Reid and other Democrats should go back to calling it spying on Americans

[bigtree]

Labeling Bush's warrantless eavesdropping 'domestic spying' has us in a word game like the difference between lying and misled.

Just say it plain. The NSA is spying on Americans.


And, how did all of the data-mining that's been done turn into a 'limited program. Why is Bush able to defend the one set of instances of spying on Americans and get away without answering for the other abuses that have been uncovered?

What about Bush answering for the NSA spying on the anti-war group from Baltimore?

[seabeyond]

1. media changed it. i dont know if the democrats have. but you are

right, that was again done purposely. i always say spying on americans...

[bigtree]

5. there was this petty response from the WH to Reid. Scotty got hit about it

here's the WH (response?) to Sen. Reid:

Setting the Record Straight: Charges Of "Domestic Spying"

Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) Calls The NSA Program A "Domestic Spying Program." "That is why Americans of all backgrounds and political parties are concerned about the NSA's domestic spying program." (Sen. Harry Reid, Press Release, 1/23/06)

But The President's Authorization Only Covers International Communications In Which One Party Is Suspected Of Links To Al Qaeda Or Related Terrorist Organizations.

* Deputy Director Of National Intelligence General Michael Hayden: "One End Of Any Call Targeted Under This Program Is Always Outside The United States." GEN. HAYDEN: "I don't think domestic spying makes it. One end of any call targeted under this program is always outside the United States. I've flown a lot in this country, and I've taken literally hundreds of domestic flights. I have never boarded a domestic flight in the United States of America and landed in Waziristan. In the same way - and I'm speaking illustratively here now, this is just an example - if NSA had intercepted al Qaeda Ops Chief Khalid Shaikh Mohammed in Karachi talking to Mohamed Atta in Laurel, Maryland, in say, July of 2001 - if NSA had done that, and the results had been made public, I'm convinced that the crawler on all the 7 by 24 news networks would not have been 'NSA domestic spying.'" (General Michael Hayden, Remarks, Washington, DC, 1/23/06)

DEFINITION: Domestic Vs. International.

* Domestic Calls are calls inside the United States. International Calls are calls either to or from the United States.
* Domestic Flights are flights from one American city to another. International Flights are flights to or from the United States.
* Domestic Mail consists of letters and packages sent within the United States. International Mail consists of letters and packages sent to or from the United States.
* Domestic Commerce involves business within the United States. International Commerce involves business between the United States and other countries.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/01/20060124-4.html


real petty and childish. word games. we shouldn't play

[seabeyond]

8. but.... we dont believe bush. we dont believe there has always

been an international call. that is what we are challenging. that is what fisa need to see if all calls has one international. i dont believe that is true. i believe there was spying on american, domestic...... not international. bush,.... prove it. with no oversight, why would i trust?

[bigtree]

9. right. we don't really believe he restricted the spying to these calls

[I Have A Dream]

2. Good point. n/t

[Avalux]

3. You have an excellent point.

The symantics drive me nuts....I don't care if it was calls/emails to other countries or within the states - those being spied upon are American citizens and are protected (supposedly) by laws.

But have the Dems stopped calling it spying on Americans? I think it's the media who've adopted the word game as usual, to obfuscate and spin in favor of the WH. They certainly aren't talking about data mining and Quakers, etc. being spied upon.

[Justitia]

4. Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans

Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans/ Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans/ Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans/ Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans/ Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans/ Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans/ Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans/ Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans/ Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans/ Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans / Spying on Americans/ Spying on Americans /.....

You get the idea :)

[kentuck]

6. Good point...

And let the Repubs know that they can call it whatever they want or they can change what they call it as many times as they like, but we will continue to call it "spying on Americans"..

[sandnsea]

7. and/or snooping

I liked the way they did it on Boston Legal last night. Reminding people how much of their information is easily accessible and expanding it to include NSA and Echelon, all snooping into people's private business.