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No Crime in Bush's Spying
Front Page Magazine ^ | 20 December 2005 | Washington Times

Posted on 12/20/2005 3:56:47 AM PST by unionblue83

Below is the Washington Times' editorial on the issue of spying on terrorists. Our only quibble: The National Security Agency's Echelon project spied on "trillions" of American citizens' conversations during the Clinton administration. Otherwise, the editorial is spot-on. -- The Editors.

Should the National Security Agency secretly eavesdrop on the telephone conversations of suspicious persons in the United States calling al-Qaeda operatives overseas? We might be more shocked if the Bush administration hadn't authorized such surveillance, provided it was done within the law. NSA's substantial resources, like those of the CIA and the military, should be properly and legally harnessed to fight the al-Qaeda threat wherever it appears.

Questions have been raised whether President Bush can do this without violating the law. He thinks he can: The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act allows it, with congressional oversight and checks on executive authority, as well as presidential war powers. The guardians of civil liberties who object may be mistaking precedent -- that the NSA didn't engage in domestic spying activities until late 2001 or early 2002 -- for a nonexistent law saying that it can't.

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


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: homelandsecurity; nsa; patriotleak; spying; waronterror; wiretapping
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To: unionblue83

I find it interesting that the only senators running to the media microphones to try to put distance between themselves and this latest assault on Bush are . . . . . . . those with 'Ds' after their names.

If cowardice had a nickname, it would be Democrat. These pathetic excuses for human beings were on the inside track with this, they knew/know it has gone on for many, MANY years and suddenly, thanks to the traitors at the NYT, they think they have another issue to bash Bush with.

Everyday, I become more and more disgusted with the traitorous, lying, backstabbers in the Dem Party. These people can't go away fast enough. Hopefully, after they have finished splintering the country and we have parted ways, the moonbats who follow them to the new socialist utopialand will become the new illegal aliens - battering down every obstacle we erect to keep them on THEIR side of the fence.

And, doubtless, 50 years hence, the ragged remnants of what was once a patriotic political party will STILL be blaming Bush.


21 posted on 12/20/2005 4:46:12 AM PST by DustyMoment (FloriDUH - proud inventors of pregnant/hanging chads and judicide!!)
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To: unionblue83
Our only quibble: The National Security Agency's Echelon project spied on "trillions" of American citizens' conversations during the Clinton administration.

And boy were Freepers pissed. But the times, they are a changin'.

22 posted on 12/20/2005 4:49:32 AM PST by Wolfie
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To: djf
IF WE LOSE OUR FREEDOMS BECAUSE A BUNCH OF RAGHEADS ARE SUICIDAL THEN THEY ALREADY WON!!!!!
23 posted on 12/20/2005 4:49:55 AM PST by djf (Bush wants to make Iraq like America. Solution: Send all illegal immigrants to Iraq!)
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To: djf

Sounds like you have some jihadist friends and something to be very, very afraid of.


24 posted on 12/20/2005 4:54:55 AM PST by Peach (The Clintons pardoned more terrorists than they ever captured or killed.)
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To: djf

It's not all Americans, it's just the ones calling to locations where terrorists are known to reside and be harbored.


25 posted on 12/20/2005 4:59:35 AM PST by funkywbr
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To: Peach; nopardons; onyx; Petronski

ping


26 posted on 12/20/2005 5:01:58 AM PST by beyond the sea (Murtha: Redeployment - What .......Surrender? --- Victory is not a strategy.)
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To: Peach

Not quite. I have my gr-gr-gr grandfathers death certificate, he was a civil war veteran. And I have pictures of my gr-gr-gr-gr-gr grandmothers headstone in NY. She was born before the Revolution, and died in 1812.

I'm about as blue-eyed, blonde Dutch Palantine immigrant as you can get!

God, I miss the Kaatskills!

Merry Christmas.
I truly mean it.


27 posted on 12/20/2005 5:02:10 AM PST by djf (Bush wants to make Iraq like America. Solution: Send all illegal immigrants to Iraq!)
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To: Peach
Ooops, I see you are already here.

;-)

28 posted on 12/20/2005 5:02:35 AM PST by beyond the sea (Murtha: Redeployment - What .......Surrender? --- Victory is not a strategy.)
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To: djf

okey doke. You too.


