No one could have anticipated Bush Administration would spy on Americans
July 10, 2009 by William K. Wolfrum
I suppose the rebuttal to having the government spy on anyone for any reason with no oversight is that if we allow any oversight, the terrorists win. Or something like that.
From TPM/AP:
Former Attorney General John Ashcroft and ex-CIA Director George Tenet are among the Bush administration officials who refused to be interviewed for a government report on the warrantless wiretapping program.
The Bush-era program conducted electronic surveillance on calls and e-mails within the U.S. — without a judge knowing about it or giving the OK.
An unclassified summary of the report says the other officials who declined interviews are Bush’s ex-chief of staff, Andrew Card; Dick Cheney’s former top aide David Addington; and former top Justice Department lawyer John Yoo.
Hey, if you haven’t done anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about, right?
–WKW
I for one, not being a terrorist, welcome the government to take way all my rights and privacy.
I hate the government mind you. I’m very suspicious of those bastards. But when it comes to rights and privacy, I completely trust them to only take away my rights if I’m a bad guy.
I’m sure “they” will be in contact with you soon for this and many other comments, e-mails, grunts of derision, etc.
Indeed, Bill, if they are listening to my cell phone, I shudder to think of the number of things they have me saying on record. Of course, if they are listening, they also know that I know where a lot of important bodies are buried (on a local level). And I know that they know. And they know that I know that they know.
Most importantly, they know I conduct my legal affairs in the manner of Richard Pryor, who said, “If I get hurt up in here, I ain’t gonna be the last one.”
whenever one of my three core commenters is away for a few days, I worry that they’ve been gulaged.
I’m currently quite sure that Hugh is now being waterboarded.
I, for one, not being a terrorist, am appalled that our government would even consider taking away 1 iota of our civil rights. Once they start chipping away, who knows what’s next? It may get to the point where we can be arrested without charges & held indefinitely without seeing a lawyer. Oh wait, that’s already in place, isn’t it? Chip. Chip.
Now, imagine if the gov’t were to try & take peoples GUNS away. OMG!!!! Socialism!! Communism!!! Government takeover!!! Then they’d be called a bunch of pinko commies. But since it was Bush & after 9/11, meh, why should non-terrorists care what civil rights are stripped away.
Exactly Jane. If it’s not happening to white euro… I mean, if it’s only happening to bad guys, why should we care?
By the way jane, that type of sarcasm makes me think you have something to hide.