This must be an episode of the Twilight Zone: Bush calls for easier wiretap rules

[ProSense]

Via Talking Points Memo:

NYT: Data Mining Program at Center of Ashcroft Hospital Room Showdown

"A 2004 dispute over the National Security Agency’s secret surveillance program that led top Justice Department officials to threaten resignation involved computer searches through massive electronic databases, according to current and former officials briefed on the program."

Bush calls for easier wiretap rules

Sat Jul 28, 2:18 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush on Saturday called for Congress to revise a US security law in order to ease restrictions on the government's secret communications surveillance of terror suspects.

Amid furor over Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's handling of the government's secret warrantless wiretap program, Bush urged legislators to pass the update of the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) proposed in April.

The changes would ease intelligence collection aimed at people plotting attacks on the United States, Bush said in his weekly radio address.

"Today we face sophisticated terrorists who use disposable cell phones and the Internet to communicate with each other, recruit operatives, and plan attacks on our country," he said.

Analysis: DOJ Explains AG's Dissembling . . . (enough with the lies)

[frogcycle]

1. READ THE FUCKING PIECE OF PAPER, ASSHOLE

"Bush on Saturday called for Congress to..."

You have it fucking backwards. They pass laws. They tell YOU what to do. And we tell them. You sign the goddamned things and then enforce them. No goddamned signing statements. You say "Sir, yes sir!" and carry out the duties you were hired to. Now wipe your nose and do your fucking JOB!

There. I feel better.

[ProSense]

2. LOL! n/t

[Bluebear]

3. OT: The top picture looks like any loser hanging off a bar stool at 1 a.m. nt

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

4. Notice the reference to disposable cell phones...

...could he be trying to frighten/discourage ordinary citizens from using them lest they be presumed to be with the terrorists? I think so. Big brother can't track you when you're using a disposable and BushCo doesn't like that.

[liberalmuse]

8. All cell phones are 'disposable'.

I've never had one last more than 3 years before I've had to chuck it. Like stealing a plotline from '24' is going to work these days. You can pretty much scratch 'terrorists' and read, 'liberals'. Terrorists are the best thing to ever happen to this sorry son of a bitch. Bush has yet to capture and bring to justice ONE real terrorist.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

10. That's true...

...I guess I took disposable to mean the kind you buy with a fixed number of minutes and don't actually set up an account with a provider. I've never actually done this.

[Robbien]

5. Why does this surprise anyone?

It is exactly what Cheney does all the time.

In each and every situation, Cheney/bush takes the most outrageous course of action. You don't like something, they make that something bigger. You like something, they cut the funds. A person hates a program, Cheney assigned that person to head up the program.

Each and every action they take is a spit in our face. Freeper hateville goes wild with cheers.

[rodeodance]

6. "ease restrictions on the government's secret communications" aka MORE

SNOPPY by the Feds.


easier for the Feds to snoop!!

[liberalmuse]

7. I thought that was an old article. The guy is psychotic, but you know this.

W. Boosh had all the resources at his disposal in the summer of 2001 in order to prevent the 9-11 attacks. His administration blatantly ignored the warnings and was too fucking stupid to put two and two together. That's the positive spin. Wiretap yourself, fucker. You're the one using disposable cell phones, so to speak by whipping off and then deleting treasonous emails whose contents undermine our Constitution. You're the one destroying America. I say Congress wiretaps the fucking White House.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

9. Today we face sophisticated terrorists

If he wants to see sophisticated, I recommend he view Clear and Present Danger and Enemy of the State. Then he will know what sophisticated is.

[pepperbear]

11. OK, NOW can he can we send him to his room without any supper? n/t

[Auntie Bush]

12. He's asking for less restrictions so the Dems will vote against it.

Then they can accuse Dems as being weak on terrorism. He knows it would never pass and he frankly doesn't GAF about anything any more. He knows he's forever screwed!

[Canuckistanian]

13. Wow. Chutzpah is not the word for this.

In fact, I don't think any human language has a word for this.

Wow. I'm at a loss here......

How does he think.....

Oy.

[HuffleClaw]

14. an attempt to legalize their evildoings?

or simply an attempt to call the democrats 'weak on terror'?

likely both

[Bitwit1234]

15. Why not?? Who is there to stop him? The democratic congress won't

[Oilwellian]

16. Some quotes from that radio address

"To fix this problem, my Administration has proposed a bill that would modernize the FISA statute. This legislation is the product of months of discussion with members of both parties in the House and the Senate -- and it includes four key reforms: First, it brings FISA up to date with the changes in communications technology that have taken place over the past three decades."

How many times has FISA been reformed since 9/11? Several by my count.

"Second, it seeks to restore FISA to its original focus on protecting the privacy interests of people inside the United States, so we don't have to obtain court orders to effectively collect foreign intelligence about foreign targets located in foreign locations."

This one's a doozy....I thought FISA already protected the privacy of American citizens. Why does that have to be restored? If they're targeting foreign communications, a warrant isn't required, right?

"Third, it allows the government to work more efficiently with private-sector entities like communications providers, whose help is essential."

I thought he already had a cozy relationship with AT&T & Verizon.

"And fourth, it will streamline administrative processes so our intelligence community can gather foreign intelligence more quickly and more effectively, while protecting civil liberties."

Civil liberties for foreigners? Does that make any fucking sense at all?

On Edit: One more thing...congress better damn well NOT revise FISA until they get all of the documents the Bush administration is hiding regarding their illegal wiretaps over the past several years.

[bonito]

17. K&R n/t