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 ...
Note to the Drive-by Media: Nice try.
Really? I oppose this kind of government survellience completely. I guess the lessons learned from WW2 and all the countries that had massive genocides have just been forgotten in the interest of a false sense of security.
I have no doubt that their intentions are good but we all know what road is paved with good intentions. Unless there is an absolute guarantee that someone with less than the best intentions cannot use this data against the population, I must oppose this kind of privacy invasion.
Mike
I can't wait to see how Tony addresses this at his next briefing.
Then change the laws, but as it stands this is totally legal. Good luck.
Never trust what you hear on talk radio to be a representative sample of public opinion.
It may be legal but it is morally corrupt.
Mike
Everybody's forgotten Benjamin Franklin I guess. Don't forget, a large portion of those polled couldn't find Louisiana on a map either.
This is the U.S., not Iran.
The half-truths and lies being spewed by the leftist-press... is reminiscent of Pravda & Izvestia during the height of the Cold War.
Well, obviously the Democrats have been making asses of themselves on each INDIVIDUAL issue when it comes to national defense. But the constant drumbeat of "Republicans are evil" has been taking its toll on the public Zeitgeist.
...For now, anyway. In the long term, it's the liberal media who keep losing more market share ever day. And those viewers are gone for good.
This poll will get buried by the MSM.
I doubt the Germans had to go very far into telephone records to find Jews and kill them.
As far as the Gypsies go, they'd look for the wagons ~ no cellphones in those days, so folks who lived on the road didn't make phone calls.
The lesson we learned in WWII was that it was possible for foreign enemies (current or future) to actually infiltrate our most sensitive government agencies and do us harm.
The Japanese and the Russians had spies present in our atom bomb project. The State Department and elements of the US Army civilian command structure were subverted.
That's why we need improved surveillance methods, and the ability to cross-correlate phone calling data with known enemy agents should help us find infiltrators, including Saddam Hussein's paid lackeys, commies, and alqaida supporters.
- Benjamin Franklin
>>>Phone-Records Surveillance Is Broadly Acceptable to Public
I would wager that the American public would also find the tracking of prescription purchases by the DEA to be broadly acceptable.
I would wager that the American public would also find the tracking of gun sales and ownership by the BATFE to be broadly acceptable.
Wait a minute. You mean it turns out I've been mad as Hell about this and I didn't even KNOW it?????
Yet another VRWC coverup. Thank God somebody out there has the honesty to tell me how I'm supposed to feel about all this.
And, lo and behold, I'm not going to bother correcting it for you.
I really don't think the motivation of this media nonsense was to end the surveillance (although that would be a nice bonus for the libs). I think it's a blatant attempt to delay or defeat the nomination of Gen. Hayden for CIA Director.
Maybe more people should be. If for no other reason than the White House and Congress will not always be controlled by, ahem, trusted Republicans. Others will have access to this power.
Remember the furor over the Clintons and the 900 FBI files? Imagine that 900 multiplied by, say, 33,000.
You might repeat the mantra "well if you have nothing to hide..." but the day may come when even your political leanings or religious beliefs may be something you do not want the government snooping into.
In other words, things you think you don't need to hide could become things you need to hide.
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