Unbelievably, the AP actually gets the story correct, with only a tiny bit of their normal liberal hysteria
WASHINGTON – The House handed President Bush a victory Saturday, voting to expand the government’s abilities to eavesdrop without warrants on foreign suspects whose communications pass through the United States.
The bill updates the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, known as FISA. It gives the government leeway to intercept, without warrants, communications between foreigners that are routed through equipment in United States, provided that "foreign intelligence information" is at stake. Bush describes the effort as an anti-terrorist program, but the bill is not limited to terror suspects and could have wider applications, some lawmakers said.
If a U.S. resident becomes the chief target of surveillance, the government would have to obtain a warrant from the special FISA court.
Very simple to understand, right? Yet, so many on the Left pull their typical hysterical acts, claiming facism, loss of civil rights, Nazism, etc, and so on. You know the story.
Countries have always spied. And always will. Clinton tried to change it up to go for more business related intelligence, to keep the USA on top. Was there a problem with that? Well, other then we should have been focusing a bit more on terrorist groups, no. It is in our national interest.
I really fail to see what the problem is, considering that these are foreign people, communicating from foreign lands, with foreign people, though the lines often go through US property. They are NOT entitled to American Rights.
"This bill would grant the attorney general the ability to wiretap anybody, any place, any time without court review, without any checks and balances," said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., during the debate preceding the vote. "I think this unwarranted, unprecedented measure would simply eviscerate the 4th Amendment," which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures.
Lofgren proves she either a. did not read the bill, b. did not comprehend the bill, or c. is a raving wackjob playing stupid politics with our national security. Consider that, for the most part, it is simply electronic intercepts through satellites, not going down to the local wireline station and hooking in an old fashioned tap. Logren must be living back in the 60’s.
So, libs, take a deep breath, relax, no Americans rights are going to be violated. Aren’t you the ones who keep saying we should be fighting the real war against al Qaeda, anyhow? This allows us to do just that.
