NSA: “We Could Have Told You, But We Couldn’t Tell You”According to a
New York Times report, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review today released a decision it made last August “validating the power of the president and Congress to wiretap international phone calls and intercept e-mail messages without a court order, even when Americans’ private communications may be involved…” (
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/16/washington/16fisa.html?hp)
While the ruling in no way addresses the legality of the once-secret National Security Agency operation authorized by President Bush in which the NSA eavesdropped on the international communications of Americans suspected of ties to terrorists, it is nonetheless seen by the intelligence community as a vindication of their actions.
“We’ve always known that the majority of Americans support our domestic surveillance program,” said an NSA operative identified only as ‘Hacker’. “We’ve read it in their e-mails. We’ve heard it in their phone conversations. We’ve heard it in restaurants, in hotel rooms, in public restrooms, in private restrooms — you name it.” He then added, “But to have a ruling that obviously indicates we have the support of our top secret courts is a huge boost to morale. I’d venture to guess that lot of people around here are going to find it much easier to stay awake through a lot of really boring late-night phone calls.”
Rest of this story:
http://thedesperateblogger.wordpress.com/2009/01/15/top-intelligence-court-affirms-warrantless-wiretapping/
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