Comments on: Just how extensive is NSA's spy program?

The Bush administration isn't talking. But some hints suggest it's a dragnet that records much more than phone calls.

[Luke_Cage]

Bush made the point for us.

The patriot act and other simliar provisions are simply not needed, except to legitimize rouge behavior. The government and those in the know are going to do what ever they want from misleading voters to labeling elementry children 'hostile' on the watchlist for protesting the war. If you are just going to what you want when you want you don't need the restrictive laws. Because your obviously are in the right, maybe God told you so, or your billionare partner just needed to know what to get you for the holidays it doesn't matter. What matters is in order to protect you and your rights from terrorist, they must first strip those 'true' freedoms in order to replace them with an illusion of freedom that will help protect you from yourself.

[Paul Christensen]

Oath of Office

When a member of the military, or a politian gets sworn in, they
take an oath of office swearing that they will "support and
defend the Constitution of the United Staes against all enemies,
foriegn and domestic...." What that tells me is that if there are
terrorists in the US (Domestic) making calls overseas (Foriegn)
our Government has the right to monitor them if they are using
that information to protect the citizens of the US. The Preamble
of the US Constitution, "We the People of the United States, in
Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure
domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote
the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to
ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this
Constitution for the United States of America" requires that the
first order of business is "the common defense". In other words,
if terrorists are operating in the US, calling, or communication
with their fellow terrorists somewhere else in the world, it is our
Government's duty to protect and defend us. I am not a terrorist
so I really do not have to worry about what communications
transmissions of mine are being monitored. In fact, I feel safer
because I know that the government is being vigilant and who
knows how many other "9/11's" were prevented by their actions.
I lost friends at the WTC, and I smelled the acrid smoke of the
Pentagon burning. It hasn't happened here in the US since, and
maybe people that live in the Left Coast don't get it because it
was 3,000 miles away. Much of what President Bush is being
criticized for doing was done by Presidents Carter and Clinton
without any mention of it. We all know the left is angry because
they lost, and hate Bush-end of story. Sorry but that is a lame
argument. God forbid Hollywood, or Seattle, or Boulder is hit by
a Terror Attack of some kind, because the Government wasn't
allowed to use all the tools at there disposal. These same people
would be marching on Washington accusing Bush of not doing
his job and blaming it on his being a Republican or a
Conservative who doesn't care about the Liberals. Sorry, you
can't have it both ways. Civil Rights as the left defines them, are
meaningless when you are dead, or face a horrible death due to
Nuclear, Biological or chemical attacks by a faceless Islamo-
Fascist terrorist. We have been at war since 1993 when the first
WTC bomb went off, we just didn't react to it appropriately. It is
not a mere criminal case, it is a military action. What are we
supposed to do, get the ACLU to Sue Osama Bid-Ladin and Al-
Queda? Get real people. I'd rather have my life, and the lives of
my friends and family than worry about who is listening in to my
conversations, or looking at my e-mails.

[heystoopid]

Interesting concept!

Interesting concept, for within the constitution, are the bill of rights, which sets forth a specific set of freedoms and entitlements! Further , as the constitution, also states congress has the right to create laws governing the country, you by defending the nation, are formally required to respect and defend all those laws as well, for they are an integral part of the system!

Thus, whilst this oath appears simple!, it is indeed very far reaching and all encompassing!

Thus by spying, on all citizens of this country, in effect, logically you are breaking your oath to defend the constitution, for your are ignoring it's domestic control laws created thus!

Therefore , the logical conclusion is, that any person , who breaks this oath to defend the constitution and all its laws created thus, to spy without probable cause on any citizen,in the remote possibility, that they are a potential terrorist, is breaking the domestic laws!, is a person without any respect for honour period!

But then again didn't Benjamin Franklin, once say, to the effect, that to surrender all basic rights and freedom for the illusion of safety , deserve neither!

