Reply #56: It's in the Constitution, Stupid! Bush Pushes To Turn FISA Into A Co-Conspirator [View All]

[L. Coyote]

Bush Pushes To Turn FISA Into A Co-Conspirator
E. M. Donovan - August 1, 2007
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=33878


It astounds me that we are even discussing this. Did no one see this gradual erosion of American liberties; of our Constitution? Was it so subtle in its application that we are now addressed by a completely unchecked President ....

President Bush seeks to “modernize” FISA by what he calls “modest” and “narrow” means .... The proposed changes in FISA represent sweeping repeals of the Fourth Amendment protections FISA was enacted to oversee.

The notion that Americans would suffer civil liberty violations in being secretly monitored in the name of “foreign intelligence” is not newly conceived, it was THE purpose for FISA. FISA was enacted after it was discovered that American citizens (mostly “radicals” and political dissenters) were being unlawfully monitored and spied on. The Congress then realized these matters could not be left solely to the discretion of the executive.

Until 2005, this administration claimed publicly to have attained warrants for searches or surveillance conducted in intelligence activities. When the NSA program came to light, the President then claimed he had “inherent powers” .....