RSS 2.0 FeedBush And Congress Expand Warrantless Wiretaps
by Doug MataconisOn Sunday, President Bush signed into law a new bill that greatly expands the ability of the Federal Government to eavesdrop on international communications without a warrant:
WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 — President Bush signed into law on Sunday legislation that broadly expanded the government’s authority to eavesdrop on the international telephone calls and e-mail messages of American citizens without warrants.
Congressional aides and others familiar with the details of the law said that its impact went far beyond the small fixes that administration officials had said were needed to gather information about foreign terrorists. They said seemingly subtle changes in legislative language would sharply alter the legal limits on the government’s ability to monitor millions of phone calls and e-mail messages going in and out of the United States.
They also said that the new law for the first time provided a legal framework for much of the surveillance without warrants that was being conducted in secret by the National Security Agency and outside the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the 1978 law that is supposed to regulate the way the government can listen to the private communications of American citizens.
“This more or less legalizes the N.S.A. program,” said Kate Martin, director of the Center for National Security Studies in Washington, who has studied the new legislation.
Previously, the government needed search warrants approved by a special intelligence court to eavesdrop on telephone conversations, e-mail messages and other electronic communications between individuals inside the United States and people overseas, if the government conducted the surveillance inside the United States.
Today, most international telephone conversations to and from the United States are conducted over fiber-optic cables, and the most efficient way for the government to eavesdrop on them is to latch on to giant telecommunications switches located in the United States.
By changing the legal definition of what is considered “electronic surveillance,” the new law allows the government to eavesdrop on those conversations without warrants — latching on to those giant switches — as long as the target of the government’s surveillance is “reasonably believed” to be overseas.
In other words, what was once an illegal Executive Branch operation is all nice and legal now.
Just wonderful.
The only small plus side of this is that this bill is only effective for six months, after which they have to vote to renew.
It’s still a horrible law. Pelosi is such a joke…honestly, she’s one of the most ineffectual and incompetent leaders the Dems have ever fielded, and that’s saying a lot.
Comment by UCrawford — August 6, 2007 @ 9:22 amHahahahaha…. Is this a nightmare? Please let me wake up.
How Orwellian to change the definition of “electronic surveillance.”
Comment by TanGeng — August 6, 2007 @ 9:53 am“Legal” may not be the same thing as “Constitutional”…
Comment by Brad Warbiany — August 6, 2007 @ 10:13 amAre you $@#$ing kidding me? I thought this bill was only going to apply to the Foreign-to-Foreign communications! They actually blessed the Foreign-to-Domestic communications?????? I’m gonna go cry now.
Let’s do the math here… six months puts it square in the middle of the primaries. If they didn’t have the cajones to stop it now, they won’t stop it then either.
Comment by Jeff Molby — August 6, 2007 @ 8:38 pmThe Republicans turned into unlikeable fascists and the Dems still can’t win a showdown with them…what a bunch of losers, led by the queen of all losers. The Democratic rank and file ought to revolt and throw Pelosi out on her useless ass. If she can’t even win a showdown with one of the most unpopular Presidents of all time or get legislation she’s opposed to voted down with a congressional majority, she’s absolutely useless.
Seriously, watching her try to stand up to Bush is like watching one of those idiots who try to take on Penn and Teller. Whenever she opens her mouth, you know she’s just going to fuck up, fail, and dig herself a deeper hole.
Comment by UCrawford — August 6, 2007 @ 9:10 pmJeff,
I guess the lesson in this one is never trust government to do the right thing and limit themselves when it comes to giving up your rights to them. Miserable bastards.
Comment by UCrawford — August 6, 2007 @ 9:13 pmJust curious but what are the views on the zeitgeistmovie.com notions? It suggests an inevitable decomposition of our liberties by the current govt and its practices, including things such as the wiretapping.
Comment by Symgharyl — August 7, 2007 @ 8:09 am