Posted on 02/16/2008 11:41:07 AM PST by no nau
At midnight tonight America will become much more susceptible to a terrorist act. It will happen because the Democrat-controlled Congress failed to reauthorize the Protect America Act. This legislation gives our military, intelligence, and law-enforcement communities the tools they need to conduct surveillance on terrorists. Yet, instead of fighting to make us safer Congress, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, blocked a vote on this bill all week and then went home on a twelve-day recess.
America is at war. I can attest to that after serving in Iraq as an Infantry Platoon Leader with the Army’s First Calvary Division. My unit, an Infantry platoon, was responsible for capturing terrorists. I can tell you first-hand that we are fighting a very real enemy, radical Islamic terrorists, who want to do harm to America and her citizens. We are fighting the same terrorists that recently strapped bombs onto women with Down's Syndrome and forced them to walk into a crowded marketplace and explode the bombs, killing themselves and dozens of other innocent women and children.
My comrades in uniform, brothers and sisters and moms and dads, have given their lives in the fight against radical Islamic terrorism. This Congress, meanwhile, refuses to authorize our intelligence officials to collect important information that can disrupt terror attacks and refuses to give our law enforcement community the legal authority it never had before 9/11, but so desperately needed.
Today, because Congress failed to act, our intelligence officials no longer have the legal authority to collect foreign intelligence. Exactly the type of intelligence that disrupted several planned terrorists attacks on the United States. Because we face a very real threat to the national security of this country, we must take very real measures to protect our citizens and give our soldiers and our allies around the world the tools they need to keep us safe.
When will our Congress begin to display even a small amount of the courage that our men women fighting for us display day in and day out? Their refusal to reauthorize this legislation is more than an act of submission to trial lawyers, Moveon.org, and the far-left wing of a party that fails to recognize that we face deadly threats from radical Islamic terrorists. Its an act of political cowardice. It's a sign of an unwillingness to respect the sacrifices made by the members of the military who need that intelligence to successfully accomplish their mission.
Of course Congress realizes were are at war. Pelosi etal knew long before 11 Sept 2001. But alas their enemy is the GOP not anyone who attacked the US.
“But alas their enemy is the GOP not anyone who attacked the US.”
And the best friends of Bush and McCain, the present and future leaders of the Republican Party, are the Christian killing, Saudi/Soros funded Mohammedan jihadis of the KLA, so your point would be exactly what; that American politicians are endangering the Homeland?
White House News
In Focus: National Security
"We know that information we have been able to acquire about foreign threats will help us detect and prevent attacks on our homeland. Mike McConnell, the Director of National Intelligence, has assured me that this bill gives him the most immediate tools he needs to defeat the intentions of our enemies. And so in signing this legislation today I am heartened to know that his critical work will be strengthened and we will be better armed to prevent attacks in the future."
President George W. Bush, 8/5/07
The Protect America Act Modernizes The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) To Give Intelligence Professionals The Tools They Urgently Need To Gather Information About Our Enemies, While Protecting The Civil Liberties Of Americans. The Act, passed with bipartisan support in the House and the Senate, restores FISA to its original focus on protecting the rights of Americans, while not acting as an obstacle to conducting foreign intelligence surveillance on foreign targets located overseas.
Changes In Technology Since 1978 Had The Effect Of Expanding The Scope Of FISA's Coverage To Include Intelligence Collection Efforts That Congress Excluded From The Law's Requirements. This unintended expansion of FISA's scope meant the government, in a significant number of cases, needed to obtain a court order to collect foreign intelligence information against a target located overseas. This created an unnecessary obstacle to our Intelligence Community's ability to gain real-time information about the intent of our enemies overseas and diverted scarce resources that would be better spent safeguarding the civil liberties of people in the United States, not foreign terrorists who wish to do us harm.
The Government Should Not Have To Obtain A Court Order To Conduct Surveillance On Foreign Intelligence Targets Located In Foreign Countries. This was not Congress' intent when it enacted FISA. As the Director of National Intelligence stated, continuing to operate under this outdated law meant our intelligence professionals were "missing a significant amount of foreign intelligence that we should be collecting to protect our country." The Protect America Act Modernizes FISA In Four Important Ways
The Act Permits Our Intelligence Professionals To More Effectively Collect Foreign Intelligence Information On Targets In Foreign Lands Without First Receiving Court Approval.
The Act clarifies that the definition of electronic surveillance in FISA shall not be construed to encompass surveillance directed at a person reasonably believed to be located outside the U.S. This clarification restores FISA to its original intent and means intelligence professionals will not have to go to court in order to collect foreign intelligence on an overseas target who may be planning to attack the U.S.
