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Phone-Records Surveillance Is Broadly Acceptable to Public (ABC Poll)
ABC News ^ | 5/12/06 | Mikey_1962

Posted on 05/12/2006 5:57:25 AM PDT by Mikey_1962

May 12, 2006 — Americans by nearly a 2-1 ratio call the surveillance of telephone records an acceptable way for the federal government to investigate possible terrorist threats, expressing broad unconcern even if their own calling patterns are scrutinized.

Lending support to the administration's defense of its anti-terrorism intelligence efforts, 63 percent in this ABC News/Washington Post poll say the secret program, disclosed Thursday by USA Today, is justified, while far fewer, 35 percent, call it unjustified.

Indeed, 51 percent approve of the way President Bush is handling the protection of privacy rights, while 47 percent disapprove — hardly a robust rating, but one that's far better than his overall job approval, in the low 30s in recent polls.

This doesn't mean privacy intrusions aren't a concern. Nearly half the public, 45 percent, say the government is not doing enough to protect Americans' rights as it investigates terrorism. This concern is far higher than it was in 2002 and 2003, closer to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks — but slightly down in this poll from its level two months ago.

Despite such concerns, however, the public continues to place a higher priority on terrorism investigations than on privacy intrusions. Sixty-five percent say it's more important for the government to investigate possible threats, even if that intrudes on personal privacy, than for it to avoid privacy intrusions if that limits its investigative ability. It was the same in January, although higher still in 2002 and 2003 polls.

The phone-records program, moreover, is not broadly seen as intrusive. Two-thirds of Americans say it wouldn't bother them if the National Security Agency had a record of phone numbers that they had called. A third would be bothered; fewer, about a quarter, say it would bother them a lot.

(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Front Page News
KEYWORDS: 1984; actions; analysing; att; bigbrother; data; databases; datadredging; dataisyourfriend; datamining; detection; fourthamendment; government; icu; idonthinkso; information; justification; lawenforcement; massurveillance; monitored; nsa; objectionable; orwell; phonerecords; privacy; private; relativeinformation; restriction; ruleoflaw; scrutiny; secrecy; security; spying; stasi; surveillance; telecommunications
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To: Mikey_1962

Note to the Drive-by Media: Nice try.


21 posted on 05/12/2006 6:14:12 AM PDT by mewzilla (Property must be secured or liberty cannot exist. John Adams)
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To: muawiyah

Really? I oppose this kind of government survellience completely. I guess the lessons learned from WW2 and all the countries that had massive genocides have just been forgotten in the interest of a false sense of security.

I have no doubt that their intentions are good but we all know what road is paved with good intentions. Unless there is an absolute guarantee that someone with less than the best intentions cannot use this data against the population, I must oppose this kind of privacy invasion.

Mike


22 posted on 05/12/2006 6:15:18 AM PDT by BCR #226 (Abortion is the pagan sacrifice of an innocent virgin child for the sins of the mother and father.)
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To: BallyBill

I can't wait to see how Tony addresses this at his next briefing.


23 posted on 05/12/2006 6:15:28 AM PDT by mware (Americans in armchairs doing the job of the media.)
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To: BCR #226

Then change the laws, but as it stands this is totally legal. Good luck.


24 posted on 05/12/2006 6:16:36 AM PDT by traderrob6
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To: Woodstock
On most talk radio the format takes equal numbers from both sides of any issue.

Never trust what you hear on talk radio to be a representative sample of public opinion.

25 posted on 05/12/2006 6:17:01 AM PDT by muawiyah (-)
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To: traderrob6

It may be legal but it is morally corrupt.

Mike


26 posted on 05/12/2006 6:17:54 AM PDT by BCR #226 (Abortion is the pagan sacrifice of an innocent virgin child for the sins of the mother and father.)
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To: Mikey_1962

Everybody's forgotten Benjamin Franklin I guess. Don't forget, a large portion of those polled couldn't find Louisiana on a map either.


27 posted on 05/12/2006 6:18:47 AM PDT by antiRepublicrat
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To: BCR #226

This is the U.S., not Iran.


28 posted on 05/12/2006 6:19:51 AM PDT by 1rudeboy
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To: Mikey_1962
I saw at least 10 MSM articles this morning... stating flatly the opposite. I believe 'furor' was the word of choice in most of them.

The half-truths and lies being spewed by the leftist-press... is reminiscent of Pravda & Izvestia during the height of the Cold War.

29 posted on 05/12/2006 6:20:53 AM PDT by johnny7 (“Nah, I ain’t Jewish, I just don’t dig on swine, that’s all.”)
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To: A message
Common Sense of the American People... VS the Nonsense of the shrill Democrat party. Democrats lose again.

