Big Brother Bush

WHILE THE Bush administration and fellow conservatives are applauding the elections and flourishing democracy in Iraq, they seem to have no problem with the death of freedom here in the United States.

With the revelation last week that President Bush authorized the National Security Agency to secretly eavesdrop on hundreds, perhaps thousands of Americans - without bothering to obtain the proper court orders - it’s clear now that this administration cannot be trusted to protect our civil liberties.

Laws governing how and when the federal government can spy in the United States are very clear.

Under Title 50, which deals with foreign intelligence surveillance, the president can authorize wiretapping without a court order only when the communications are between foreign powers or when those being spied on are in foreign embassies and then only if “there is no substantial likelihood that the surveillance will acquire the contents of any communication to which a United States person is a party.”

There are emergency procedures in case the federal government needs to quickly spy on an American citizen. In those instances, the attorney general must notify a judge within 72 hours.

None of those procedures seems to have been followed, judging by the New York Times story which broke the news on Friday.

Over the weekend, Bush acknowledged authorizing spying on Americans without court approval. But instead of being chastened, Bush attacked the New York Times and tried to distract the nation.

Bush allies also blamed the Times for reporting this outrage during a time of war, then bemoaned that Senate Democrats, along with some troubled Republicans, successfully scuttled the extension of the so-called Patriot Act… as if it mattered.

This is not an administration that would allow a few laws - or even the Bill of Rights - to get in the way of waging the war on terror its way. At this stage we wouldn’t be surprised if this administration went ahead and conducted every controversial provision of the Patriot Act - including spying on our reading habits in libraries - regardless of the Senate’s actions.

After all, this administration has claimed broad authority to do whatever it pleases during times of war.

It has jailed an American for years without benefit of a trial or even charges. It has sanctioned torture. And it’s now spying on fellow citizens.

The blowback for this betrayal of our Constitution has to be harsh and unforgiving. People like Trent Lott, who said he would rather have security first and worry about liberties later, deserve neither. Ask Benjamin Franklin or any of the other Founding Fathers who risked their lives for the freedoms this administration is cheapening.

Republican Sen. Arlen Specter is promising hearings early next year. That is not soon enough.

Bush twice vowed to “protect and defend” the Constitution of the United States. He’s broken that promise. And it appears he doesn’t care.

http://www.philly.com