By Gary M. Clark
By Gary M. Clark
President George Bush is pushing for a renewal of the Protect America Act, the law that would allow the National Security Agency to eavesdrop without a warrant.
Under this legislation, telecommunications companies will be able to track foreign based communication without any overlook.
Two Congressional panels rejected Bush’s request for a renewal, instead they passed a law that gives federal judges more control over foreign electronic surveillance conducted by the NSA.
The legislation left out two main details that were demanded by the White House. One would shield telecommunications companies that had helped the NSA to conduct eavesdropping without warrants, from any legal action.
A second would have made the surveillance program permanent. Instead, the legislation expires in two years.
Bush argued that the legislation gives more authority to a special foreign intelligence surveillance court stating”it would take us backwards.”
“Terrorists in faraway lands are plotting and planning new ways to kill Americans,” he added “The security of our country and the safety of our citizens depend on learning about their plans.”
“The Protect America Act is a vital tool in stopping the terrorists, and it would be a grave mistake for Congress to weaken this tool,”he said. The legislation could be a good thing for America if everything Bush says is true.
Obviously he feels as strongly about his opinions as he did when he pumped fear into the hearts of Americans over the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
America is still waiting for results from the last Bush outcry. We should have all learned this lesson from the popular children’s book. But now we see that even presidents “cry wolf,” and it puts the entire county in a very unstable condition.
Since the war in Iraq began, 3,829 American soldiers have died, another 28,171 soldiers have been maimed, deformed, mutilated, mangled, as well as countless friends and families who are directly affected by the war.
When I hear the term “American casualties,” I think of the loved ones that were killed as a result of bad judgment by the Bush administration.
So whenever Bush kicks and screams over an issue, I am very hesitant to believe what he is saying out of fear for what it might lead to.
The Protect America Act allows for the invasion of privacy of any American as the NSA sees fit. It could be your neighbor, your friends, your family, it could be you. The only thing left for them to do is “tap thoughts.”
Bush wants total control over the military, total control over tax dollars, and now total control over the content of your communication, it seems like we are getting further away from democracy.
We will just have to see what happens with this legislation seeing as how we have no say. In the mean time, watch what you say on the phone. Free speech might cost you your freedom.