29 posted on 12/20/2005 5:03:48 AM PST by Peach (The Clintons pardoned more terrorists than they ever captured or killed.)
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To: beyond the sea

Excellent article. Sending to my legislators today.


30 posted on 12/20/2005 5:04:28 AM PST by Peach (The Clintons pardoned more terrorists than they ever captured or killed.)
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To: unionblue83
An "agent of a foreign power" is anyone, citizen or otherwise, who "knowingly engages in sabotage or international terrorism, or activities that are in preparation therefor, for or on behalf of a foreign power." Which means that people who do not help al-Qaeda or other terrorists are safe from surveillance. Anyone who does, however, forfeits his rights and can be targeted for eavesdropping.

That clarifies the issue for me. I'm all for supporting Bush on this issue.

31 posted on 12/20/2005 5:06:20 AM PST by Real Cynic No More (iLiberals and MSM manipulate the news.)
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To: djf
Why is it all the sudden that Americans need to be spied on?

Because uninspected or even inspected rail cars can't communicate with other rail cars; can't light a bomb, or undertake any other activity without some live being initiating such activites. And those other live beings are the ones we need to target, whether citizens or not, so long as they are aiding and abetting those who would kill us all if given the chance.

32 posted on 12/20/2005 5:09:10 AM PST by Real Cynic No More (iLiberals and MSM manipulate the news.)
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To: Peach

Great idea. I think I'll send it to Wisconsin (Finegold) and to my opportunistic and reprehensible Senator (damn), Arlen Specter.


33 posted on 12/20/2005 5:11:38 AM PST by beyond the sea (Murtha: Redeployment - What .......Surrender? --- Victory is not a strategy.)
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To: EBH
In my home town, they have finally caught up with Damra at the Radical Mosque

I think the key word there is "finally". How many actions has Damra taken to incite others? Or perform other terrorist acts? If we wait until these radicals get caught, we risk a lot more innocent civilians of substantially more than their "rights".

This goes to the Clintonian argument that we need to treat terrorists like criminals, giving them the full protection of our laws. Well, none of them belong to a government that has entered into a reciprocal treaty with us to abide by each others' laws. These are non-entitiies and as such, we should deny them any recourse except for their right to self-obliteration.

34 posted on 12/20/2005 5:14:10 AM PST by Real Cynic No More (iLiberals and MSM manipulate the news.)
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To: djf

Your argument is that unless we check everything, we shouldn't check anything? Interesting thinking.


35 posted on 12/20/2005 5:18:19 AM PST by Raycpa
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To: unionblue83

From Frontpage I offer this link to a disturbing socialist front org called Background Campaign which could suck a lot of people in.

the current page:

http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=7228


36 posted on 12/20/2005 5:18:26 AM PST by larryjohnson
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To: unionblue83
The Democrats are trading the lives of our soldiers and the safety of the U.S. civilian population for left wing votes.

Saddam murdered to secure his position as a political leader, the Democrats prefer to murder by proxy by preventing our president from using his ability to thwart our enemy and at the same time encouraging the enemy to carry on the fight against our soldiers.

Treacherous, scandalous, cowardly, treasonous, traitors who present a clear and dangerous assault on the freedom we all cherish that our soldiers are putting their lives on the line to defend every day and every minute.

I despise these people with every fiber in my body.
37 posted on 12/20/2005 5:19:23 AM PST by TheForceOfOne
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To: TheForceOfOne

"Congressman who willfully take action during wartime that damage moral and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled, or hanged." --Abraham Lincoln


38 posted on 12/20/2005 5:24:27 AM PST by unionblue83
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To: Raycpa

That is not my argument. My argument is that it doesn't make sense to strip search some grandmother from Iowa when she wants to fly to her granddaughters wedding when there are far more ways for evil to be done.

You know damn well what my argument is.

So does it mean that we're all supposed to wait until a rail car entering San Diego or Galveston has a nuke on board before we complain that the government didn't check them?


39 posted on 12/20/2005 5:29:00 AM PST by djf (Bush wants to make Iraq like America. Solution: Send all illegal immigrants to Iraq!)
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To: unionblue83

Amen brother, I'm with you 110 percent.


40 posted on 12/20/2005 5:34:06 AM PST by TheForceOfOne
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