John Dean: Why, Even If You Have Nothing To Hide, Government Surveillance Threatens Your Freedom

[babylonsister]

Why, Even If You Have Nothing To Hide, Government Surveillance Threatens Your Freedom
by John W. Dean | Oct 19 2007

— from FindLaw

The Case Against Expanding Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Powers

"I've got nothing to hide, so electronic surveillance doesn't bother me. To the contrary, I'm delighted that the Bush Administration is monitoring calls and electronic traffic on a massive scale, because catching terrorists is far more important that worrying about the government's listening to my phone calls, or reading my emails." So the argument goes. It is a powerful one that has seduced too many people.

Millions of Americans buy this logic, and in accepting it, believe they are doing the right thing for themselves, their family, and their friends, neighbors, community and country. They are sadly wrong. If you accept this argument, you have been badly fooled.

This contention is being bantered about once again, so there is no better time than the present to set thinking people straight. Bush and Cheney want to make permanent unchecked Executive powers to electronically eavesdrop on anyone whom any President feels to be of interest. In August, before the summer recess, Congress enacted the Protect America Act, which provided only temporary approval for the expanding Executive powers under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). These temporary powers expire in February 2008, so Congress is once again addressing the subject.

The FISA Amendments: The Administration Is Seeking Immunity for Miscreants

Because of the way electronic traffic is directed from foreign countries through the United States, the FISA Court had previously rejected requests to intercept certain foreign-person- to-foreign-person communications in the United States. It was a technical problem, arising from the fact that FISA was written before modern data routing had been designed, and FISA thus needed fixing. On this, everyone agreed.

However, when the Bush Administration asked for the necessary fix to FISA, it also requested much more, including immunity under the existing laws for all the telecommunications companies that have been assisting the government in its illegal warrantless surveillance. Significantly, this practice - justified by reference to the "war on terror" - apparently started well before 9/11 under the Bush Administration.

more...

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/10547

[msongs]

1. doncha wish the democrats in congress would put a stop to this FISA nonsense? nt

[babylonsister]

2. You bet, and I'm gratified to see Dodd's trying to do that:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2079245

[DeeDeeNY]

5. Maybe he won't be able to

This scares me --

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/10/19/reid/index.html

[onyourleft]

3. For those in the general public who are living in a constant...

...state of fear, articles like this will fall on deaf ears. It seems that reason in this country has been thrown out the window and no one seems to be addressing the issue of how we get that back within the populace as a whole.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

4. FISA Amendment is Unconstitutional.

Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution:

No bills of attainder or ex post facto laws shall be passed.

No retroactive immunity for the telecoms.

[ronatchig]

6. or to the torturers

if sanity ever reigns in this land again.