Text 17723, 49 rader
Skriven 2006-02-06 08:57:12 av John Massey (1:123/789.0)
Ärende: SPYING ON AMERICANS
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SPYING ON AMERICANS"



I'm still on the fence over this so-called "domestic spying" controversy.
Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez will be testifying today on Capitol Hill
before the Senate Judiciary Committee.  He's going to tell the committee
that the President's secret surveillance program was necessary and lawful.
Necessary?  Perhaps so.  Lawful?  I'm not convinced.  I'm a strong proponent
of the rule of law, and the very essence of that concept is that those who
wield political power over us, those who are legally entitled to use force
to accomplish their goals, must abide by the very same laws that controls
the actions of the most obscure American.

One troubling aspect of this controversy is that the left and the media are
using it more as a weapon to beat Bush about the head and shoulders.  There
is a legitimate question here.  Does the president have the power to bypass
basic judicial procedures when the country is at war and national security
concerns are involved?  It's a good question.  Wouldn't it be nice if we
could seek the answer without the partisanship?  Bush isn't the first
president, nor the first Republican to engage in these actions.

One more thing.  I note that the media is very fond of categorizing the NSA
surveillance program as "spying on Americans."  That definition is
technically correct, but certainly not the most accurate way to describe
what's going on.  The real description would be "spying on America's enemies
talking to American citizens."  A better definition would be one used by the
attorney general.  These wiretaps are not so much "spying on Americans" as
they are "intercepting enemy communications."  Maybe that's just too many
words for a headline.

We'll wrap this with a question for you ... a question especially for those
of you who are adamantly opposed to the NAS surveillance program.  Actually,
two questions.

1.  Do you think that it is OK for our intelligence agencies to monitor
enemy communications while we're at war?

2.  If you think that it is OK to listen to enemy communications, do you ten
withdraw your approval if the enemy happens to be communicating with an
American citizen?

Bonus question:  Are you able to put aside your partisanship and/or Bush
hatred long enough to consider the above two questions fairly?

Neal Boortz

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