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

Skip to comments.

You choose: Civil liberties or safety? by James P. Pinkerton
Newsday ^ | December 29, 2005 | James P. Pinkerton

Posted on 12/29/2005 9:01:59 AM PST by Nicholas Conradin

This will be remembered as the year in which mass surveillance became normal, even popular. Revelations about the Bush administration's domestic eavesdropping rocked the civil liberties establishment, but the country as a whole didn't seem upset. Instead, the American people, mindful of the possible danger that we face, seem happy enough that Uncle Sam is taking steps to keep up with the challenges created by new technology. Ask yourself: Do you think it's a bad idea for the feds, as U.S. News & World Report mentioned, to monitor Islamic sites inside the United States for any possible suspicious radiation leaks?

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


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: homelandsecurity; patriotleak; pinkerton; spying
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 221-229 next last
To: stuartcr

There are lessons of history to refer to. Lincoln violated many civil liberties during the civil war, they returned after the conflict. Wilson and Roosevelt did the same. Roosevelt incarcerated tens of thousands without justification, that didn't continue and now we are rightfully ashamed.


41 posted on 12/29/2005 9:25:07 AM PST by sgtyork (If Osamma calls someone in the US, should the NSA hang up?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: Alberta's Child

That is one of the reasons I question our policy of bringing our democracy and way of life, to other nations.


42 posted on 12/29/2005 9:26:09 AM PST by stuartcr (Everything happens as God wants it to.....otherwise, things would be different.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: cvq3842
I always see this as not an "either/or" chioice, but a balance. We "give up" freedom by having laws in the first place, or by empowering police at all. We couldn't have a society at all with total anarchy. It's a question of how much liberty, how much security.

Common sense? What's that doing here? Don't you know that you can't make an arguement for anything unless you take your point to a bizarre absolute?

Most people seem to be stuck in one of two panic mode absolutes.

PANIC: FOR "If we don't let the government do whatever it wants to keep us safe, atomic weapons will start going off in major cities by Thursday."

and

PANIC: AGAINST "If we give up any rights at all, we'll become a police state. Wiretapping Al Qaida members in the U.S. is only a step away from death camps for anyone that disagrees with the State."

43 posted on 12/29/2005 9:29:25 AM PST by Steel Wolf (If the Founders had wanted the President to be spying on our phone calls, they would have said so!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Nicholas Conradin
The number one freedom, civil liberty if you will, is life. If, by getting wiretaps on suspected terrorists and acquaintances of terrorists, officials save my life, how is that infringing on my civil liberties?
44 posted on 12/29/2005 9:29:42 AM PST by brothers4thID ("Kerry demands that Iraqis terrorize children in the dead of night")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Wolfie

See, I disagree.  We're not like the British.  They have a history of being pushed around by their kings and lords.  That's not our history and I doubt we'd stand for something like that. 

Look at the anger people have over the traffic light cameras (to catch those who run red lights) here.

They installed those in super blue, uber liberal Philadelphia and there's enough public outcry that I think they may remove them.  You try hooking that up to a monitoring data base, and you'll have every politico in support of it looking for a real job next election cycle.

Owl_Eagle

"You know, I'm going to start thanking
the woman who cleans the restroom in
the building I work in.  I'm going to start
thinking of her as a human being"

-Hillary Clinton
(Yes, she really said that
Peggy Noonan
The Case Against Hillary Clinton, pg 55)

45 posted on 12/29/2005 9:30:04 AM PST by End Times Sentinel (In Memory of my Dear Friend Henry Lee II)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 37 | View Replies]

To: Owl_Eagle

Here's hoping you're right and I'm wrong.


46 posted on 12/29/2005 9:31:22 AM PST by Wolfie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 45 | View Replies]

To: mtbopfuyn

I was thinking the same thing. No one would find my calls all that interesting. LOL


47 posted on 12/29/2005 9:31:26 AM PST by tioga (Happy New Year!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: sgtyork

I think nowadays, it will be harder and harder to get anything turned back to the way it was before 9/11. I will still rather take my chances on safety and secutity, and keep my liberties as an American.


