Posted on 05/12/2006 8:05:22 AM PDT by SmithL
Washington -- Americans have accepted many intrusions on their civil liberties in the name of security since Sept. 11, 2001, from opening bags at baseball games to shoeless searches at airports.
And for the better part of five years, the politics of terror has served President Bush and the Republican Party well, contributing to his re-election and the party's majority in Congress.
Those inclinations will now be tested by the disclosure that the National Security Agency has been collecting data on tens of millions of Americans' phone calls.
Unlike previous revelations of domestic spying and detention programs, which were primarily aimed at a narrower population of Arab Americans or those suspected of having terrorist ties, this time it is tens of millions of Americans, including many of those reading this newspaper, whose personal calls to their husband, pizza deliveryman -- or lover -- have been duly noted in the agency's computer logs.
It also comes more than 1,500 days after tragedies at the World Trade Center and Pentagon, with memories and much of the fear blunted by time.
And perhaps most importantly, it comes at time when not even 1 in 3 Americans approves of Bush's performance as president, providing him little standing to convince them that such an infringement on their privacy is necessary to stave off another attack.
"The idea that Bush can just yell: 'national security, national security,' is increasingly a misjudgment,'' said Doug Schoen, a Democratic pollster who worked for President Bill Clinton.
"The 'trust me' factor, which worked for him in 2002 and certainly 2004, is largely gone,'' Schoen said. "To believe it's going to keep working in the wake of these revelations and all his problems -- that delusory.''
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
2/3 of Americans aren't bothered by this. Seems the onle people that are bothered are leftists and MSM editorialists.
All USA Today did was recycle old news. They're trying to derail the new CIA nominee. I'm more worried about the treasonous security leaks than I am about some NSA guy listening to my phone calls to Aunt Mabel. Show me some proof that actual eavesdropping is going on, and I'll change my mind.
Your redundancy is showing.
; )
And also shortsighted politicians like Leahy and Specter who can't see the forest for the trees.
How dare the phone company record the telephone numbers I call. Big bad Verizon (formerly AT&T) is watching me. OO, that right, they want to get paid for services delivered. What a joke this media outcry is.
this article is b.s.
If "innocent" Americans have to go through security checks at the airports and other public places for national security then our "innocent" phone numbers can be collected in a database for national security reasons as well. How else can they find the bad guys?
Poll: Most Americans Support NSA's Efforts
"The new survey found that 63 percent of Americans said they found the NSA program to be an acceptable way to investigate terrorism, including 44 percent who strongly endorsed the effort. Another 35 percent said the program was unacceptable, which included 24 percent who strongly objected to it."
"A slightly larger majority--66 percent--said they would not be bothered if NSA collected records of personal calls they had made, the poll found."
And:
"Half--51 percent--approved of the way President Bush was handling privacy matters."
Of course, according to the WaPo:
"The survey results reflect initial public reaction to the NSA program. Those views that could change or deepen as more details about the effort become known over the next few days."
Translation:
"Work harder, comrades -- the ignorant masses have not been sufficiently duped! More leaks!"
This SF paper suffered again from a 15% readership decline.
Again meaning consecutively.
It's a release of news geared to their core of local news absorbers.
One thing the democrat said is true. The Democrats, with the help of the media, have worked 5 long years for this day, and they have largely succeeded to paint Bush as a liar.
That this campaign started even before he took office would be something useful for the media to tell people, because it would reveal that it was not based on facts, but was rather simply a long-term political tactic to get back at republicans for calling Clinton a liar.
I don't want the gov't trolling through everyone's phone records.
All you Bushbots here better wake up and realize what a President Hillary Clinton could (will?) do with a program like this...
Make a call to the NRA, Jim Robinson, a fellow Freeper, or someone else on the "watch list" in 2010? The Feds get your call records to pin down who you're talking to, and you get hauled in to explain why.
Evidence made easy--all they have to do is make the query, since they already are in posession of the DB. Think about it before you are so quick to give the usual knee-jerk response.
I know for sure that if Gore was president today, the reaction to a program like this would be 90% against, instead of for, a program such as this.
I'm all for monitoring calls overseas to suspected AQ terrorists, but this is where I draw the line.
As a Bush supporter, I am bothered by this surveillance program greatly.
I don't want the gov't trolling through everyone's phone records.
All you Bushbots here better wake up and realize what a President Hillary Clinton could (will?) do with a program like this...
Make a call to the NRA, Jim Robinson, a fellow Freeper, or someone else on the "watch list" in 2010? The Feds get your call records to pin down who you're talking to, and you get hauled in to explain why.
Evidence made easy--all they have to do is make the query, since they already are in posession of the DB. Think about it before you are so quick to give the usual knee-jerk response.
I know for sure that if Gore was president today, the reaction to a program like this would be 90% against, instead of for, a program such as this.
I'm all for monitoring calls overseas to suspected AQ terrorists, but this is where I draw the line
This has been in existence since 1994...who was prez then?
Well as soon as you see the Big Lie in the 1st sentence you know you do not need to waste any more time on the author. This clown could not even tell us one "intrusions" on Civil Liberties much less "many". Simple reason, the "intrusions" only exist in the feverish hysteria of the knee jerk Bush haters, NOT in any reality.
Dear Moveon.org types, Why is the DNC doing data mining to "identify potential voters" just find with you wack jobs but the NSA doing it to nail terrorist sleeper cells is bad?
Sorry haters, you don't get ONE standard for yourselves a much harsh standard to apply to the rest of us.
"All you Bushbots here better wake up and realize what a President Hillary Clinton could (will?) do with a program like this... "
Her husband already did this. No suprise here.
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