And, do you care that they've been doing it now for years without your knowledge? And, do you care that George Bush severely underreported the extent of information being gathered against ordinary citizens? http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-10-nsa_x.htm?csp=34
"This program does not involve the NSA listening to or recording conversations" So all they do is track calling patterns in an effort to locate possible terrorist cells. Yes, Rex, I do care. And I also think it's a good idea.
Or perhaps it just hasn't leaked yet. So they say, and that would be fine if we could believe them. But Bush also has stated that the the domestic spying was only done on international calls. Now it appears that was untrue, so there is a trust issue here. The intelligence Act provides for warrants to track terrorists and they are easy to get and can even be gotten retroactively. The notion that NSA needs to go around the legal checks and balances can only suggest that they are hiding something that they don't want the congress or the courts to know about. I care, too. And fighting terrorism is a good thing. But our spy agencies cannot operate beyond the law inside the USA. Covert action against our enemies is one thing, but covert action against our own citizens is not tolerable. Let their actions be accountable to their oversight committee and courts. Surely a balance must be found between citizen's constitutional rights and the nation's need to pursue the terrorists hiding among us. There are times when I can see that it is neccessary to conduct an domestic operation for the good of the country, but at these times there is no reason to conceal it from their legal oversight authority. Unless there is something else going on. Mayby something political.
Two issues here... The program itself is not one I like. But we don't have a clue who is in our country right now, so maybe it's not such a bad idea. But I would think it's like finding a needle in a haystack and likely won't accomplish much. And all this secrecy without much congressional oversight is out of control. The other issue is the timing of this leak. I suspect it has something to do with someone trying to derail Hayden's nomination as CIA Director. Government employees leaking classified information for political purposes piss me off.
I don't understand all this paraonoia about the government spying on its citezens. Do you really think the US government has the money and manpower to bother tracking phone calls of regular average people. Or even cares to for that matter. The answer is NO!!! However, it does seem to be on everyones interest to monitor phone traffic patterns, even if there is just a small chance they catch a terrorist cell before they strike.
It might have something to do with privacy, freedom, rights, etc. Those are the things that separate us from all other countries. Slowly take those things away over time and we'll end up like other countries. Apparently, our gov't has an endless supply of money.
Uh, read the article. Nothing is listened to, nothing is recorded. I fail to see how that is concidered spying.
Tracking your calls is spying on your habits and friends, your business and personal affairs, your movements, your family, and your politics. Karl Rove may want to know who is calling the Democratic fundraiser groups to prepare for 2008 and it could have nothing to do with the search for terrorists. If they have nothing to hide, then why do they want to hide it from the oversight committees and courts? Perhaps because there are democrats who would question certain abuses. Anybody familiar with neocon political strategy knows that mudslinging, innuendo, and personal attacks are a hallmark of a Karl Rove campaign. Wouldn't the phone records of democratic candidates be great in trying to dig up dirt on opponents? Nobody objects to surveilance of terrorists, but covert surveilance of every American secretly and without judicial and congressional oversight reeks of political shenanigans. It's a matter of trust and nobody trusts this administration anymore.
Try and allege that the same or worse wasn't happening during the Clinton administration. How long has the CIA director nominee been head of the NSA? It has nothing to do with "neocon" politics and everything to do with Washingtonian governmental corruption.