By Kenneth J. Theisen, 4/12/07
The Bush regime is not content with the extent of its
already overreaching spying activities, such as those exercised by the National
Security Agency (NSA) in its massive spying program which was revealed more
than a year ago. It wants even more
power to invade our privacy and to circumvent the 4th amendment. On April 11, 2007, National Intelligence
Director Mike McConnell revealed to the media his hundred-day agenda to expand
the reach of the 16 intelligence agencies and the over 100,000 employees under
his authority.
Among his proposals is one to change the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act (FISA), which permits surveillance in espionage and other
foreign intelligence investigations if approved by a special FISA court. He is proposing that Congress change the law
to allow the NSA to spy on foreigners without FISA court approval. He further wants the power to tap phones and
e-mail accounts within the U.S.
When warrants are obtained, his plan
expands the life of FISA warrants from 120 days to one year. McConnell is also seeking to allow “emergency”
surveillance for up to one week without court orders.
If U.S.
spy agencies are granted these powers, the agencies will be allowed to read
e-mails, listen in on phone calls, use hidden cameras and listening devices,
search homes and offices, and make secret copies of computer hard drives, etc. In short, act as a U.S. Gestapo some times
with court approval, but often without such approval.
Since the government often needs the assistance of telephone
providers or internet service providers, McConnell is also proposing to grant
telecommunications providers immunity from liability for their cooperation with
the Bush regime when they spy on you. On
April 17, 2007, McConnell is scheduled to appear at a Senate Intelligence
Committee hearing to discuss these and other possible changes to FISA. Most of these ideas floated by McConnell have
been on the Bush regime “wish list” for some time.
Given the Bush regime’s repeated abuse of present
surveillance power, we need to take these proposals very seriously. If they become law, past and future abuses
will in effect be legalized. We have
seen this happen before when abuses by the regime are exposed, where instead of
curbing the abuse, Congress has legalized it. For example, last year Congress passed the
Military Commissions Act, to legalize the stripping of due process rights from
prisoners and the regime’s kangaroo courts for trying those detainees.
Republican New Mexico Representative Heather Wilson recently
made this intent clear. (Wilson is one of those
involved in the U.S.
prosecutors firing scandal. She put
pressure on one of the fired prosecutors to indict democrats before her tightly
contested election last year.) Wilson has stated that “Congress
must act because current court orders bolstering the president’s terrorist
surveillance program are legally shaky.” She argues FISA must be overhauled to allow
the NSA to continue its massive spying.
But instead of legalizing abuses of law and the
Constitution, Congress should impeach the president for these abuses and other
crimes of the regime.