The unrepentant President and violation of 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act….
Associated Press Writer, Jennifer Loven, has been following the recent events surrounding the disclosure of government surveillance of U.S. citizens. In her recent article, Bush Defends Secret Spying in the U.S., Loven described an angry unrepentant President:
“Often appearing angry in an eight-minute address, the president made clear he has no intention of halting his authorizations of the monitoring activities and said public disclosure of the program by the news media had endangered Americans.”
Pres. Bush still doesn’t understand that most patriotic Americans fear government more than they fear terrorist thugs. “It is important, likewise,” George Washington observed, “that the habits of thinking in a free country should inspire caution in those intrusted with its administration, to confine themselves within their respective constitutional spheres; avoiding in the exercise of the powers of one department to encroach upon another.”
Loven said Bush “unapologetically defended his administration's right to conduct secret post-Sept. 11 spying in the United States as ‘critical to saving American lives.’" According to Loven, Bush made these remarks from Roosevelt Room where “he lashed out at the senators blocking the Patriot Act as irresponsible and confirmed the NSA program,” claiming “inherent authority as commander in chief to protect national security through secret spying.”
It’s interesting that Bush used the Roosevelt Room as the setting to claim “inherent authority” to spy on Americans. Beginning with Pres. Roosevelt and continuing for decades thereafter, surveillance based upon “inherent presidential authority” without judicial oversight has always been illegal. And, for a quarter century it has been violation of the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which provides for judicial oversight for electronic surveillance of or physical search of persons engaged in espionage or international terrorism against the United States on behalf of a foreign power.
12/17/05
Associated Press Writer, Jennifer Loven, has been following the recent events surrounding the disclosure of government surveillance of U.S. citizens. In her recent article, Bush Defends Secret Spying in the U.S., Loven described an angry unrepentant President:
“Often appearing angry in an eight-minute address, the president made clear he has no intention of halting his authorizations of the monitoring activities and said public disclosure of the program by the news media had endangered Americans.”
Pres. Bush still doesn’t understand that most patriotic Americans fear government more than they fear terrorist thugs. “It is important, likewise,” George Washington observed, “that the habits of thinking in a free country should inspire caution in those intrusted with its administration, to confine themselves within their respective constitutional spheres; avoiding in the exercise of the powers of one department to encroach upon another.”
Loven said Bush “unapologetically defended his administration's right to conduct secret post-Sept. 11 spying in the United States as ‘critical to saving American lives.’" According to Loven, Bush made these remarks from Roosevelt Room where “he lashed out at the senators blocking the Patriot Act as irresponsible and confirmed the NSA program,” claiming “inherent authority as commander in chief to protect national security through secret spying.”
It’s interesting that Bush used the Roosevelt Room as the setting to claim “inherent authority” to spy on Americans. Beginning with Pres. Roosevelt and continuing for decades thereafter, surveillance based upon “inherent presidential authority” without judicial oversight has always been illegal. And, for a quarter century it has been violation of the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which provides for judicial oversight for electronic surveillance of or physical search of persons engaged in espionage or international terrorism against the United States on behalf of a foreign power.
12/17/05
posted by Anthony Fazzio at 12:02 AM
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