects our privacy during telephone calls and other private communications.
The requirement to obtain warrants has been an integral part of our government's unique system of checks and balances.
In 1978, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was enacted. It gave the executive branch a separate legal regime for the gathering of foreign intelligence, exempting the government from traditional Fourth Amendment requirements of a showing of probable cause of a crime and its connection to the subject of the investigation.
Warrants from judges were still required, but upon a lesser showing of potential wrongdoing. In its 22-year history, the secret FISA court has rejected less than 7 warrant applications in more than 13,000 requests.
Last month, the New York Times said that President Bush has repeatedly, secretly and illegally authorized the National Security Agency to spy on U.S. citizens without oversight by our judiciary since 2002.
Contrast that with Bush's statement on July 14, 2004 in Fond du Lac, where he said: "A couple of things that are very important for you to understand about the Patriot Act. First of all, any action that takes place by law enforcement requires a court order."
The first question is: Why the lies, Mr. President? Would the terrorists somehow benefit from knowing our law enforcement was secretly operating in a lawless fashion, ignoring the legal requirement for judicial oversight of their activities?
Bush asserts that because we are "at war," he has the power to do whatever he claims is necessary to protect the country, regardless of our laws and Constitution.
Now that can't really be true, can it? Oh, yes it can — and it gets even worse.
Go back a month and remember when the Bush Administration was telling the world that we don't torture people (a lie) while, at the same time, Dick Cheney was on the Hill, personally lobbying against Sen. John McCain's amendment that would have clearly banned our use of torture.
Bush was so adamantly opposed to a ban on torture that he threatened to use his very first veto to block it from becoming law.
However, Bush was forced to sign the bill into law only when it became clear that there was such overwhelming support for the torture ban that his threatened veto would be overridden.
During Christmas time, however, the White House issued a "signing statement," an official document that describes the president's interpretation of the bill. A senior administration official described Bush's statement as "reserving the right" to ignore the law banning torture in "special situations" when the president thought national security might be involved.
The new rule is that there are no rules and the president gets to do whatever he wants. A ruler who gets to do whatever he wants! That doesn't sound like a democracy or a country based on the rule of law. It sounds just like just a dictatorship.
But of course, we're at war, so the president gets to do what he wants during this "special time," right? But who are we at war with again? Iraq? Didn't we beat them quite a while ago? The terrorists? Maybe, but if that's the "war" that gives a president the power to ignore federal law and the Constitution, when will we win (end) that war?
When will the last terrorist be killed, and how will we know? And then how do we assure ourselves that new terrorists never again develop (is their condition genetic)?
Many questions, but no answers as to when the United States will return to the rule of law and Americans regain their stolen rights that so many past brave patriots have sacrificed their lives for us to have.
Yes, thousands of brave Americans died rather than allow their inalienable rights to be taken from them. Where do we find the bravery that steeled their hearts and flamed their courage? Where has our courage gone? Running for the supposed safety offered by our fearless leader?
Look deep, America. We're the home of the brave because we're not afraid to fight and die for our ideals. We outlawed torture because we don't need torture and because we abhor its very notion. We're the home of the brave not because we torture our captives, but because we have the moral courage to say that torture is always wrong.
We're the land of the free because we hold our freedoms dear, not because we readily give them up in times of trouble. We don't need to give any more of our rights to our government because we gave it all it needed more than 200 years ago, when the world was filled with just as many tyrants and those who would wish us harm as there are today.
Bush shouted that terrorists hate us because of our great freedoms; then in the next breath, he whispered that he must take those freedoms away to protect us from the terrorists. Think about that.
That means the terrorists won. Bush just unwittingly admitted defeat, a defeat rendered as a result of his own mendacious and ill-conceived handiwork.
The battlefield for our survival as a free people will now be in Congress. May its members screw their courage to the floor and do what must be done to bring our government back into the balance that has keep it vital for more than two centuries.
God help us all if they don't.
---
http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060119/APC06/601190616/1036/APCopinion
link provided below
---
Loss of Liberty is Terrorists' Gain
Whatever rights democratic governments have, they have them as a gift from their people.
Our country's founders knew all too well about governmental abuses of its citizens. As a result, our founders demanded that special provisions that described the rights American citizens would keep unabridged by the government be added to our Constitution — the Bill of Rights.
