Did he have a blank check or break the law? (Reuters)

[kpete]

Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Did he have a blank check or break the law?
by Joe in DC - 12/27/2005 06:02:00 PM


Reuters lays out the stark choice:


The domestic-spying order has set off a furious debate over whether the war on terrorism gives Bush a blank check when it comes to civil liberties and whether the president, in fact, broke the law.

In other words, are we a dictatorship or a country where there rule of law reigns. Let's have that debate.

http://www.americablog.org/

Secret surveillance up since 9/11
Tue Dec 27, 2005 3:55 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal applications for a special U.S. court to authorize secret surveillance rose sharply after the September 11, 2001, attacks, and the panel required changes to the requests at a even greater rate, government documents show.

President George W. Bush acknowledged this month that he had secretly ordered the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on the international phone conversations and e-mail of Americans suspected of links to terrorists without approval from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

The domestic-spying order has set off a furious debate over whether the war on terrorism gives Bush a blank check when it comes to civil liberties and whether the president, in fact, broke the law.

The Justice Department's reports to the U.S. Congress on the surveillance court's activities show that the Bush administration made 5,645 applications for electronic surveillance and physical searches through 2004, the most recent year for which figures are available. In the previous four years, the court received a total of 3,436.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=fundLaunches&storyID=2005-12-27T205510Z_01_ROB325760_RTRUKOC_0_US-SECURITY-EAVESDROPPING.xml

[patricia92243]

1. Good gravy! 5,645 applications for wiretaps. I thought it was 3 or 4

and am scandalized over that. The number being almost 6,000 is mind-boggling.

That little detail needs to be trumpeted LOUD and OFTEN. I guarantee most people do not realize the numbers are that high. They may not be as naive as I am - thinking it was only a few - but most people have no idea it is this HUGE number of wire-taps.

I'm truly flabbergasted!

[flyarm]

2. that's 5645 "with applications!!' we have no idea of the numbers spied

on by these sob's without applications!! and we never will know!!

was kerry?? was kerry's campaign??

were the conference calls by the kerry campaign??

richardson thinks he was...and there is talk that jimmy carter was...

i can tell you, i and many here have felt many times like we are being tapped..

i hate these sob's but i hate the media just as bad...americans had the right to know this beofre the election!!

and nyt should be held accountable..

fly

[Ksec]

3. Its safe to say his goal is to tap everyone...Big Brother is real nt