From an e-mail that I sent out, in response to another e-mail. Full text follows.
This is just great. <sigh>
"We want to spy, but we will justify it by not targeting any particular individual! Instead, we will just sweep everything up, so that we can't be accused of profiling or whatever."
Oh, well, that makes it ok.
That's exactly like saying,
"We want to search homes without a warrant. So, to be able to justify that, we will search EVERYONE'S home and not just certain individuals. Consequently, those people with the ACLU or Human Rights Watch won't have to worry that we're targeting them."
WTF?????????? (detailed commentary - with links - at the end.)
(link to the article in The Nation about this: http://www.thenation.com/...
The article notes (my sarcasm here) that Bush wants to modernize the FISA court; and why? Maybe this quote just isn't good enough: As Elizabeth Holtzman noted in a Nation cover story, "Since 1978, when the law was enacted, more than 10,000 national security warrants have been approved by the FISA court; only four have been turned down."
Yeah. 4 out of 10,000 turned down! We have a crisis here! How could they turn down those 4??? </snark>
From the e-mail:
The Bush Administration's proposed bill to "modernize" the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) would make its recent promise to end its warrantless wiretapping program virtually meaningless. For example, the bill's proposed redefinition of "electronic surveillance" would allow warrantless surveillance of all Americans' international calls and emails--so long as by sweeping up the content of everyone's communications they are not targeting anyone in particular. The proposal would also allow the government to collect information about Americans' domestic and international calls and emails (whom you contacted, when, length of contact, etc.) without warrants. And, it would provide legal authority for warrantless access to purely domestic e-mails and cell phone calls, if the NSA doesn't "reasonably believe" you and all the people you communicate with are located in the US.
It doesn't matter if the person or people that you are speaking with at the time are in the US or not, just whether or not ANY of the people (ie. "you and ALL the people you communicate with are located in the US") you speak with MIGHT be outside of the US. Like Canada or Mexico.
Calls Are Needed Now! The good news is that this bill cannot take America back to the days of warrantless domestic surveillance unless Congress gives in. Don't let that happen! Let's make sure every member of Congress hears from their constituents. Your letter to the editor can also inform the public and the press about this very real threat. Feel free to use the talking points below or the suggested resources at the end of this message to compose a letter to your local newspaper.
Please call both your senators and your representative right away. Call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 (24 hours) and ask the operator to connect you. Or click here to look up your senators' and representative's telephone numbers by zip code. (Note: The administration's proposed "FISA Modernization Act" currently has no bill number. However, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence will hold a hearing on the bill on Tuesday, May 1.)
Suggested Talking Points. Tell the person who answers the telephone your name and that you are a constituent and you vote. Choose one or two points to make about the proposed bill, such as the following examples:
* The Bush Administration's bill to rewrite the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is a radical step backward that will actually expand the NSA's warrantless surveillance of Americans' conversations and communications.
* You are troubled by the bill's revised definition of "electronic surveillance," which would exempt surveillance of millions of Americans' communications that currently require FISA warrants, despite the Fourth Amendment's promise of privacy and warrants.
* The bill lets the phone companies and Internet service providers off the hook, even after they violated long-standing federal law by giving the NSA access to their customers' conversations, e-mails, and phone records without the required warrants. The bill also pardons anyone in the government who aided in the warrantless electronic surveillance of Americans.
* FISA should not be weakened. The law was written to protect Americans from government spying, while giving the government tools to conduct surveillance on spies and foreign terrorists. The Bush Administration is again asking for a blank check, after it violated public trust by illegally creating the warrantless wiretapping program in the first place.
* At the administration's request, Congress has "modernized" FISA several times since 9/11, beginning with the USA PATRIOT Act. New technologies that make it much easier for the government to vacuum up whole streams of our communication data and other personal information call for stronger protections-NOT more sweeping government spying powers.
The administration has not made a case for the sweeping changes it is requesting, other than repeating the same fear-inducing terms it has used to expand executive power--such as claims about "weapons of mass destruction." The law already provides ample authority to monitor terrorist plots, with court supervision of surveillance on these shores. Clearly the requested changes go too far.
When we act locally to stop national threats to our privacy, freedoms and Bill of Rights protections, we can make a difference! Together, we will restore the Bill of Rights. Please join with other grassroots activists from around the U.S. to make a stand against these new threats to our civil liberties.
Thank you for all you do.
