Dec. 18, 2005 - 21:56 MST

EXPOSED AND DEFENDED

Trying to figure out how to discuss this tonight. I guess quoting it in full and then trying to make the points that arise in my mind is perhaps the best way. There is an article of interest by Jennifer Loven of the Associated Press in todays, The Denver Post/Rocky Mountain News JOA issue of the paper.

Following bolds and italics mine. -- The headlines are:

BUSH DEFENDS EAVESDROP

DOMESTIC SPYING

A defiant president insists scrutinizing international e-mails and phone calls without court approval has kept the nation safer

WASHINGTON --"Facing angry criticism and challenges in Congress to his authority, President Bush on Saturday unapologetically defended his administration's right to conduct secret post-Sept. 11 spying IN THE US as "critical to saving American lives."

"One democrat said Bush was acting more like a king than a democratically elected leader."

"Bush said the White House had kept the congressional leadership informed, which a Republican lawmaker confirmed."

"Often appearing angry in an eight-minute address, the president made clear that HE HAS NO INTENTION OF HALTING HIS AUTHORIZATIONS OF THE MONITORING ACTIVITIESand said the public disclosure of the spy operation by the news media endangered Americans."

"Bush's willingness to publicly acknowledge some of the government's most classified activities was a stunning development for a president known to dislike disclosure of event he most mundane inner workings of his White House."

Since October 2001, the super-secret National Security Agency has, without court approved warrants, eavesdropped on the international phone calls and e-mails of people inside the United States."

"News of the program came at a particularly damaging and delicate time."

"Already, the Bush administration is under fire for allegedly operating secret prisons in Eastern Europe and shipping terrorism SUSPECTS to other countries for harsh interrogations."

"The NSA program's existence surfaced as the administration and its GOP allies on Capitol Hill were fighting to save the expiring provisions of the USA Patriot Act, the domestic anti-terrorism law enacted after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001."

"In a stinging failure to Bush, Democrats and a few Republicans who say the law gives so much latitude to law enforcement officials that it threatens Americans' constitutional liberties succeeded Friday in stalling its renewal."

"So Bush scrapped the version of his weekly radio address that he had already taped -- on the recent elections in Iraq -- and delivered a live speech from the White House's Roosevelt Room in which he lashed out at the senators blocking the Patriot Act as irresponsible and CONFIRMED THE NSA PROGRAM."

"The gravity with which the White House regarded the situation was evident by the presence in the West Wing on a normally quiet Saturday of many of Bush's closest aides."

"Bush said his authority to approve what he called a "vital tool in our war against the terrorists" came from his constitutional powers as commander in chief. He said he has personally signed off on reauthorizations more than 30 times.

"The American people expect me to do everything in my power under our laws and Constitution to protect them and their civil liberties," Bush said. "And that is exactly what I will continute to do, so long as I'm the president of the United States."

""James Bamford, author of two books on NSA, said the program could be problematic because it bypasses a special court set up by the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Act to authorize eavesdropping on terrorism suspects. "I didn't hear him specify any legal right, except his right as president, which in a dmeocracy doesn't make much sense," Bamford said. "Today, what Bush said is he went around the law, which is a violation of the law."

"Susan Low Bloch, a professor of Constitutional law at Georgetown Unversity Law Center, said the president needs authorization from Congress for this kind of activity -- or he risks adverse rulings from the Supreme Court." "He's taking a hugely expansive interpretation of the Constitution and the president's powers under the Constitution," she said."

"That view was echoed by congressional Democrats."

"I tell you, he's President George Bush, not King George Bush. This is not the system of government we have and that we fought for," Sen. Russel Feingold, D-Wis., told The Associated Press."

Added Sen. Patricky Leahy, D-Vt., "The Bush administration seems to believe it is above the law."

"Republican Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Friday said the NSA program was inappropriate, and he promised hearings soon."

"Bush defended the monitoring program as narroly designed and used "consistent with U.S. law and the Constitution."

" He said it is employed only to intercept the international communications of people inside the U.S. who have been determined to have a "a clear link" to al-Qaeda or related terrorist organizations."Government officials have refused to provide details, including the standards used to establish such a link or how many people are being monitored."

