‘Hello? Afghanistan?’
During the break, a columnist from The New York Times ran an article describing how the National Security Agency was spying on American phone conversations. Having held this article for over a year to coincide its publication with the release of his new book, he not only spurred the nation into frenzy over its civil liberties, but also tipped off our enemies to an effective method of preventing another terrorist attack.
During the break, a columnist from The New York Times ran an article describing how the National Security Agency was spying on American phone conversations. Having held this article for over a year to coincide its publication with the release of his new book, he not only spurred the nation into frenzy over its civil liberties, but also tipped off our enemies to an effective method of preventing another terrorist attack.
Since then, there has been much debate over the legality of the president’s actions. Critics have said Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrants were easily attainable but ignoring their flow has stopped since the Clinton administration. However, during wartime and in response to a foreign threat, the president has the power to bypass the FISA altogether.
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said on the matter, “We have to have a reasonable basis to conclude that one party to the communication is a member of al-Qaida, affiliated with al-Qaida, or a member of an organization affiliated with al-Qaida, or working in support of al-Qaida.”
Principal deputy director of national intelligence, Gen. Michael Hayden, followed, “I can assure you by the physics of the intercept, by how we actually conduct our activities, that one end of these communications are always outside the United States of America.”
Add to this that both houses of the legislature voted almost unanimously for the president “to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons.”
Let’s review. So long as you are in this country making a call to someone else outside the country and discussing terrorist-related activities, it’s highly likely the NSA is listening.legally. Conspiracy to commit murder is as much a crime as murder itself and probable cause along with presidential wartime powers do better than any warrant.
The fortunate thing is, wiretaps work for anti-terrorist purposes. Last week in Italy there was a massive anti-terrorist sweep in which authorities arrested about 130 people, confiscated 1.5 kilos of explosives and prevented an attack that could have killed 10,000 people. Of course, considering the methodology involved in planning this sweep and the current climate in our news media, the story was hardly reported in this country.
Outside of these bounds the government should not be listening in on its citizens. Though a matter of public record, another underreported story is how Al Gore, despite all his recent screaming, championed an effort in 1993 to install “Clipper” chips in every phone, fax machine, and computer sold in America so that the government could spy at its leisure. This plan involved buying out AT&T’s “untappable” phones and could have eventually included selling the technology to several totalitarian regimes in Asia. There was no national security involved in this plot, only the chance for insiders of the Clinton administration to make a profit. Then again, considering the current climate of our news media, who would be outraged if an administration’s actions involved something other than national security?
