News+and+politics religion philosophy the cynic librarian: NSA Spying Update

Monday, May 22, 2006

NSA Spying Update

Now that Wired.com has published secret documents relating to the NSA domestic spying case, the question remains: shouldn't we just scrap the 1970s laws that restrict spying on domestic communications since they are outmoded technologically and do not meet so-called post-911 intelleigence gathering requirements? This the proposal many on the Right are proposing. ...

This op-ed from the LATimes sums up this position I believe:

This archaic law [FISA] should be euthanized. Replace it with legislation that gives the president permission to order any surveillance deemed necessary, subject to only one proviso: If it is later determined that an intelligence-gathering operation was not ordered for legitimate national security objectives — if, for instance, it was designed to gather dirt on political opponents — then the culprits would be punished with lengthy prison sentences. Given that our intelligence bureaucracy leaks like a sinking ship, it is a safe bet that any hanky-panky would become front-page news faster than you can say "Pulitzer Prize."

So far there has been no suggestion that the NSA has done anything with disreputable motives. The administration has nothing to be ashamed of. The only scandal here is that some people favor unilateral disarmament in our struggle against the suicide bombers.
The onslaught against the constitution has now become blatant and it is trying to gain mainstream legitimacy. How will you and how will the public at large respond?

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