Well, obviously the Democrats have been making asses of themselves on each INDIVIDUAL issue when it comes to national defense. But the constant drumbeat of "Republicans are evil" has been taking its toll on the public Zeitgeist.

...For now, anyway. In the long term, it's the liberal media who keep losing more market share ever day. And those viewers are gone for good.

30 posted on 05/12/2006 6:21:19 AM PDT by noncommie
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To: Mikey_1962

This poll will get buried by the MSM.


31 posted on 05/12/2006 6:21:42 AM PDT by The_Victor (If all I want is a warm feeling, I should just wet my pants.)
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To: BCR #226
No idea what you're talking about. For the most part it was a trivial problem to successfully identify Jews, round them up and kill them. After all, their neighbors knew who they were and turned them in.

I doubt the Germans had to go very far into telephone records to find Jews and kill them.

As far as the Gypsies go, they'd look for the wagons ~ no cellphones in those days, so folks who lived on the road didn't make phone calls.

The lesson we learned in WWII was that it was possible for foreign enemies (current or future) to actually infiltrate our most sensitive government agencies and do us harm.

The Japanese and the Russians had spies present in our atom bomb project. The State Department and elements of the US Army civilian command structure were subverted.

That's why we need improved surveillance methods, and the ability to cross-correlate phone calling data with known enemy agents should help us find infiltrators, including Saddam Hussein's paid lackeys, commies, and alqaida supporters.

32 posted on 05/12/2006 6:22:29 AM PDT by muawiyah (-)
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To: Mikey_1962
The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either.

- Benjamin Franklin

33 posted on 05/12/2006 6:24:33 AM PDT by WhiteGuy ("Every Generation needs a new revolution" - Jefferson)
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To: Mikey_1962

>>>Phone-Records Surveillance Is Broadly Acceptable to Public

I would wager that the American public would also find the tracking of prescription purchases by the DEA to be broadly acceptable.
I would wager that the American public would also find the tracking of gun sales and ownership by the BATFE to be broadly acceptable.



34 posted on 05/12/2006 6:25:09 AM PDT by NC28203
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To: johnny7
I saw at least 10 MSM articles this morning... stating flatly the opposite. I believe 'furor' was the word of choice in most of them.

Wait a minute. You mean it turns out I've been mad as Hell about this and I didn't even KNOW it?????

Yet another VRWC coverup. Thank God somebody out there has the honesty to tell me how I'm supposed to feel about all this.

35 posted on 05/12/2006 6:25:40 AM PDT by noncommie
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To: WhiteGuy
Something Frankly actually denied saying. Anyway, you have the supposed quote WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG.

And, lo and behold, I'm not going to bother correcting it for you.

36 posted on 05/12/2006 6:26:09 AM PDT by muawiyah (-)
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To: antiRepublicrat
Everybody's forgotten Benjamin Franklin I guess. Don't forget, a large portion of those polled couldn't find Louisiana on a map either.

I have not forgotten Franklin's axiom: "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

I have come to have no expectation of privacy when I use a PUBLIC UTILITY or when I enter any other public arena.

Besides the SCOTUS has ruled TWICE that no warrant is needed for this information, because their should be no expectation of privacy.
37 posted on 05/12/2006 6:26:15 AM PDT by Mikey_1962 (If you build it, they won't come...)
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To: Mikey_1962

I really don't think the motivation of this media nonsense was to end the surveillance (although that would be a nice bonus for the libs). I think it's a blatant attempt to delay or defeat the nomination of Gen. Hayden for CIA Director.


38 posted on 05/12/2006 6:26:21 AM PDT by Coop (Proud founding member of GCA - Gruntled Conservatives of America)
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To: BCR #226
From today's Daily Telegrpah...

They could have been stopped

39 posted on 05/12/2006 6:27:10 AM PDT by mewzilla (Property must be secured or liberty cannot exist. John Adams)
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To: HoosierHawk
But all the MSM keep telling me I should be upset.

Maybe more people should be. If for no other reason than the White House and Congress will not always be controlled by, ahem, trusted Republicans. Others will have access to this power.

Remember the furor over the Clintons and the 900 FBI files? Imagine that 900 multiplied by, say, 33,000.

You might repeat the mantra "well if you have nothing to hide..." but the day may come when even your political leanings or religious beliefs may be something you do not want the government snooping into.

In other words, things you think you don't need to hide could become things you need to hide.

40 posted on 05/12/2006 6:27:29 AM PDT by In_25_words_or_less (It's more a guideline than a rule.)
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