Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

No to ‘FISA Reform’
National Review ^ | March 14, 2020 6:30 AM | ANDREW C. MCCARTHY

Posted on 03/14/2020 2:58:39 PM PDT by conservative98

Thanks to Senators Rand Paul (R., Ken.) and Mike Lee (R., Utah), as well as an amen chorus of Trump loyalists in the House, the president seems poised to fulfill one of the fondest dreams of Clinton and Obama Democrats: Government policy that regards international terrorism as a mere crime, a law-enforcement issue to be managed by federal judges rather than a national-security threat from which the officials Americans elect must safeguard our country.

I doubt the president realizes these ramifications of declining to reauthorize three PATRIOT Act security measures that are set to expire. Successfully camouflaging themselves as “FISA reformers,” Senators Paul and Lee have steered the president toward exploiting the imminent expiration as a way of holding the FBI accountable for FISA abuse.

In truth, the senators’ agenda predates the Trump era, and it would do nothing to fix what’s actually wrong with FISA. Their aim is to dismantle the post-9/11 intelligence-based approach to counterterrorism, a strategy prudently adopted by President Bush, who recognized that when our most immediate threat is jihadist mass-murder attacks, prevention should take precedence over prosecution. “FISA reform” is a shrewd way for them to accomplish this objective because it appeals to the president’s vanity — his most destructive blind spot.

See, the libertarian senators have always opposed intelligence-based counterterrorism on philosophical grounds that they root in the Constitution. They are wrong, though their sincerity is not to be doubted. As I’ve related over the years (see, e.g., here and here), the distortion of the Fourth Amendment Paul has long championed (and to which Lee seems adherent) bears little resemblance to the Fourth Amendment as written and originally understood. If adopted, it would be a boon to both foreign terrorists and domestic criminals.

(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 911; andrewmccarthy; constitution; corruption; fisa; georgewbush; mikelee; nationalreview; nevertrumpers; randpaul; trump; wot
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021 next last

1 posted on 03/14/2020 2:58:39 PM PDT by conservative98
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: conservative98
If we really tried it your way, we would have gotten Hillary.

Andrew McCarthy, nevertrumper or former nevertrumper. I'm just saying.

2 posted on 03/14/2020 2:59:12 PM PDT by conservative98
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: conservative98

The guys who politicized the justice system are now complaining that we are clamping down on them.


3 posted on 03/14/2020 3:02:08 PM PDT by Brilliant
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: conservative98

Headline should read …

“No to FISA”

You can’t “reform” such a blatant attack on our Constitutional liberties.


4 posted on 03/14/2020 3:02:18 PM PDT by Westbrook
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: conservative98

Katie Pavlich? Whoa!


5 posted on 03/14/2020 3:10:13 PM PDT by Fungi
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: conservative98

Let FISA die on the vine. There must be plenty in the laws already that should be able to deal with terrorism. If current laws are insufficient then the laws need fine-tuning.


6 posted on 03/14/2020 3:11:15 PM PDT by be-baw
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Fungi

She has evolved like a lot of people I know who weren’t Trump enthusiasts until they saw his accomplishments.


7 posted on 03/14/2020 3:17:00 PM PDT by DLfromthedesert
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: conservative98

If the government had acted responsibly and stopped partisans in the bureaucracy from using fisa to spy on political campaigns, American citizens and journalist, maybe keep it. But they have abused, and continue to abuse fisa for partisan purposes. They have tried to hide and cover-up what they are doing, and what little has leaked is unbelievably criminal and unconstitutional. And not a single person has been held accountable. The government has more then demonstrated that can not have these kind of tools without abusing them. fisa should be dead and used as an example of why we can not allow the government to have this kind of power.


8 posted on 03/14/2020 3:19:30 PM PDT by JoSixChip (I'm an American Nationalist)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: conservative98
The original Fourth Amendment preserved the proper constitutional order: It instructs us on what the government must protect, while the people’s representatives in Congress are free to enact additional safeguards beyond this irreducible constitutional guarantee.

Bass-ackward: the Bill of Rights does NOT specify the total extent of federal limits, but reiterates SOME of the MANY powers not expicitly granted to "the people’s representatives in Congress" by the articles of the Constitution.

9 posted on 03/14/2020 3:24:46 PM PDT by NobleFree ("law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the right of an individual")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: conservative98

Do not reform FISA let it expire.