The Act Provides A Role For The FISA Court In Reviewing The Procedures The Intelligence Community Uses To Ensure That Surveillance Efforts Target Persons Located Overseas. The Attorney General is required to submit to the FISA court the procedures by which intelligence professionals will determine that the authorized acquisitions of foreign intelligence do not constitute electronic surveillance that is, the procedures by which the government determines that the acquisitions are directed at persons reasonably believed to be outside the United States.
The Act Provides For The FISA Court To Direct Third Parties To Assist The Intelligence Community In Its Collection Efforts. The Act permits the Director of National Intelligence and the Attorney General to direct third parties to provide the information, facilities, and assistance necessary to conduct surveillance of foreign intelligence targets located overseas.
The Act Protects Third Parties From Private Lawsuits Arising From Assistance They Provide The Government. No cause of action may be brought in any court against any person for complying with a directive to provide the Government with all information, facilities, or assistance necessary to accomplish the acquisition of foreign intelligence information.
Our Work Is Not Done — This Act Is A Temporary, Narrowly Focused Statute To Deal With The Most Immediate Needs Of The Intelligence Community To Protect The Country. When Congress returns in September, the Intelligence Committees and leaders in both parties will need to complete work on the comprehensive reforms requested by Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell, including the important issues of providing meaningful liability protection to those who are alleged to have assisted our Nation following the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Next question?
Why there seem to be so many people who fail to realize this is beyond me.
They are a dangerous enemy. If we let them lie fallow, as the Democrats would like to do, the US will start experiencing attacks like Iraq has seen over the past few years.
We do not want that.
They can whine all they want when we question their patriotism but the facts are plain that THEY DO WANT more attacks.
We have more attacks every day... but it’s not terrorism when Mexicans do it, so that’s just fine and dandy with a lot of people.
No my point was in answer to the question in the head, Doesn’t Congress Realize We Are At War. I conjectured that they do realize that.
You sound like someone unhappy that the US allied with Joe Stalin in WWII? In big battle one often gets imperfect allies
Instead of providing the tools to defend ourselves agaist non-American enemies at war with us, the Left is engaged at war with Americans - special rights for "special groups", redistributing our personnel wealth, bargaining away our rights and detroying our borders.
How many so called "authorities" are more concerned about a child bringing a bible to class than a very real and very mobile enemy at our gates...
“You sound like someone unhappy that the US allied with Joe Stalin in WWII? In big battle one often gets imperfect allies.”
Oh, not at all. There were distinct and important advantages to that collaboration, its aftermath to the contrary notwithstanding. I must say, however, that I am at a loss to see the advantage to our country, even if I can to the likes of a man like Bush and his fellow travelers, to be gained by assisting Mohammedans financially, diplomatically and militarily in wiping out or seriously diminishing one Eastern Christian community after another. In fact, I’d say it was “Un-American Activity” with, sadly, only political and not criminal consequences.
” They are a dangerous enemy. If we let them lie fallow, as the Democrats would like to do, the US will start experiencing attacks like Iraq has seen over the past few years.
We do not want that.”
Allegra, most of the Christians are gone from Kosovo. Most of those that didn’t flee were slaughtered. The churches have been dynamited. All of this happened as George Bush ordered our troops on the scene to stand aside. George Bush is now rewarding the Saudi financed KLA with their own little jihadi terror state in the heart of the Balkans. It will be supported financially with your money, diplomatically with your diplomats and militarily with the lives of our sons and daughters...and the KLA Mohammedans will continue to dynamite churches and kill Christians and export terror to the United States.
Our problems extend far beyond a bunch of craven Democrats in DC.
A dumb question. Of course Congress doesn’t recognize that we are at war. No declaration of war has been passed by Congress since Dec 7, 1941. Instead, there has been an unbroken series of vague “resolutions” “authorizing use of force”. Not that this Congress didn’t have an opportunity to make a declaration of war. It just chose not to.
So until they do, no; they don’t recognize we are at war.
“No.
Next question?”
Indeed, although war has been declared on the US, since 1996:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/terrorism/international/fatwa_1996.html
Congress has chosen not to “return the favor,” in spite of having been explicitly presented with the opportunity to do so: http://www.house.gov/paul/press/press2002/pr100402.htm
Vietnam all over again. Congress cutting funding, we run away with our tail between our legs and loose our arses.
bump
Congress is at war with Bush. Have they done anything since the “America wants change congress and house” has been in session? NO! These sorry a## whining, crying morons are oblivious to us and the needs of this country. Now we have an election where our ill informed or should I say do not want to be informed public are voting again for CHANGE with pretty boy Obama and the shrill Hill. I just can’t believe my eyes and ears, thier going to do it again!
Of course we are at war. Lucky for the A-Q, Talis and the Palis that they were not on steroids at the time that they secretly filmed our troops during PE.
Gen. A. Specter has it well under control. I think it has something to do with a magic syringe.
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