48 posted on 12/29/2005 9:31:34 AM PST by stuartcr (Everything happens as God wants it to.....otherwise, things would be different.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 41 | View Replies]

To: Nicholas Conradin

Nobody seems to have any qualms about the IRS knowing how much money you make.


49 posted on 12/29/2005 9:37:04 AM PST by Sybeck1 (The Washington Redskins- the Cinderella team of 2005)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Comment #50 Removed by Moderator

To: smith288

I have not seen anywhere, including in the NYT, the names of these "Americans". Being a Fifth Columnist is not a qualification for citizenship.


51 posted on 12/29/2005 9:45:55 AM PST by massgopguy (massgopguy)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: MineralMan
Nope. I think that's just fine. You haven't read much, have you. I used to work for the NSA. What you don't know is amazing.

By all means... spill the beans on all the NSA's activites here at FR.

From reading your posts, you seem somewhat bitter at the NSA and have an agenda but I dont want to draw any conclusions...

52 posted on 12/29/2005 9:47:57 AM PST by smith288 (Peace at all cost makes for tyranny free of charge...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: smith288

"By all means... spill the beans on all the NSA's activites here at FR.

From reading your posts, you seem somewhat bitter at the NSA and have an agenda but I dont want to draw any conclusions..."

I have absolutely no bitterness toward the NSA. You will never read anything from me revealing any factual information regarding the NSA. Even though I was there in the late 60's, I'm still prohibited from discussing the activities of that agency.

If you are interested in the NSA, there are several books available on the agency.


53 posted on 12/29/2005 9:51:27 AM PST by MineralMan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 52 | View Replies]

To: Nicholas Conradin

There have been times of extreme urgency when Constitutional Rights have been suspended in the past.

They were always restored after the emergency.

Onlt the paranoid and criminal need worry.


54 posted on 12/29/2005 9:52:31 AM PST by Beckwith (The liberal press has picked sides ... and they have sided with the Islamofascists)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Nicholas Conradin
"mass surveillance became normal"


His initial assumption is ludicrous to begin with.

Since when is monitoring terrorists "mass surveillance"? Or if there are so many terrorists in the US that monitoring them is "mass surveillance", then we darn well better do it before they blow us up, killing hundreds of thousands of innocents.

Since when does the right of terrorists to commit mass murder supersede the right of thousands of innocents to continue to live?
55 posted on 12/29/2005 9:55:09 AM PST by Pragmatic_View
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Wolfie
If you don't want Hillary, or someone like her, to have unfettered surveillance capability, then you shouldn't be complacent about this President having it.

As one Freeper pointed out to me yesterday, we'll just change the laws once a Democrat is in office. Yeah, right.

As if Democrats follow the law anyway...

56 posted on 12/29/2005 9:55:57 AM PST by frogjerk (LIBERALISM - Being miserable for no good reason)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: untrained skeptic
I've found that a lot of people seem to think it more important to fight the Patriot Act than to be honest.

Exactly. As if LIBS need laws and Acts to take liberty away from the people. They do it today against the law.

The Law or lack of one never stopped any LIB from taking your liberty...

57 posted on 12/29/2005 9:58:32 AM PST by frogjerk (LIBERALISM - Being miserable for no good reason)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 39 | View Replies]

To: Nicholas Conradin

It is a strawman choice.

It is a false premisis


58 posted on 12/29/2005 10:00:10 AM PST by Dan(9698)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Pragmatic_View
Since when does the right of terrorists to commit mass murder supersede the right of thousands of innocents to continue to live?

Agreed. Because of this so-called "mass surveillance" this bridge still stands...


59 posted on 12/29/2005 10:02:11 AM PST by frogjerk (LIBERALISM - Being miserable for no good reason)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 55 | View Replies]

To: ErnBatavia

Over at DU they are convinced that the Ohio Army National Guard is spying on their computers L0L

Why are they scanning our ports?

One fellow was skeered because he had his ports scanned by an unknown entity which only left its IP address 189.125.83.217

I didnt have the heart to tell him thats microsoft!


60 posted on 12/29/2005 10:02:14 AM PST by mylife (The roar of the masses could be farts)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 221-229 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