Is George Bush Listening in on Your Phone Line?

Oregon Magazine ^ | January 1, 2006 | Larry Leonard

[WaterDragon]

In fact, has Bush ever listened to one of your phone conversations? Unless you have spoken to a terrorist, the answer is no. Do you speak to terrorists? If you do, the answer is yes. Here is how it works.

Every president for decades has had the ability to do it. The technology has changed with the advent of cell phones and the advances in computers, but the point is the same. It used to be done with people doing the listening. Then, a clever geek came up with voice recognition software. After that, a computer could do the listening.

The software program listens for words like dynamite, bomb, hijack and nuke, plus related words like C-4 (a type of explosive), detonator, cockpit and radioactive. It listens for these and many other words in lots of languages. It pays attention to foreign area codes, even specific foreign phone numbers. When our spy guys have recordings of the voices of known terrorists, the computers probably look for those, too. There's a whole list of things like these that the computers look for...

[dsc]

"We are even video taped while sitting in our cars at a red light, in the bathroom at a local restuarant"

Really? When am I supposed to pick my nose?

[garylmoore]

He can listen to my phone calls, I don't have anything to hide, I really don't understand why so many people are up in arms about this, don't they realize that we are fighting a satantic enemy?

[Hugin]

Clinton was never convicted of perjury, because Special Prosecutor Ken Starr never filed charges when Clinton left office. He cited his impeachment acquittal. Of course during the impeachment trial the Dems argued that his perjury didn't "rise to the level of an impeachable offense" and that he could always be charged as a private citizen. Allegedly Starr told aides that he simply didn't believe he could get 12 jurors to convict Clinton.

However, since Clinton lied during a civil suit by Paula Jones, a civil (not criminal) charge was filed against Clinton in Arkansas an officer of the court. The judge in that case found Clinton had lied to the court and revoked license to practice law.

[GeronL]

The software program listens for words like dynamite, bomb, hijack and nuke, plus related words like C-4 (a type of explosive), detonator, cockpit and radioactive

A: I got my new apartment, finally
"Oh, hi jack. Do you like it?"
"Well, its the bomb, but its on the third floor, number C4"
"Thats dynamite man"
"Yea, like totally radioactive."
"We still on for drinks tonight? I was going to try that detonator thing"

"Of course, remember its at 7 at the cockpit"

[R. Scott]

I would feel sorry for any human assigned to listen in on my conversations. Total and utter boredom would be their fate.

[R. Scott]

And of course, Jack is a friend serving in Saudi Arabia. Computer alarms going off all over.

[GeronL]

lol. It would not be a good night at the Cockpit bar

[Cvengr]

I'm surprised they didn't include a picture of Bush with his IPOD Headphones on..

Yes, but that would reveal the intelligence sources desired by most socialists.

[R. Scott]

Some brand new Federal Agents wanting to make a name? Oops!

[cgbg]

My life is too dull for anyone, especially the President, to be listening in on. My life is so boring, that I cannot even get my own cat to listen to me- why would the President show any interest???

My wife is a clear and present danger to national security. Her phone conversations with relatives are so boring that they would surely put any NSA operative into a deep sleep causing them to fail to catch real terrorists that day. :-)

[Dustbunny]

Is George Bush Listening in on Your Phone Line?

I don't really care if he is, I don't care if he is listening in while I am on the web. I have nothing to hide. I just hope and pray he is listening in to those that want to do us, the USA and it's citizens, harm.

[Dustbunny]

You are right of course it is NSA that is listening and I hope and pray they continue.

[cincinnati65]

Is George Bush Listening in on Your Phone Line?

I hope so, and if you can please send me a transcript of what my 14 year old daughter and her "boyfriend" talk about for four hours a day, I would appreciate it!

[DCPatriot]

In the olden days, there was only party lines where the operator or neighbor could listen in to your conversations.

If that's an incursion into privacy, then why can telemarketers call me? Isn't that tresspassing?

I can understand the concern for people of different political persuasion other than the governing one at the time.

I wouldn't like it if Hillary, Kerry, or some other Socialist were in control.

[JOE43270]

No matter if it President Bush or the NSA, they wouldn't listen to me very long whether it's on my phone or my shortwave radio. If they did they would enjoy themselves.

[Cheburashka]

I hope so, and if you can please send me a transcript of what my 14 year old daughter and her "boyfriend" talk about for four hours a day, I would appreciate it!
---
You should write to your congressman. Such a transcript service might be profitable for the government and help to defray the cost of all that hardware and software needed for homeland security.

[KCRW]

Hey- I was a 14 year old girl once, I can help......

"No, you hang up first!"
"No, you hang up first!"
"No, you hang up first!"
"No, you hang up first!"
......


and so on.

[TommyDale]

If your name is Abdul, and you are calling your Al Qaeda friends to buy explosives, then you should be worried.

[gridlock]

When I was in high school overseas, my girlfriend's father was under investigation by the US Embassy where he worked. I learned later that the local "communicators" (code-word for spook) had tapped the family phone line and were transcribing all calls in and out.

So, somewhere in Suitland, Maryland, there is about five miles of audiotape of me and my girlfriend saying "No, you hang up first..." and making googly noises.

Whenever I get to feeling bad about my job and the way my career is going, I think about the poor slob who had to transcribe all those phone calls, and realize that somebody, somewhere, has it much worse than me.

[308MBR]

That's a good one!

If the NSA is listening to my calls, they'll be able to pick a nice camshaft for their next hot rod, learn how to tune a chassis for cornering on asphalt or dirt, or that the best way to make a small fortune at racing is to start with a large fortune.