As to where, the real threat to life, limb and property lies, read the preventable death statistic's, together with the annual insurance payout costs to storm damages in NORTH AMERICA!, it can be very illuminating!

So thus, a CAT 5 storms, of the type like Hurricane Katrina, can and does create more widespread havoc and destruction, then any terrorist attack ever will!

Ahh! choices, don't you love them so!

[SOFALIPS]

Insecure is the right wing...

Every time someone calls the right wing on something they do that is clearly wrong (and it happens daily), they have to turn to name calling. It's as though you have nothing more to offer to a conversation than kiddy insults. That's why liberals always say that it's a matter of insecurity. Right wing folks are scared of anything they don't understand and that's why they lash out. It's fear! Afraid to stand up for yourself. Afraid to be men! Afraid of your own sexuality. Sooo sad.

[WannaKnow11]

If I am on vacation in another country reading my email.....

So how exactly does this "international" monitoring work? If I am on vacation in Mexico reading my Yahoo email, is that monitored? Is it IP subnet related? So, if I go to a website that is out of the country....oh...I don't know....english.aljazeera.net Is that when I am monitored for viewing pages there?

Ever hear of globalization? Well, there are lots of reasons for any of us to conduct business overseas. Most specifically internet. What if my new fangled Voice over IP phone provider is in Bangledesh and I am calling my brother in California? Is that monitored? Is it OK for it to be monitored. Aren't I in America?

Just curious how careful they are to know who are the "citizens" and who are tne "foriegners" in this highly globalized world. And on an internet where email "headers" can be forged. You know, there is really only one reason why I don't use encryption in my email communication. Because the NSA would think, hmmm ... encryption, they must be looked into. They obviously are under suspicion if they don't want anyone to know their business.

Next month will be interesting.

Good night, and good luck.

US citizen Outside US

FISA says that who you communicate with outside of the US is not privileged, and may be intercepted by any means. This means phone numbers, e-mail headers, etc. Encrypting your messages will just lead to further scrutiny. If and only if you have contacts with a target of interest (on the NSA watchlist) will you e-mails be read, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU ENCRYPTED THEM OR NOT.

[tungaiunwa]

Why is this maniac still in office?

Where is Kenneth Star when we need him? We were ready to throw Bill Clinton to the wolves over lying about an affair, yet we put up with lie after lie from this president. Lies that cost over 2000 of our sons and daughters lives and I haven't even heard the word impeachment be mentioned.

[jimbo57]

Wake -up and smell the coffee, the rest of the world has!

My friend, go and read these two links. They might carry the answers to what you are wondering.

http://coursesa.matrix.msu.edu/~hst306/documents/indust.html

http://www.fas.org/man/smedley.htm

[rlaizure5]

Idiot

You must mean the lies fo all the Democrats that made the same statements at the time huh?
You are truely an idiot! You know nothing of history or your own party's statements!

[saadhusain]

Hey, the Constitution is just a piece of paper

according to Bush. George Washington, Jefferson, Adams and the other founding fathers would be ashamed of Bush if they were alive.

The bright line Rule

FISA makes a bright line rule to separate external intelligence from internal intelligence. Collection of information from sources external to US borders and excluding US citizens is unrestricted. Information regarding sources internal to US borders is limited to "pen register" digests: numbers, e-mail headers, etc. To go further requires a warrant or spending 5 years in prison PER INSTANCE.

[casper2004]

Didn't you know

9/11 happened so this President can literally wipe his butt with our Constitution?

[aabcdefghij987654321]

On the contrary

This persno is patriotic to the country instead of the government. This is real patriotism, not "buddyism".

[noexoticwarfare]

I Know How It Works in Practice!

There is a lot of pattern analysis going on all over this country. It is called treason.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/CPalit/EMwavesoneyes.jpg

[nknk417]

Next thing Republicans

will give Al Quaida the green light to attack San Francisco. And you call us unpatriotic for practicing our First Amendment Rights.