Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Where do you draw the line?

Via Irresponsible Journalism:

I've been a staunch supporter of Bush & The War in the past, and still am of the War. But breaking the law aka The Fourth Amendment: well, there are lines. If the USA Today article is true, then Bush has violated the Fourth Amendment and deserves to be impeached. In the words of John Stewart, "I did not have sexual relations with that NSA program". Our government is subject to the laws of the land, just like all of us.


Yatta, yatta, yatta, blah, blah, blah...this is what's making you mad? Yeah, sure...it's bad and all, collecting data on every phone call made in America. But this is what finally tips you over? This is your line?

Why wasn't it your line when the government admitted to listening in to international phone calls? You think everyone who phones or receives calls from outside of the United States is somehow suspect? That my rights and family's rights as citizens weren't violated when they listened in on our calls? (Potentially listened in, I'm not paranoid, but maybe, just maybe we got lucky dipped one night)

'Course, if they did listen in to some of my transatlantic phone calls they might have got:

  • There's not much going on in Lawrenceburg. What's blooming in your garden right now?
  • Yeah, I watched the game. How 'bout them Vols? (Voice tone depends on whether it was last season or not)

But then again they might have heard:

  • This is it, you had better book a flight for tomorrow. I reckon we'll have the funeral over the weekend.

or maybe they got:

  • What are the incompetent, constitution breaking nuts in the Bush Administration up to this time?

2 comments:

genderist said...

See, I'm totally with you, but I was thinking more along the lines of 'nut-jobs' as opposed to just 'nuts'...

And I'm also adding to all of my phone conversations something like, "Hi, George. I think you're the greaaaaaatest President ever, almost. If you're going to listen in, it's only fair if you play truth or dare with us." Or something equally stupid.

A.C. McCloud said...

Wiretaps have been around a long time. The US Congress passed a law requiring telcos to set up portals in switching centers in 1994, with majority democrats. The issue is when to listen.

It's doubtful your calls back to the states would have been targeted unless you were calling a lot of people in Pakistan.

I know, I know, it's an intrusion and warrantless. But what else are governments going to do when it only takes one go-call to a formerly unknown sleeper cell member? It's a real conundrum forced on us by modern terrorism.

If you notice, the democrats now in Congress are not in a hurry to end the program and impeach king george. There must be a reason.