Bush acknowledges secret order for
domestic spyingPresident 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.
Last night former Senator and chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee
Bob Graham was on Night Line. He was asked about the meeting Cheney had with
Senate leaders to inform them of this practice. He said what is being reported
is basically a lie. Per Mr. Graham, they were informed that the White House was
authorizing the monitoring of foreign communications coming through the United
States, not listening in on calls placed by citizens.
Sure we should be allowed to listen in on those calls considering they are
not citizens. Being a citizen of this country gives us freedoms and one of those
freedoms is from being monitored. There should never be a reason strong enough
to circumvent our Constitution in order to spy on our citizens. President Bush
has basically handed our country over to Osama on a silver platter and pissed on
the graves of our fore fathers and those who fought and died for this once great
nation. Talk about being a traitor.