Posted on 12/23/2005 12:44:44 AM PST by West Coast Conservative
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAIR FILES FOIA REQUEST ON SECRET WIRETAPS
Request seeks legal basis for President Bushs orders, list of those targeted
A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today announced the filing of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for all government records relating to President Bushs post-9/11 executive orders authorizing electronic surveillance of Americans and others in the United States without first obtaining court approval, as required by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
Media reports indicate that in some cases, the secret surveillance program intercepted purely domestic communications, despite White House assurances that at least one end of the intercepted communications was overseas. SEE: Spying Program Snared U.S. Calls, http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/21/politics/21nsa.html
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) filed the FOIA request with the CIA, the Department of Defense and the Department of Justice, including the FBI.
In the request, CAIR asked for: 1) Records concerning the authority of President Bush to delegate or personally authorize electronic surveillance without obtaining a court order as required by FISA. and 2) Any and all lists of natural persons, both American and foreign nationals, who have been or are currently being eavesdropped without proper FISA approval.
It is the duty of all those who value the Constitution to state that no one, not even a president, is above the law, said CAIR National Legal Director Arsalan Iftikhar.
President Bushs wiretapping policy is not only an apparent violation of existing law, it also gives carte blanche for spying, without legal oversight, on any American, said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. Such wide-ranging and unrestricted powers are an invitation to abuse of constitutional rights and freedoms, and should be of concern to everyone in a society based on respect for the law. Awad added that such unrestricted surveillance powers could be expanded and used to spy on those who hold dissenting political views.
CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 31 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
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CONTACT: Arsalan Iftikhar, 202-488-8787 or 202-415-0799, E-Mail: arsalan@cair-net.org; CAIR Government Affairs Director Corey Saylor, 202-646-6039 or 571-278-4658, E-Mail: csaylor@cair-net.org; Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail: rahmed@cair-net.org
Hey cair - read what the Asst. AG has to say, along with case law.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1545787/posts
LOL at CAIR... My thoughts exactly. Eat it rats!
the enemy of my enemy is my friend and the friend of my enemy is my enemy
"And we demand, DEMAND, that the war criminals FDR and Churchill hand over to us all materials pertaining to this so-called "Manhattan Project!"
Why do that?
All they need to do is ask their local Democrat for a copy of the Secret Transcripts.
Arabian Civil Liberties Union
Ping
CAIR has many enemies and hopefully few friends. Not here in the US anyway. Well maybe the ACLU loves them.
How do you say STFU in Arabic?
I just finished reading Infiltration by Paul Sperry. You'd be surprised how many friends CAIR has in the right places ranging from members of Congress to the White House staff.
Most of these people bow to CAIR demands for the fear of being branded "racist" if they don't.
We have a major problem in this country and it's only going to get bigger as more Muslims immigrate here.
Isn't diversity wonderful?
If CAIR thinks it was spied upon they must know they've been in contact with Islamic terrorists overseas.
thats why we are in ths boat we are in these days.
Remember the SNL skit with the reporters asking what the army's secret Desert Storm troop plans were? What secret plans is the USA going to use on the enemy?
I'm waiting for Nightline's weeklong series: "What the terrorists can expect in '06" filled with up-to-the-minute leaks on troop movements, surprise raids and classified data. I mean, it's the public's right to know, right?
additional reference on CAIR:
http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6176
Yeah, this sure looks merciful...
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