Don't Lie to Me...
Absolutely incredible...
I know that President Bush has been criticized for many things but this admission on his part that he has signed orders allowing the NSA to conduct eavesdropping activities on Americans communicating with people overseas is an amazing and horrific admission. ( http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/17/bush.nsa/ ). Such action bypasses The FISA Court, the very body created by Congress to address such matters in a way that balances security with Constitutional protections. That the President believes that such action is justified should frighten every American.
Adding to the problem is the President's record on this matter:
"Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires -- a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so." President Bush April 20, 2004 9:49 A.M. EDT. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/04/20040420-2.html
In the weeks following the terrorist attacks on our nation, I authorized the National Security Agency, consistent with U.S. law and the Constitution, to intercept the international communications of people with known links to al Qaeda and related terrorist organizations. President Bush December 17, 2005. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/12/20051217.html
http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/17/bush.text.ap/
This seems to be a dramatic reversal. If, in the weeks following the 9/11 attacks, the President authorized warrentless interceptions of communications, then he knew on April 20th that a court order was not being required. Still he said such an order was still required on April 20th. Such a contradiction isn't just misleading: it's lying. I'll say that again because it may just be important: The President of the United States has LIED about this matter.
Whether you think that the President should or should not have the power to authorize such NSA action, there remains the overarching problem that he lied to the American people about it. Such dishonesty is not just unbecoming of a leader, it is appaling...
I know that President Bush has been criticized for many things but this admission on his part that he has signed orders allowing the NSA to conduct eavesdropping activities on Americans communicating with people overseas is an amazing and horrific admission. ( http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/17/bush.nsa/ ). Such action bypasses The FISA Court, the very body created by Congress to address such matters in a way that balances security with Constitutional protections. That the President believes that such action is justified should frighten every American.
Adding to the problem is the President's record on this matter:
"Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires -- a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so." President Bush April 20, 2004 9:49 A.M. EDT. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/04/20040420-2.html
In the weeks following the terrorist attacks on our nation, I authorized the National Security Agency, consistent with U.S. law and the Constitution, to intercept the international communications of people with known links to al Qaeda and related terrorist organizations. President Bush December 17, 2005. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/12/20051217.html
http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/17/bush.text.ap/
This seems to be a dramatic reversal. If, in the weeks following the 9/11 attacks, the President authorized warrentless interceptions of communications, then he knew on April 20th that a court order was not being required. Still he said such an order was still required on April 20th. Such a contradiction isn't just misleading: it's lying. I'll say that again because it may just be important: The President of the United States has LIED about this matter.
Whether you think that the President should or should not have the power to authorize such NSA action, there remains the overarching problem that he lied to the American people about it. Such dishonesty is not just unbecoming of a leader, it is appaling...
posted by Minotaur at 9:47 AM
2 Comments:
Reminds me of the Buffalo Springfield lyrics: "Somethin's happenin' here, What it is ain't exactly clear, Ther's a man with a gun over there, Tellin' me I got to beware".
They were talking about a police state, where dissent is not allowed; where power is concentrated in the hands of a few rich men who own the banks and the arms factories; where public opinion is controlled through disinformation; where elections are decided in advance.
A huge chunk of the American people are not bothered by this, even if they are more or less aware of it. Presumably, they are willing to let their government spy on them, in exchange for security form the 'terrorists'.
The Founders must be spinning in their graves.
Were you equally appalled by the plethora of lies that Clinton voiced? Just curious.
Post a Comment
<< Home