Comments on: Secret Court To Monitor U.S. Spy Program

Justice Dept: Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court To Govern Domestic Spying Program

[j-whitman]

Sweeeet it is --- Bush & his personal lawyer Gonzales Beaten by a 1978 FISA Law.

[searingtruth]

"SearingTruth - Is Gonzalez trying to head off an investigation by a no-longer too friendly Congress??"
nyckate

This is indeed a part of the Administrations motive. The other is to continue their attempt to set "precedents" that go unnoticed and unchallenged, and promote the dictatorial powers of the Presidency. They call it the "Unitary Executive". Americans call it treason.

In this case, they wish to silently forward the precedent that the president has the discretion to decide whether or not he must abide by FISA laws, and by implication any law, if he invokes the phrase "national security".

Keep in mind that, as I said before, they are still not agreeing to abide by the FISA laws anyway, so it's merely an obfuscation within an obfuscation. This is their modus operandi.
ST


"Tyranny and tyrants do not change, nor does the character of those who defeat them."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com

[ncolsens]

Congressional intelligence? what intelligence?

[nyckate]

SearingTruth - Is Gonzalez trying to head off an investigation by a no-longer too friendly Congress??

[searingtruth]

"SearingTruth-
One of us has misread the account of the agreement. What I read was that the administration would return to seeking warrants for it's actions from the secret court. ..."
SearingTruth

I understand. That's why I took a break for a few minutes to make sure everyone understands what has actually transpired. The initial headlines about the Gonzales letter are misleading, thus my posting of the link to his actual text.

Even Senator Specter is already questioning the letter, confused by its vague language and evident reference to blanket authorizations. I%u2019m sorry to disappoint the patriots out there, but this battle is far from over.

Nevertheless, the fact that this heinous administration is now starting to pretend that they%u2019re going to follow the law is an ominous sign that they realize their days of lawless abandon are over.
ST

"It's not a war on terror gone wrong, it's a war on American liberty gone right."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com

[exusmcsgt]

SearingTruth-

One of us has misread the account of the agreement. What I read was that the administration would return to seeking warrants for it's actions from the secret court.

If my take is correct, that IS a departure from their contention (and policy) that they could not be subjected to the warrant requirement in the law because of time considerations.

[searingtruth]

Fellow citizens.

Nothing has changed. This is just one more of the thousands of smoke screens Dictator Bush and his accomplices love to blow into the wind.

Gonzales has simply stated that he and a judge have agreed to change the law, and continue with the same blanket "authorization" to spy on anyone they want to, en masse. Fortunately, even a FISA court judge can%u2019t change the law, but henchman Gonzales and his accomplices are going to give it a good try anyway. Hint: only Congress may make or change laws. The full text of the henchman%u2019s letter can be viewed at http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/politics/20060117gonzales_Letter.pdf. Here%u2019s the first ludicrous paragraph:

%u201CDear Chairman Leahy and Senator Specter,
I am writing to inform you that on January 10, 2007, a Judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court issued orders authorizing the Government to target for collection international communications into or out of the United States where there is probable cause to believe that one of the communicants is a member or agent of al Qaeda or an associated terrorist organization. As a result of these orders, any electronic surveillance that was occurring as part of the Terrorist Surveillance Program will now be conducted subject to the approval of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
%u2026%u201D
Alberto R. Gonzales

Sheesh. At least he's a persistent, and transparent, traitor.
ST

A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com

[skyk-2009]

Didn't Sir Lies-A-Lot just tell us a couple of months ago that he could NOT live with the Court's reviewing of his actions? Strange how this Fascist can change and addapt when he must. LOL Well I'll just add YET another LIE to the list of Lies of Sir Lies-A-Lot!!

[j-whitman]

Personally,, I want Bush & Gonzales to know what I think --- The Jackasses should immediatly resign.

[exusmcsgt]

One for the democracy! And about *** time! Tell me the NeoCons haven't felt a shift in the wind....

[jimfinster]

RandalDS & jimibear:

Well said!

If we live in fear, the AAAAACCCCCKKKKmeds of the world have already won! Let's focus our time and money on protecting our borders.

[randalds]

Whatever it takes, whatever it costs. NO MORE ATTACKS ON AMERICA.