The Fourth Amendment states that the people are to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. Before the government can conduct a search or seizure, a judge must first decide that probable cause exists for issuing a warrant allowing the seizure. It has long been held that the Fourth Amendment protects our privacy during telephone calls and other private communications.
The requirement to obtain warrants has been an integral part of our government's unique system of checks and balances.
In 1978, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was enacted. It gave the executive branch a separate legal regime for the gathering of foreign intelligence, exempting the government from traditional Fourth Amendment requirements of a showing of probable cause of a crime and its connection to the subject of the investigation.
Warrants from judges were still required, but upon a lesser showing of potential wrongdoing. In its 22-year history, the secret FISA court has rejected less than 7 warrant applications in more than 13,000 requests.
Last month, the New York Times said that President Bush has repeatedly, secretly and illegally authorized the National Security Agency to spy on U.S. citizens without oversight by our judiciary since 2002.
Contrast that with Bush's statement on July 14, 2004 in Fond du Lac, where he said: "A couple of things that are very important for you to understand about the Patriot Act. First of all, any action that takes place by law enforcement requires a court order."
The first question is: Why the lies, Mr. President? Would the terrorists somehow benefit from knowing our law enforcement was secretly operating in a lawless fashion, ignoring the legal requirement for judicial oversight of their activities?
Bush asserts that because we are "at war," he has the power to do whatever he claims is necessary to protect the country, regardless of our laws and Constitution.
Now that can't really be true, can it? Oh, yes it can — and it gets even worse.
Go back a month and remember when the Bush Administration was telling the world that we don't torture people (a lie) while, at the same time, Dick Cheney was on the Hill, personally lobbying against Sen. John McCain's amendment that would have clearly banned our use of torture.
Bush was so adamantly opposed to a ban on torture that he threatened to use his very first veto to block it from becoming law.
However, Bush was forced to sign the bill into law only when it became clear that there was such overwhelming support for the torture ban that his threatened veto would be overridden.
During Christmas time, however, the White House issued a "signing statement," an official document that describes the president's interpretation of the bill. A senior administration official described Bush's statement as "reserving the right" to ignore the law banning torture in "special situations" when the president thought national security might be involved.
The new rule is that there are no rules and the president gets to do whatever he wants. A ruler who gets to do whatever he wants! That doesn't sound like a democracy or a country based on the rule of law. It sounds just like just a dictatorship.
But of course, we're at war, so the president gets to do what he wants during this "special time," right? But who are we at war with again? Iraq? Didn't we beat them quite a while ago? The terrorists? Maybe, but if that's the "war" that gives a president the power to ignore federal law and the Constitution, when will we win (end) that war?
When will the last terrorist be killed, and how will we know? And then how do we assure ourselves that new terrorists never again develop (is their condition genetic)?
Many questions, but no answers as to when the United States will return to the rule of law and Americans regain their stolen rights that so many past brave patriots have sacrificed their lives for us to have.
Yes, thousands of brave Americans died rather than allow their inalienable rights to be taken from them. Where do we find the bravery that steeled their hearts and flamed their courage? Where has our courage gone? Running for the supposed safety offered by our fearless leader?
Look deep, America. We're the home of the brave because we're not afraid to fight and die for our ideals. We outlawed torture because we don't need torture and because we abhor its very notion. We're the home of the brave not because we torture our captives, but because we have the moral courage to say that torture is always wrong.
We're the land of the free because we hold our freedoms dear, not because we readily give them up in times of trouble. We don't need to give any more of our rights to our government because we gave it all it needed more than 200 years ago, when the world was filled with just as many tyrants and those who would wish us harm as there are today.
Bush shouted that terrorists hate us because of our great freedoms; then in the next breath, he whispered that he must take those freedoms away to protect us from the terrorists. Think about that.
That means the terrorists won. Bush just unwittingly admitted defeat, a defeat rendered as a result of his own mendacious and ill-conceived handiwork.
The battlefield for our survival as a free people will now be in Congress. May its members screw their courage to the floor and do what must be done to bring our government back into the balance that has keep it vital for more than two centuries.
God help us all if they don't.
---
http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060119/APC06/601190616/1036/APCopinion