Topic de jour. Phone calls

[fett]

So the Feds decided to store most all of our calls, number to number, and they swear they aren't going to listen. 2/3 of polled people say it's OK. Homeland security and all that. Congress has their balls in an uproar. Where do you stand?

[RacerX]

One of your answers is a question. So I pick all of the above.

[fett]

Don't get picky. Just vote.

[followthereaper]

I'm not sure what time zone you're in, but here, it says you posted this at 4:20. A bit ironicly paranoid.

[fett]

That's the fukking time in England.:ROTF: :ROTF: :ROTF:

[fett]

So far it's 150% WTF:ROTF: :ROTF: :ROTF:

[fett]

I don't have to worry. I don't even have a fukking phone.

[quakana]

Not that anyone has anything to hide its just .......well.....what if its phone sex :ROTF:

[YetAnotherOne]

I'm disappointed Fett, you could at least describe accurately the details that have come to light. They're not storing "most all of our calls", they're storing a number and the numbers it called. Big difference. It should be quite obvious how vital that information is to cracking terrorist cells in the US and equally obvious how damaging the public revelation of the program is to those efforts. When (not if) terrorists strike again I hope all you lefty anti-Bushies will stand up and take credit for the fact that your efforts to undermine our security assisted our enemies in their efforts to attack us. Be proud.

[fett]

Yea, like 10,000,000+ calls. I grant you that the same thing was done during WWII and later. The issue here is that with the technology we have now, THERE IS NO PRIVACY. History is rife with the intention of "Monoriting People" for the sake of "natiional security". And another thing, don't you think that anyone that wishes to harm us doesn't already know how to get around all this? BTW, I stated "Number to Number"

[RacerX]

I'm disappointed Fett, you could at least describe accurately the details that have come to light. They're not storing "most all of our calls", they're storing a number and the numbers it called. Big difference.

Fett doesn't let details stand in the way...

[rjohnstone]

I'm disappointed Fett, you could at least describe accurately the details that have come to light. They're not storing "most all of our calls", they're storing a number and the numbers it called. Big difference. It should be quite obvious how vital that information is to cracking terrorist cells in the US and equally obvious how damaging the public revelation of the program is to those efforts. When (not if) terrorists strike again I hope all you lefty anti-Bushies will stand up and take credit for the fact that your efforts to undermine our security assisted our enemies in their efforts to attack us. Be proud.

Wrong dude... I don't care that they collect the info...
They forgot the part about getting a fucking warrant or at least authorization from the AG's office.
Last time I checked, a warrant is still required.
Thank god I'm a Qwest customer. At least they had the balls to ask "where's your fucking warrant?".
I will not surrender MY constitutional rights over assumptions of what might happen.
I understand the need to keep an eye on shit and look for strange patterns, but do it according to the law.
Bush is about 30 seconds from impeachment if he keeps this shit up.
He's the president, not a king. I will not surrender my freedom to protect it. Sounds oxymoronic doesn't it? Well that's pretty much what Bush is trying to do. Hypocritical garbage.

[Bert]

You can already see the natural progression of the apologists' arguments on this one. First it was OK to listen to phone calls made abroad because the people being tapped weren't Americans, and we need to stop the terrorists. Then it was OK to illegally tap the calls of Americans, as long as they were making phone calls outside the United States, because we need to stop the terrorists. Now it is OK to illegally track (but not tap) the calls of Americans phoning other Americans in America, because we need to stop the terrorists. It won't be long before the American people will accept that all of their calls are being monitored because, after all, we need to stop the terrorists.

Or maybe we should get it over with and go ahead and stick a camera in every home.

Us anti-bushies are looking for sensible investment in anti-terrorist tehcnology *and policy*. Unfortunately, as exemplified by policies such as this one and the fiasco in Iraq which continues to generate U.S. resentment worldwide, the current administration gives us neither.

[YetAnotherOne]

The real issue here is that we know for a fact that terrorists and their sympathizers are operating within the borders of the United States. E.g., Hezbollah to name one of many groups.

It's clear from the actions of the 9/11 hijackers and others who have been prosecuted since that they do NOT engage in any sophisticated campaign to hide their identities or activities here. That said, I'd imagine that most have IQs equal to room temperature or greater so I'd expect that when the NY Time and CNN blare at deafening volume the details of the latest attempts to locate them that they might then take steps to remain anonymous. The repeated revelations of the steps our government is taking to locate the bad guys both here at home and abroad are crushing blows to the ability of our ability to do so.

There’s certainly room for outrage here though it should be directed toward the leakers at the CIA, NSA, in Congress, etc. Having “been there and done that” in a similar arena I can state with some certainty that they should be rotting in jail for the majority of the rest of their lives. It should sicken all Americans to know that for some in Washington mere partisan politics trumps the lives of US citizens and the well-being of our nation. Doubly so since the leaks have scored absolutely no political points for either side.

[YetAnotherOne]

Wrong dude... I don't care that they collect the info...
They forgot the part about getting a fucking warrant or at least authorization from the AG's office.
Last time I checked, a warrant is still required.

You might want to bone up a bit on your Constitutional law.

And Bert - your assuption that the government's activities are "illegal" is flawed. Arguable in some cases but since both Republican and Democratic administrations have historically asserted the executive's right to do what has been complained about now and since no one has won a challenge otherwise I'd not bet on your winning that argument.