Posted by lestb35 at 05:55 PM : Jan 17, 2007

I have the perfect place for you. Nice, safe from any outside attacks, no terrorism and life is nicely structured. It's called prison. Freedom is not just not free, it's also risky. I'd rather face down a thousand 9-11's then give up any of my civil rights and freedom. Without our freedom there is nothing left worth fighting for and nothing left worth living for. The country is dividing up into two camps. Those who value American freedom above everything else, even to the point of giving their lives for it (just like our founding father did and untold millions of Americans since) and cowards. Gutless wonders who shakily hand over the rights hundreds of thousands have died giving them to the government like meek frightened sheep, just because people like Bush tell you there's an "evildoer" under your bed like Joe McCarthy said about communists 50 years ago. Same fear, different name and the same cowards scared.

Pick a side. Free, proud and courageous or scared, cowardly sheep. The choice is still yours because of the former, in spite of the efforts of the latter to take that choice away.

[jimibear]

"Whatever it takes, whatever it costs. NO MORE ATTACKS ON AMERICA.
Posted by lestb35 at 05:55 PM : Jan 17, 2007"

No, frankly. Just simply no.

Defending our country is not worth turning it into a place no longer worth defending. If we alter our lifestyles to that extent, then indeed the "terrorists have won".

[jimibear]

stan7007, AAAAACCCCCKKKKmed sounds a lot like the Jews who were responsible for everything and planning a takeove of Germany in the 1930s. He sounds a lot like the "evil Indian" who was (for some bizarre reason) determined to push the white invaders off his land. He sounds a lot like the boogeyman, actually.

I think it's you who is the "perfect citizen", my friend: unthinkingly, blindly obedient, ready to hate at the first excuse.

Seig Heil, pal. When people in the '50s said "Better dead than 'red'", they could never have foreseen that would still hold true in 2007, but would apply to the stupid half of our own citizenry.

[inventagod]

I am pretty sure this story was written by Karl Rove.

Let me translate:

President Bu$h, along with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales have announced they will comply with the US Constitution, at least for now.

While Mr. Bu$h was facing a batallion of lawyers who were about to indict him on the unconstitutionality of spying on US citizens, and Mr. Gonzales was to face the same, they decided to cave in, rather than continue their losing streak.

This, of course, does not mean they are not continuing to evade the Constitution, they are just announcing this position - for this moment.
Stay tuned.

[jimibear]

(Cont.)

OK, backup for that:

"According to the Defense Department%u2019s Base Structure Report, 2001, the United States currently has overseas military installations in thirty-eight countries and separate territories. If military bases in U.S. territories/possessions outside the fifty states and the District of Columbia are added, it rises to forty-four. This number is extremely conservative, however, since it does not include important strategic forward bases, even some of those in which the United States maintains substantial numbers of troops, such as Saudi Arabia, Kosovo, and Bosnia. Nor does it include some of the most recently acquired U.S. bases."

http://www.monthlyreview.org/0302editr.htm

Numbers as of 2001. Since 9/11, of course, we also have bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[jimibear]

"I would really feel much safer if the US focused on bringing ALL soldiers home from around the world, stopped being the world policemen, close all overseas bases (How many bases do we allow inside our borders?), and, declare a national directive to make this country energy independent within 5 years."

And you would feel correct in so doing. Our national guard should guard our nation, not fight overseas wars. The $400 billion we have spent on this war would easily have installed genuine anti-terror measures (anyone who flies knows security is a joke, still, at airports in the US). It would also have given a nice cash fund for reducing and eventually eliminating our "oil addiction".

Of course, a whole lot of people would have made a whole lot less money in that scenario.

And of course, we have no foreign military bases in our country. I believe I am correct in saying, though, that the US currently has military bases in 38 38 countries around the world.

Empire?? Nah ...

[lestb35]

Whatever it takes, whatever it costs. NO MORE ATTACKS ON AMERICA.

[hungry1968]

I have also wondered how this do-nothing administration and congress could have such a volumunious proposal as the "Patriot Act" presented for passage in the short time it did.
Posted by panhandlpete at 05:46 PM : Jan 17, 2007

That's an excellent point I never thought about. It took him almost two months to come with his "stay the course and surge" plan, but only days or weeks for the whole Homeland Security, Patriot Act, etc, etc.

[hungry1968]

maybe stan7007 is planning a trip over there?
Posted by jimfinster at 05:44 PM : Jan 17, 2007

No - Stan is too busy snooping on his neighbors, and peeking through their windows.