"Bush said leaders in Congress have bveen briefed more than a dozen times. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., told House Republicans during a private meeting Saturday that those informed of the program by the White House were the top Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate and of each chamber's intelligence committees."

"The program through the nation's largest spy agency is designed in part to fix problems revealed by the 2001 attacks, in which it came to be learned that two of the hijackers were commuicting from San Diego with al-Qaeda operatives overseas."

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Things that set my teeth on edge for one thing is the language of President Bush in which he tries to make us feel that our veritable lives are in danger unless things go the way he wants them to. Defending his administration's RIGHT to conduct secret post-Sept. 11 spying as "critical to saving American lives."I wonder, how many American lives have been saved by NSA's activity ? ? ? ? ?

Further on in the article is a mention of his keeping congressional leadership informed. Yeah right . . . . and were they told to keep it under their hats ?

And then "Mr. Bush said that the public disclosure of the spy operation by the news media endangered Americans." How many of us can be endangered by this coming to light ? ? ? ?

It is revealed in this article, "Since October 2001, the super-secret National Security Agency has, without court-approved warrants, eavesdropped on the international phone calls and e-mails of people inside the United States." Another thing that gets my nanny, "without court approved warrants," so they don't want to risk asking a judge for a warrant and having to pretty well prove the need for such action ? ? ? ? ? ?

Then the news of the NSA's actions surfaced while the administration handymen were trying to save the expiring provisions of the USA Patriot Act, which many people much smarter than I feel many provisions of that Act are unconstitutional and infringe on our civil liberties.

Sometimes I wonder about the cool and sanity of our president, in the article it says in his speech he -- 1. Lashed out out at the senators blocking the Patriot Act as irresponsible and 2. confirmed the NSA program.

It seems he felt the need to have on a Saturday many of his closest aides present in the West Wing.

In further rhetoric, "Bush said his authority to approve what he called a "vital tool in our war against the terrorists" I wonder how many more times he will say "WAR ON" how many times he will say "TERRORISTS" ? ? ? ?

Then Mr. Bush said, "The American people expect me to do everything in my power under our laws and Constitution to protect them and their civil liberties." I think many of our people think that the Pres. is gonna keep doing ding-bat things and try to bluff his way by saying he has the authority and it is his right to do them.

James Bamford said the program could be problematic because it bypasses a special court set up by the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to authorize eavesdropping on terrorism suspects. Mr. Bamford also said, "I didn't hear him specify any legal right, except his right as president, which in a democracy doesn't make much sense."

And then Susan Low Bloch said the president needs authorization from Congress for this kind of activity -- or he risks adverse rulings from the Supreme Court. So what these people are saying is that the president is putting himself above the law and is doing unconstitutional things by the methods he is using.

Toward the end of the article, "Bush defended the monitoring program as narrowly designed and used "consistent with U.S. law and the Constitution." "He said it is employed only to intercept the international communications of people inside the U.S. who have been determined to have "clear link" to al-Qaeda or related terrorist organizations."

Capping that is the next paragraph, Government officials HAVE REFUSED TO PROVIDE DETAILS, including the standards used to establish such a link or how many people are being monitored."

So we as the public are not privy to the wording of all these governmental documents delineating the restrictions against misuse and keep being reassured that all these actions will only be used against "suspected terrorists" but refuse to define just exactly what THEIR defintion of a "suspected terrorist" is. The news that Government men have been noting down license plate numbers of cars parked near where a protest event is taking place is unsettling to many of us. And the idea that the framework of laws and acts is in place, and can be done without judicial oversight makes us patsys to be abused by whatever pipsqueak semi-official dislikes any one of us.

The final paragraph of the article makes a point (obscure) "The program through the nation's largest spy agency is designed in part to fix problems revealed by the 2001 attacks, in which it came to be learned that two of the hijackers were communicating from San Diego with al-Qaeda oepratives overseas."

Seems a bit like driving tacks with a sledge hammer, we now have a vast number of government employees in Homeland Security activity, doing just exactly what hasn't been revealed to us yet. Various and sundry surveillance activities legal or illegal in Bush's name, and monitoring phone calls and e-mails. When I guess the only sure way to keep any person from making an illegal phone call is to pull the plug on all phone and internet communication with the outside world.

So now we go into the phase of our history where dirty secrets are EXPOSED AND DEFENDED . . . . . . . .