Nancy Talanian, Director
Hope Marston, West Region Organizer
Ben Grosscup, East Region Organizer
Susan Heitker, Administrator
Bill of Rights Defense Committee
www.bordc.org
For more information:
* Bill analysis by the Center for National Security Studies: www.cnss.org/FinalCNSS%20FISA%20Memo%204.19.07.pdf
* Bill analysis by the Center for Democracy & Technology: www.cdt.org/security/20070418fisaanalysis.pdf
* Administration's draft bill to "modernize" FISA: www.fas.org/irp/news/2007/04/fisa-proposal.pdf and press release: www.odni.gov/press_releases/20070413_release.pdf.
Remember when Bush said, on TV, that we didn't have to worry about electronic wiretaps, because they required a court order? Well, as it turned out, he lied. They were already tapping - and searching and seizing WITHOUT a court order.
Here's what Bush said (link)
Secondly, there are such things as roving wiretaps. Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires -- a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so. It's important for our fellow citizens to understand, when you think Patriot Act, constitutional guarantees are in place when it comes to doing what is necessary to protect our homeland, because we value the Constitution.
Yeah; Bush values the Constitution. As something to wipe his ass with.
As a judge said, in a ruling: http://www.mied.uscourts.gov/...
The order was related to a suit:
This is a challenge to the legality of a secret program (hereinafter "TSP") undisputedly inaugurated by the National Security Agency (hereinafter "NSA") at least by 2002 and continuing today, which intercepts without benefit of warrant or other judicial approval, prior or subsequent, the international telephone and internet communications of numerous persons and organizations within this country. The TSP has been acknowledged by this Administration to have been authorized by the President's secret order during 2002 and reauthorized at least thirty times since.
At the bottom of the ruling is this insert: As Justice Warren wrote in U.S. v. Robel, 389 U.S. 258 (1967):
Implicit in the term 'national defense' is the notion of defending those values and ideas which set this Nation apart. . . . It would
indeed be ironic if, in the name of national defense, we would sanction the subversion of . . . those liberties . . . which makes the defense of the Nation worthwhile. Id. at 264.
We are WAY, WAY, WAY past 'ironic'.
The final ruling?
The Permanent Injunction of the TSP requested by Plaintiffs is granted inasmuch as each of the factors required to be met to sustain such an injunction have undisputedly (sic) been met. The irreparable injury necessary to warrant injunctive relief is clear, as the First and Fourth Amendment rights of Plaintiffs are violated by the TSP. See Dombrowski v. Pfister, 380 U.S. 479 (1965). The irreparable injury conversely sustained by Defendants under this injunction may be rectified by compliance with our Constitution and/or statutory law, as amended if necessary. Plaintiffs have prevailed, and the public interest is clear, in this matter. It is the upholding of our Constitution.
The judge ruled the way he did to UPHOLD THE FRICKIN' CONSTITUTION! The same one that Bush called "a goddamed piece of paper". Can you doubt that this is how he views it?
Not only did Bush spy on us and lie to us about it, he lied to Congress, also. Quote from the article:
The Bush administration appears to have violated the National Security Act by limiting its briefings about a warrantless domestic eavesdropping program to congressional leaders, according to a memo from Congress's research arm released yesterday.
The Congressional Research Service opinion said that the amended 1947 law requires President Bush to keep all members of the House and Senate intelligence committees "fully and currently informed" of such intelligence activities as the domestic surveillance effort.
Gad. I could go on and on.
This is not walking toward a dictatorship; this is running, full speed.
The time is drawing near when it will be virtually impossible to recapture the government. Cameras everywhere, with face recognition software, RFIDs in every license plate (just as they are getting ready to do in Texas, according to a bill currently in the Texas House), GPS in your cell phone (but, in fact, they don't even need that; it just makes the job of tracking you easier), FEMA 'immigration' camps (both Rex84 - via Crawford House) and the new ones that Halliburton is building; see previous link,also), and DHS/FPS/FBI/CIA agents to ferret out and hold those that the NSA tags (moi??) (NPR stories on NSA).
Frederick Douglass said, "Find just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue until they are resisted with either words or blows or both."
How much freedom are you willing to sacrifice in the name of security? Give enough up, and you might as well commit a crime and go to jail, because there (at least, in a SuperMax) you have total security (except for the occasional beating) - the only thing you lack is freedom.
Oh, but you don't have to worry; it's one evil people that have to worry. Like the evil people who write articles against Bush and who've been placed on the no-fly list. And the very, very evil people who are very, very guilty of having similar names (physical description is, apparently, unimportant) as the evil, evil people who write articles against the Presidunce.
Your name might be on it: http://www.cbsnews.com/...
Maybe Patrick Henry was onto something: Listen to the speech
BushCo (Cheney/Rove, mostly) is the biggest threat our country has ever faced.
Make your voice heard or be prepared to bear responsibility for what happens.
Either fight for our Constitution or be clear that you, too, think it's just a goddamned piece of paper.
(Article on Bush's crazy rant)