Posted on 05/12/2006 5:57:25 AM PDT by Mikey_1962
May 12, 2006 — Americans by nearly a 2-1 ratio call the surveillance of telephone records an acceptable way for the federal government to investigate possible terrorist threats, expressing broad unconcern even if their own calling patterns are scrutinized.
Lending support to the administration's defense of its anti-terrorism intelligence efforts, 63 percent in this ABC News/Washington Post poll say the secret program, disclosed Thursday by USA Today, is justified, while far fewer, 35 percent, call it unjustified.
Indeed, 51 percent approve of the way President Bush is handling the protection of privacy rights, while 47 percent disapprove — hardly a robust rating, but one that's far better than his overall job approval, in the low 30s in recent polls.
This doesn't mean privacy intrusions aren't a concern. Nearly half the public, 45 percent, say the government is not doing enough to protect Americans' rights as it investigates terrorism. This concern is far higher than it was in 2002 and 2003, closer to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks — but slightly down in this poll from its level two months ago.
Despite such concerns, however, the public continues to place a higher priority on terrorism investigations than on privacy intrusions. Sixty-five percent say it's more important for the government to investigate possible threats, even if that intrudes on personal privacy, than for it to avoid privacy intrusions if that limits its investigative ability. It was the same in January, although higher still in 2002 and 2003 polls.
The phone-records program, moreover, is not broadly seen as intrusive. Two-thirds of Americans say it wouldn't bother them if the National Security Agency had a record of phone numbers that they had called. A third would be bothered; fewer, about a quarter, say it would bother them a lot.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Be submissive if you wish. I choose not to be. I won't be doing business with companies that give my day to day contacts to the government. I'll also be using methods to make it a moot point for them from now on.
Mike
just can't reconcile how the records of a public utility can be considered private.
Good point, I'm basing my opinion on the fact that records of phone calls are not available to the public with out a court order. It's like pulling teeth to get detialed records of your own calls if you want them!
The bottom line for me is that I don't trust the government.
I have seen a lot of lost freedom since I was a kid in the 70's. If it were a Dim administration I can imagine what it would be like here at FR about this same thing.
I don't know what "freedoms" you've lost, but I can't say I've lost any. Oh, maybe the fact that I have to wear a seat belt and my kid has to wear a bike helmet when she rides to the park. Oh well.
If Bill Clinton had used the same powers to fight an effective war on terror, I'd be applauding him.
You forgot the DUI check points and the little old ladies being searched at the airports as well.
I remember when you could paint your house without a "permit".
ABC polls are so amusing given their audience. But people who call their congressmen, the White House, and Senate alot to compain about issues may find it uncomfortable at some future date.
Oh yeah, well what about your freedom to not have the government know your telephone number?
Have you read the constitution lately? Have a look; you won't see one darned thing in there about this.
Wake up and smell the coffee people! If Karl Rove can order the NSA to delete the "Phone Number Non-Revelation" Amendment 200 years ago, what hope do we have?
"Wake up and smell the coffee people! If Karl Rove can order the NSA to delete the "Phone Number Non-Revelation" Amendment 200 years ago, what hope do we have?"
: )
I am so totally with you on this!
C'mon.
I'm just saying a lot of people will be doing a 180 and a lot of hand wringing when a party other than their own has --and uses -- this same "fully legal" power.
Yeah, that old Phone Number Non-Revelation Amendment.
Didn't Alexander Hamilton get that passed in 1804?
I remember. He was pissed that, somehow, Aaron Burr had gotten his private number and was leaving threatening messages on his recorder.
In fact, that's what that duel was all about. Burr called Hamilton a "Commie" on his phone machine, Hamilton played it for the other Founding Fathers, and Burr challenged him.
Killed him, too.
I still can paint my house without a permit. That would be a local/city code or ordinance. You should have a great deal more influence in your local government, and if you can't get them to change, you can always move somewhere that folks think more like you. That is one of the beautiful things about a Republic.
While I do agree that the Feds have been aquiring more power in the last few decades, this particular item does not disturb me. I have always assumed my electronic communications were being monitored, and transmit accordingly.
Good for you. And true about it being local unless the area gets listed federal historic area.
You should have a great deal more influence in your local government, and if you can't get them to change, you can always move somewhere that folks think more like you.
In theory yes. Isn't it great to be free? Just remember that when it happens to you.
That is one of the beautiful things about a Republic.
Agreed While I do agree that the Feds have been acquiring more power in the last few decades, this particular item does not disturb me. I have always assumed my electronic communications were being monitored, and transmit accordingly.
It just disturbs me that eventually it will be misused. I come from the old school of never giving the government any more power than they already have and they have too much now. Once govt gets power they never relinquish it.
Maybe....
But the 2nd percentage doesn't make a lot of since. The American public also approved by a wide margin the NSA deal.
It seems to me that there is about 10% of people that approve of individual tactics of the administration but have been scared into paranoia that Bush somehow is intruding or not doing enough of something(they don't know what it is) to make their privacy rights more secure.
Now I'm mad as hell. Since we now know every single phone call in America is being monitored I'm going to have to stop using words like bomb, boom, hijack and Echelon in every call I make.
If you wish to live in a "state of nature" go to it. Just stay out of my neighborhood.
The public danger is clear.
From that point on it's all third party, and if you are using a cellphone, you are using public property (frequency allocations) to make your call.
Best bet for you is to pull the battery out of your cellphone to completely turn it off, and, in general avoid telephone service. It's never really been private.
No "privacy" in that. The word seems to be much more elusive than many imagine.
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