10 posted on 03/14/2020 3:37:36 PM PDT by stockpirate (Anyone who believes Epstein killed himself is a fool, the DNC wacked Seth Rich)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: conservative98
Government policy that regards international terrorism as a mere crime, a law-enforcement issue to be managed by federal judges rather than a national-security threat from which the officials Americans elect must safeguard our country.

It's the old "national security uber alles" argument.

GFY AM

11 posted on 03/14/2020 3:44:52 PM PDT by bkopto
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Fungi

The establishment got to her in the primary. Katie was still a bit young and influence-able.


12 posted on 03/14/2020 3:46:15 PM PDT by conservative98
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: conservative98
There is no need for FISA or any kind of secret court. Period. We can not trust government. This has been proven.

This is the way you fix the problem. No entry of any kind into our country for Muslims, any Moooslim, I don't care where they are from. All Moooslim non-citizens should have been told to leave on 9/12. It still applies in my book. It's never too late to do the right thing.

Treat terrorists as combatants, and kill them. Don't try them in a court of law. Kill, break their stuff, and then leave. Don't rebuild their countries.

Lastly, give every American citizen back every freedom and liberty he had prior to 9/11 (Well, actually before Woodrow Wilson).

13 posted on 03/14/2020 4:12:52 PM PDT by ConservativeInPA
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Westbrook

I hope Trump vetoes it...make them write something that keeps the Justice Dept. honest.


14 posted on 03/14/2020 4:29:10 PM PDT by richardtavor
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: ConservativeInPA

Somebody who finally gets it; a huge percentage of this kind of crap falls directly on Woodrow Wilson’s and the democrap parties shoulders.


15 posted on 03/14/2020 4:34:57 PM PDT by 5th MEB (Progressives in the open; --- FIRE FOR EFFECT!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Fungi

And Thomas Sowell?


16 posted on 03/14/2020 4:44:26 PM PDT by Fledermaus (PANIC PANIC PANIC PANIC PANIC PANIC PANIC PANIC! Someone sneezed. Shut down everything. Cowards.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Fledermaus

Just noticed that! Wow, times have changed!


17 posted on 03/14/2020 4:45:31 PM PDT by Fungi
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: conservative98

NO NO NO to FISA renewal until justice is given to those who spied on American citizens - no more! TWO TIERED JUSTICE SYSTEM in USA!

Make them fix it by sending the guilty to jail for the ‘coup’ attempt THEN we talk about a NEW FISA system out of the FBI CROOK HANDS!


18 posted on 03/14/2020 10:26:25 PM PDT by ldish (Have had enough...you??????)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: be-baw

Our anti-terrorism laws are INADEQUATE to say the least and crippled to say the most.

The FBI can handle domestic-based/related terrorism cases if they are given a clearer mandate and guidelines to do so. However, if the FBI cannot be cleaned out of anti-Trumpers and Obama saboteurs, then we will need a new, clean agency to deal with terrorism, both domestic and foreign (you cannot separate out the Islamist in the US, who, though not attached to a specific organization, is a self-adherent sympathizer and actor in their name).

If you are a terrorist with any kind of affinity to a foreign organization or ideology, then you should be surveilled by some US intelligence agency, and taken out if/when necessary by any means necessary short of torture.

Having been in this game a little back in the old days of SDS/Hanoi Lobby, I know where some of our weaknesses in the laws lie (thanks to Sen. Ted Kennedy trying to weakening the Intelligence Agents Indentity (Protection) Act of the early 1980’s and the Moynihan/Frank/Hoyer, etc. successful efforts to cripple the old Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1954 (Walter-McCarren Act, which kept a lot of communist agents and operations at bay).

Sen. Church (D-Id) was one of the worst enemies of American security in modern history, with Rep. Otis Pike being another fool in the footsteps of Church. The Rockefeller Commission wasn’t much better at protecting the U.S. intelligence system.

Pres. Carter’s pick for FBI and CIA directors, while not bad for some were disasterous with others like Ed Levi as Attorney General (one of the worst in modern history) and Stansfield Turner - CIA head - a complete disaster.

See James L. Tyson’s book “Target America”: The Influence of Communist Propaganda on U.S. Media”, Renery Gateway, 1981, for details.

FISA can be reformed but its’ creational concept is severely flawed. Perhaps it is time to put it to sleep and come up with something that is more realistic vis-à-vis the actual threats we face today.


19 posted on 03/15/2020 1:36:45 AM PDT by MadMax, the Grinning Reaper
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: conservative98

ABSOLUTELY correct!!!!!

Shame on Andrew.


20 posted on 03/15/2020 1:53:40 AM PDT by Maris Crane
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson