Posted on 05/11/2006 12:30:13 PM PDT by demlosers
Washington is agog today with the disclosure that appeared in USA Today that Verizon, AT&T and Bell South have been providing domestic phone call information to the National Security Agency on millions of residential and business phone calls made by Americans.
It’s all part of the spy agency’s quest to create a huge database of caller information it could data mine in order to find patterns that might reveal terrorist communications. But it has raised enormous privacy concerns in the minds of many.
The USA Today report, coming after last year’s disclosure in the New York Times of the NSA’s warrantless electronic surveillance of phone calls it deems to be connected to terrorism ginned up the debate over how far is too far in the Bush administration’s efforts to protect the American people from al Qaeda and other terrorists.
The newspaper’s disclosure modified a lot of plans today. President Bush, on his way to give a commencement address in Biloxi, Miss., stopped in the White House’s Diplomatic Reception Room to deliver a brief statement to the press.
By the way, the president’s rapid response was remarkable. When other bad news has hit, say Dubai Ports World or the initial revelations of the NSA surveillance last December, there was a noticeable lag which allowed White House critics to define the debate.
The president’s quickness before today might be attributable to Tony Snow, the new press secretary. Or it could be that the White House is so nervous about the president’s ever lower poll ratings that he and his advisors felt he had to speak and quickly.
PRESIDENT BUSH: After September the 11th, I vowed to the American people that our government would do everything within the law to protect them against another terrorist attack. As part of this effort, I authorized
(Excerpt) Read more at newsblogs.chicagotribune.com ...
I also have a collection of American phone numbers, it's called a phone book.
I think it is about time Tony Snow earned his keep.
Telephone number databasing has been around for years, but no one got too worried about Radio Shack, Sears, AT&T, etc. from gathering all your information. But Heaven forbid if National Security requires gathering calling patterns. Especially if a Republican is in office.
USless Today stirring the pot with old news in order to rejuvinate a non-issue to most Americans, except Ted Kennedy and the drive-by media.
Quit being stuck on stupid. You know damn well this database tracks who calls whom and is far more significant than a phone book.
I agreed with the NSA survellience without a warrant because there was probable cause involved - at least one of the parties was suspected as being involved in terrorism. But there is no probable cause contained in the raw list of phone calls for Verizon. And the government as a result stepped over a line in asking for the data and compiling it - just as it feels it can have just about any information it wants nowadays. And you just try to quip that problem away.
Why doesn't W use the 'bully pulpit', go on TV and explain this situation to America?
He's missed scores of opportunities to do so over the past 6 years, giving the OTM (Old Tired Media) scum, an uninterrupted stream of lies and BS. Ditto the lib-dem filth and RINO traitors in congress, who've betrayed him since day one.
The person being interviewed had to repeatedly tell ABC that no conversations were being listened to.
Does it show which number called what other number in a phone book you don't have? Does it tell you how long the call lasted? If your wife or husband saw those calls, would you be in trouble.
Moron.
Until a couple of weeks ago you could buy this sort of data from cell phone records on-line.
Yes! It is ludicrous and laughable. Analyzing phone call traffic to look for clusters of callers associated with al Qaeda is a very good thing to do, exploits our technology and poses absolutely no invasion of privacy.
Only because idiocy rules in the ignorant and dumb political media culture can this be presented as it is.
He did, I believe he was on this morning. Tony snow will follow up.
Supposedly, they're not listening to the conversations but I wouldn't know how they'd find out if the calls were terror related, but whatever. They'd be terribly bored listening in on mine.
Hello? ---- click, @#^$# telemarketer
Hello? No, this isn't the bowling alley. No, I'm sure. You have the wrong number.
Hello? Oh, yeah, sure, this is the bowling alley. Who? No, I think she left outta here an hour ago with a truck load of guys.
Hello? No, he's grounded and can't come to the phone.
Hello? No, she's grounded and can't come to the phone.
Hello? No, Mr. M. is busy but lemme guess what you're going to say - you're too sick to come to work.
Hello? Yes. No. Yes. No. Uh huh. Bye, mother.
Well, why stop there? Let's allow the FBI to inspect our homes without a warrant. Pull over cars and search them without probable cause. Make all of us submit DNA samples for a national database. We can really catch all the terrorists then.
I think you boneheads are jumping to conclusions. Why don't you wait until this story plays out before jumping to knee-jerked conclusions.
This sort of stuff could be done for PhD dissertations or studies in a number of different fields with absolutely no problem or issue of privacy.
To the contrary: I carefully evaluated your post before declaring you a moron. I came to that conclusion based on solid evidence.
They analyze traffic patterns, and if needed, apply for a warrent to listen in.
Get the facts before your next hissy-fit.
There is no entry or search involved.
Your analogies ("Let's allow the FBI to inspect our homes without a warrant. Pull over cars and search them without probable cause) are not reflective of what is done.
You are rather proposing one cannot look at another persons house and see what is in common between house in a given neighborhood.
You can get plenty of info right here on-line: http://www.whitepages.com/
You can do...
People Search, Business Search, Reverse Phone, Reverse Address, Area Codes, Mailing lists....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.