Posted on 06/06/2013 7:29:29 PM PDT by neverdem
And to think they told us the War on Terror was over.
With news that the National Security Agency is currently collecting the telephone records of millions of us through one of America’s largest telecoms providers, Republicans have a chance to dramatically recast themselves in the debate over state surveillance and privacy.
An order requires Verizon on an “ongoing, daily basis” to hand over information on all telephone calls in its systems to the NSA — both domestically and between the United States and other nations. A White House official has already defended the actions: “On its face, the order reprinted in the article does not allow the government to listen in on anyone’s telephone calls. The information acquired does not include the content of any communications or the name of any subscriber. It relates exclusively to metadata, such as a telephone number or the length of a call.”
Though Americans are usually evenly split over the Patriot Act, I suspect that the brazenness and widespread nature of this particular brand of snooping probably won’t go over well. It’s important to remember that during the Bush years the NSA had, as this USA Today story characterizes it, a “massive database of Americans’ phone calls,” so this isn’t exactly new territory. The GOP will undoubtedly be branded a bunch of hypocrites (and in some instances it will be well deserved). What is new in Washington, however, is a gaggle of libertarian-minded GOP politicians that weren’t part of the 99-1 affirmative vote on the Patriot Act and they weren’t here for a decade defending the expansion of FISA courts.
Imagine this scenario: Three Republicans senators – obviously, the mostly likely candidates being Ted Cruz, Mike Lee and Rand Paul – craft a bill that would repeal, or far more likely roll back certain provisions of the Patriot Act. A number of Democrats – Ron Wyden and Mark Udall, who have both warned that the administration was, with the blessing of a FISA court, engaged in these sorts of activities – would almost surely join in. Rand has already demonstrated the political potential of a passionate stand against abuse.
The administration, on the other hand, would likely have to oppose repeal or even rollbacks, turning the entire debate on its head – a pro-drone, pro-surveillance administration that also oversaw a similarly abusive IRS.
No doubt John McCain & Friends would also stridently oppose. Butt that fissure is already with the party. Though Democrats are in no position to lead a charge against their own leader, most would find themselves in a tough position, while at the same time Republicans could demonstrate a (sorely needed) consistent skepticism about government power.
And best case scenario, the Patriot Act reformers actually win.
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Follow David Harsanyi on Twitter @davidharsanyi.
The Obama administration has declared the Tea Party to be the biggest threat to National Security. They are now monitoring every phone call in America as part of the so called war on terror.
The we on terror is over. The war is now on against the whole of the American Citizenry with particular emphasis on conservatives and those dangerous people who cry out for limited government.
They have found their enemy and it is us.
This is war my Friends. This is war.
I don't think that Republicans would pass the Patriot Act in its current form if knew that Obama in his current manifestation would succeed GW Bush. Laws and our Constitution are like used toilet paper to Obama. Pubbies have a history of being amenable to reforms. Rats, very little, if ever. When they do, it must be comprehensive this or comprehensive that where they want to overturn the applecart for their advantage.
All of us that have friends in the right places...its time to activate them and turn up the heat...: )
If the government snooping has saved one terrorist attack, and they have, it should be continued. I got nothing tohide, so I don’t give rats behind if they snoop on me.
Never underestimate the power of the data miners. If they had any
potentially embarrassing info on the credit card spending habits of Boner, Graham, etc., that would help to explain the GOP’s spinelessness. And Dingy Harry’s’ power is magnified when, as we now know, what happens in Vegas doesn’t exactly stay in Vegas.
Great point!
The fact that the GOP is doing about as little as it can tells you all you need to know about the GOP.
People are forgetting that this government has identified Tea Partiers, gun control advocates and other conservatives as “terrorists”. When we read that the phone spying efforts were aimed at rooting out terrorists and their networks, I do not think that the government thinks that “terrorist” means what we think it means. I think that they wanted to monitor US calling patterns to identify conservatives and their allies.
If you listen late at night (after things have become still and quiet), you can hear the drones circling above you.
I can not believe that any conservative whether libertarian leaning or not can support the Patriot Act when it is administrated by Obama minions. This administration does not believe in the Law. It refuses to enforce any laws it believe objectionable (immigration laws) and it violates any laws that it chooses (IRS laws that prohibits disclosing tax returns and equal administration of the IRS law). If I had to choose between the Chinese snooping on my internet communications and the tyranny of Obama, the choice would be easy to make. The Chinese do not operate the IRS and have more than enough on their plate in spying on their own people to worry about me or any Americans. I am speaking as an American that has spent the last 8 months defending myself from the IRS ending in total vindication but only after spending countless hours and sending reams of paper to them to prove my position.
We need to stop looking at these laws as if they’re placed in the hands of super men. Instead, we need to say, “if this law was put in the hands of a Stalin what happens next?”
Government people are ordinary humans drawn from the same population pool. There is nothing extraordinary about them. Government is political by its very nature and has a long history of abuse. Don’t trust it.
It was sickening to watch ‘conservative’ radio hosts along with FReepers rationalizing the Patriot Act, the creation of the DHS and the TSA. Government is government and, despite stated party affiliation, the history of all POTUSes is the same: government grows. That’s the wrong direction if you love liberty.
I recall back in the Bush second term a caller to Levin complaining about the federal government holding US citizens without a hearing or any due process and his response was : “If you are not a terrorist then the government wont bother you.”
That was the talk radio mindset then and so naturally by many here.
But of course everything changed under Obama. The government is not that big daddy who we can trust with limitless power anymore, no not now , NO,NO, NO. These same powers are now assaults on liberty, freedom, Tea Party...
We need a GOP in charge again so its safe to have the government watch us again.
DA-DA-DA, American America....
I remember driving home during Medved’s show and him taking callers to task for disliking the Patriot Act. I’m tired of big government conservatives. We need to look at each law as if it were in the hands of a tyrant.
Our starting point should be a reduction in the number of laws on the books. No net new laws starting this year. We’ve watched the War on Drugs literally shred the Constitution. There’s no net benefit to American liberty to a lot of this stuff and it doesn’t even achieve its intended goal.
There’s an annual $333 billion regulatory drag on the economy. Let’s be generous and say 90% of it is absolutely critical to life, health and safety. How many jobs would $33 billion cover?
Clearly the big government conservationism under GWB didn't go too well,
and we can expect that it will happen again if we get another GOP POTUS, great examples are McCain and Romney.
So many mostly sensible people have dismissed the concerns of Libertarians. But more often than not, Libertarians have been proven right.
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