Phone-Records Surveillance Is Broadly Acceptable to Public (ABC Poll)

ABC News ^ | 5/12/06 | Mikey_1962

[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.

[muawiyah]

In fact, the Democratic party (the folks complaining about NSA tracking of terrorists) actually passed laws to have BATF track gun sales back when they were in power.

The public didn't approve and tossed out the Democrats.

I think it is a correct thing to do to find and kill terrorists and their lackeys, supporters, friends and enablers.

[NC28203]

>>>In fact, the Democratic party (the folks complaining about NSA tracking of terrorists) actually passed laws to have BATF track gun sales back when they were in power.
The public didn't approve and tossed out the Democrats.

Strange, I don't recall that as an issue in the Contract with America which gave the Republicans control of Congress in 1994.

>>>I think it is a correct thing to do to find and kill terrorists and their lackeys, supporters, friends and enablers.

Given that al Qaeda has been found to be funded in part through illegal drug sales, should CVS and Walgreens and other pharmacies turn over prescription records to catch al Qaeda's lackeys, supporters, friends and enablers?

[CedarDave]

What this means is that more articles and investigative pieces need to be done until the sheep are scared into the other direction.

Editor meetings being held this morning in Drive-By Media offices all over the country. Follow-up meetings to be held by WAPost, NYTimes and CNN.

[HoosierHawk]

Sorry, from all I've heard and read, this is settled law. And legal.

[digger48]

The Democrat knee-jerk stategery strikes again......

[bobsunshine]

It really is sad when the MSM can distort the truth in order to control the direction of the government.

The article in the USA Today is not new, in fact is was printed in Feb. 2006 but didn't get any attention. Done by the same Leslie Curley, who donated to the DNC:

Telecoms let NSA spy on calls
AT& T, MCI, Sprint cooperate with warrantless surveillance, execs say

By Leslie Cauley and John Diamond
USA TODAY

The National Security Agency has secured the cooperation of large telecommunications companies, including AT&T, MCI and Sprint, in its efforts to eavesdrop without warrants on international calls by suspected terrorists, according to seven telecommunications executives.

The executives asked to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the program.

AT&T, MCI and Sprint had no official comment.

The Senate Judiciary Committee begins hearings today on the government's program of monitoring international calls and e-mails of a domestic target without first obtaining court orders.

At issue: whether the surveillance is legal, as President Bush insists, or an illegal intrusion into the lives of Americans, as lawsuits by civil libertarians contend. In domestic investigations, phone companies routinely require court orders before cooperating.

A majority of international calls are handled by long-distance carriers AT&T, MCI and Sprint. All of the carriers own “gateway” switches capable of routing calls to points around the globe.

AT&T was recently acquired by SBC Communications, which has since adopted the AT&T name as its corporate moniker. MCI, formerly known as WorldCom, was recently acquired by Verizon. Sprint recently merged with Nextel....

...The Times and The Washington Post have said thousands have had communications intercepted.

The two intelligence officials said that number has been whittled down to about 600 people in the United States who have been targeted for repeated surveillance since the Sept. 11 attacks.

http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20060206/1a_lede06.art.htm

H/T Macsmind for finding this along with the donation:

CAULEY, LESLIE
BROOKLYN,NY 11201
WRITER AND JOURNALIST
6/30/2003
$2,000
Gephardt, Richard A

And this from Macsmind:

By the way....a bit of bad news though for the sources of the USA Today article, per a tip, your identities are known to those who care.

Opps!

UPDATE II: On above. I have an source email which details where the leak on the story originated.

[zook]

"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. "

You mean the same WWII where the US government monitored telegrams, phone conversations, opened mail, and generally kept close tabs on all possible enemy activity within our borders? Your slippery slope argument is blown away by the fact that we are just as free today, if not moreso, than we were after WWII.

[Wurlitzer]

Well the treason, abortion, gay rights party agrees with the TSA doing warrant-less searches so I don't understand why they have their knickers in a twist over keeping track of phone numbers. Seems to me, they were quick to point their fingers at the administration for not connecting the dots prior to 9/11 (even though much of that was caused by Gerlach/Clinton). No the treason party does not want the government to even collect the dots let alone connect them.

It must be great to belong to the treason party as the MSM gives you cover no matter which side of an issue you take even if it is both sides.

[A message]

But the constant drumbeat of "Republicans are evil" has been taking its toll on the public Zeitgeist.

That drum has been pounded the entire 44 years of my life.

We'll see come November.

Strong and Together!

PS A sincere welcome to FR.

[muawiyah]

The pharmacy business is highly regulated ~ what has that got to do with illegal sales of unlawful narcotics?

[zook]

Ben Franklin's slogan abouy "temporary security" was just that--a slogan, not a principle of moral or ethical behavior in a free society. In fact, the obverse of this statement has as much validity as the original:

*Those who would give up security for some temporary liberty deserve neither.*

In other words, by insisting during wartime on total privacy over matters such as phone records, etc., one is preventing our republic from defending itself against a force that seeks to eliminate all freedom as we know it.

[muawiyah]

I think the poster was trying to suggest that the NAZI surveillance systems enabled them to commit genocide. This is part of the "IBM sold them the tools to do it" story.

In my reading of the situation the NAZIs came into office intending to kill Jews and Gypsies, both of whom could be found without serious surveillance of any kind.

IBM did sell equipment to keep track of the carnage, but the NAZIs knew what they were about and would have done it anyway with or without IBM.

Your response is the correct one ~ our own surveillance of everything we could possible keep our eyes on helped win the war.

[BCR #226]

In WW2, we were in a declared state of war and the public was aware of the monitoring beforehand. We are not in a declared state of war now nor was the public made aware before hand.

Mike

[Jack of all Trades]

Isn't it more than a little naive to assume that telecomunications aren't broadly monitored? The foundation was laid back in '94 by CALEA (Communications Assistance to Law Enforcement), which was sponsored by Leahy. Massive, high speed, distributed data acquisition does not happen as an afterthought. It's been built in for decades. Did anyone think wouldn't be used?

[BCR #226]

Think it can't happen here? It has before... our nation isn't the uncorruptable foundation of truth that many wish it were.

Mike

[Mikey_1962]

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

Your quote does not include the word essential.

Talking on a telephone which is a public utility gives no expectation of privacy. Or so SCOTUS has ruled twice.

Remember too that there is a great difference between a liberty and a right.

[alnick]

the secret program, disclosed Thursday by USA Today

Thursday? I haven't been keeping up lately, but isn't this old news?

[zook]

"I think the poster was trying to suggest that the NAZI surveillance systems enabled them to commit genocide. "

Thanks, yes I realize that. And the Nazi army facilitated genocide as well. By his logic, I guess we ought to eliminate our army.

[Mikey_1962]

Actually the NY Times disclosed this last December.

[Denver Ditdat]

63 percent in this ABC News/Washington Post poll say...

I thought that we didn't believe lying polls, especially from a source such as ABC/WaPo. ;-)