USAToday on security vs. privacy: Bush uses scare tactics to railroad flawed spying act

[maddezmom]

Thu Feb 14, 12:22 AM ET



President Bush is rarely as vivid about the specter of terrorism as he is when he's trying to stampede Congress into doing something it should think twice about. On Wednesday, he demanded quick passage of a flawed surveillance measure because "terrorists are planning attacks on our country ... that will make Sept. 11 pale by comparison."

Whoa. There's little dispute that terrorists want to strike the United States in horrific ways, or that the government should aggressively hunt them down and stop them. But there's a legitimate debate over how much of Americans' hard-won civil liberties it's necessary to trade away to fight and win, and how much to curtail the traditional role of judges in overseeing wiretapping that involves Americans. The president has frequently gotten this trade-off wrong, and he's doing it again.


Bush wants to extend for six more years the broad eavesdropping powers a too-pliant Congress temporarily gave him last August. That law effectively legalized the illegal wiretapping the administration had already been conducting for years on Bush's say-so. In a troubling twist, the follow-on measure approved by the Senate on Tuesday would also grant amnesty to phone companies that conducted the warrantless eavesdropping and now face about 40 lawsuits.


It's regrettable that the Senate, including 19 Democrats, rolled over to the demands of the administration and telecommunication lobby. History shows that when judicial oversight is reduced, government agencies' snooping inevitably extends beyond national security threats to political opponents, journalists, protesters and other domestic annoyances. When an administration tries to end run the law, telecommunication companies should be a crucial last line of resistance to protect your privacy.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20080214/cm_usatoday/ourviewonsecurityvsprivacybushusesscaretacticstorailroadflawedspyingact

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

1. Hubby and I watched a clip of his threats to the American public. We both think he's completely lost

it. It being any comprehension or understanding of how his words sound, coming from the POTUS.