December 2005

The President made his speech and it was pretty much same old, same old. He
did admit some miscalculations in the process but kind of blew them off as
learning experiences. I am sure the families of fallen soldiers are proud to
know their loved ones gave their lives for a learning experience on behalf of
our President.

Ironically the speech has been overshadowed tonight by the story of domestic
spying. Senator Kennedy released a statement today urging the President to take
his time tonight to address the eavesdropping but the President apparently
didn't pay attention to this advice:

In his speech to the nation tonight, the President must explain to the
American people why he feels he's above the law. Whether its secret prisons,
bending the rules on torture, or domestic spying without court orders, this
Administration has unnecessarily played fast and loose with law and
constitutional protections. We all want to win the war on terrorism. But, we
don't need to give up our liberty to protect our security. How can we be
credible in helping Iraq form its democratic government when our President
acts in conflict to fundamental democratic ideals at home?

Bush acknowledges secret order for
domestic spying

President George W. Bush on Saturday acknowledged he signed a secret
order after the September 11, 2001, attacks to allow the surveillance of
people in the United States.

In a rare live radio address, Bush defended the practice as a "vital
tool" in defending the United States against another such attack.

That story is fresh from
Reuters.
I have heard some people trying to defend this action by saying he is protecting
us from other attacks. I have a different take on it.

After 9/11 Bush told us that they attacked us because they "hate our
freedoms". Those freedoms are guaranteed in the Constitution and more
importantly in the Bill of Rights. What Bush has done is crippled those freedoms
and did so illegally. You can basically say that Osama won against us because of
it.

The problem I have is this. It is not that hard to get a warrant. One phone
call and they can have it. Why does our President feel he has to remove this
step of the process. This single step is what changes the action from being
legal to being illegal and unconstitutional. If they have enough reason to
believe someone is planning an attack then call a judge and get the warrant.

Republican Senator John Sununu said it best yesterday by quoting Benjamin
Franklin - "Those that would give up essential liberty in pursuit of a little
temporary security deserve neither liberty nor security." We can not give up our
rights and liberties in this war. If we do then we have nothing left to fight
for.

The story of Bush authorizing spying on citizens has really snow balled into
the story of the day. This just came out on the
AP:

Bush Approved Eavesdropping, Official
Says

By KATHERINE SHRADER, Associated Press Writer

President Bush has personally authorized a secretive eavesdropping
program in the United States more than three dozen times since October 2001,
a senior intelligence official told The Associated Press Friday night.

The disclosure follows angry demands by lawmakers earlier in the day for
a congressional inquiry into whether the monitoring by the highly secretive
National Security Agency violated civil liberties.

"There is no doubt that this is inappropriate," declared Republican Sen.
Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record) of Pennsylvania, chairman of the
Senate Judiciary Committee. He promised hearings early next year.

In a broad defense of the program put forward hours later, a senior
intelligence official said the eavesdropping was narrowly designed to go
after possible terrorist threats in the United States. The official said
that, since October 2001, authorization for the program has been renewed
more than three dozen times. On each occasion, the lawfulness of the program
is certified by the president's legal counsel and the attorney general. It
is then personally signed by Bush.

Funny how these stories always get held until a Friday and/or before a
recess. This story is not going to go away and Bush may very well be answering
to it now. Americans need to demand answers from our dictator on this.

This is not only disturbing, but also teetering on being unconstitutional.

The National Security Agency has eavesdropped, without warrants, on as
many 500 people inside the United States at any given time since 2002, The
New York Times reported Friday.

That year, following the Sept. 11 attacks, President Bush authorized the
NSA to monitor the international phone calls and international e-mails of
hundreds — perhaps thousands — of people inside the United States, the Times
reported.

Before the program began, the NSA typically limited its domestic
surveillance to foreign embassies and missions and obtained court orders for
such investigations. Overseas, 5,000 to 7,000 people suspected of terrorist
ties are monitored at one time.

The Times said reporters interviewed nearly a dozen current and former
administration officials about the program and granted them anonymity
because of the classified nature of the program.

Government officials credited the new program with uncovering several
terrorist plots, including one by Iyman Faris, an Ohio trucker who pleaded
guilty in 2003 to supporting al-Qaida by planning to destroy the Brooklyn
Bridge, the report said.

But some NSA officials were so concerned about the legality of the
program that they refused to participate, the Times said. Questions about
the legality of the program led the administration to temporarily suspend it
last year and impose new restrictions

View complete article

here.