Bush: U.S. doesn't eavesdrop on phone calls of ordinary Americans

[raybia]

Bush: U.S. doesn't eavesdrop on phone calls of ordinary Americans

Tuesday, May 16, 2006; Posted: 12:41 p.m. EDT (16:41 GMT)


President Bush speaks about telephone eavesdropping at the White House on Tuesday.
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WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush insisted Tuesday that the United States does not listen in on domestic telephone conversations among ordinary Americans.

The president did not respond directly, however, when asked whether it was a violation of privacy for the National Security Agency to seek phone records of millions of people from telephone companies.

The NSA has been collecting records of calls made in the U.S. by ordinary Americans as part of its anti-terrorism efforts, according to USA Today. The newspaper story followed reports that the NSA has been conducting eavesdropping on the electronic communications of suspected al Qaeda members and their contacts in the U.S. without warrants.

"We do not listen to domestic phone calls without court approval," Bush said in an East Room news conference with Australian Prime Minister John Howard.

"What I've told the American people is we'll protect them against an al Qaeda attack. And we'll do that within the law," Bush said.

"This government will continue to guard the privacy of the American people. But if al Qaeda is calling into the United States, we want to know, and we want to know why," the president added.

A Senate confirmation hearing is scheduled for Thursday on Bush's nomination of Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden to head the Central Intelligence Agency. As the NSA director from 1999-2005, Hayden oversaw the government's warrantless surveillance program.

Questions about that program, and the new revelations about the NSA's phone data bank, may be obstacles to Hayden's confirmation.



Can someone please define "Ordinary Americans"?

I would like to determine whether that includes me.

 

[Darthphere]

Ones that arent either Arab, black, hispanic, white, asian, european.

 

[Mr Sparkle]

Ordinary = wealthy + in line with the admin.

 

[Erundur]

We're not ordinary raybia

 

[TheSumOfGod]

I guess we'll just take his word on it, huh?

 

[Darthphere]

So, wait. Al Qaeda is the only terrorist organization out there?

 

[raybia]

We're not ordinary raybia

I was afraid of that.

 

[jaguarr]

Forgive me if I don't believe a damn word that comes out of Bush's mouth.

jag

 

[Mr Sparkle]

commie-freedom-hater

 

[raybia]

Ordinary = wealthy + in line with the admin.

So if I was a Rockfeller I would be an ordinary American?

 

[TheSumOfGod]

Forgive me if I don't believe a damn word that comes out of Bush's mouth.

jag

I forgive you, but Homeland Security won't. Have fun in Camp "Torture you up your a**".

 

[Mr Sparkle]

So if I was a Rockfeller I would be an ordinary American?

pretty much.
welcome to the new world order

 

[raybia]

So, wait. Al Qaeda is the only terrorist organization out there?

No but if they fall, I'm sure the rest of them will see how futile it is to resist the Galactic Empire...I mean the U.S. of America.

 

[Darthphere]

If tomorrow all the things were gone
I'd worked for all my life,
And I had to start again
with just my children and my wife,
I'd thank my lucky stars
to be living here today,
'Cause the flag still stands for freedom
and they can't take that away.

I'm proud to be an American
where at least I know I'm free,
And I won't forget the men who died
who gave that right to me,
And I gladly stand up next to you
and defend her still today,
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.

From the lakes of Minnesota
to the hills of Tennessee,
Across the plains of Texas
from sea to shining sea.
From Detroit down to Houston
and New York to L.A.,
There's pride in every American heart
and it's time we stand and say:

I'm proud to be an American
where at least I know I'm free,
And I won't forget the men who died
who gave that right to me,
And I gladly stand up next to you
and defend her still today,
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.

I'm proud to be an American
where at least I know I'm free,
And I won't forget the men who died
who gave that right to me,
And I gladly stand up next to you
and defend her still today,
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.

 

[Armand Z Trip]

So if I was a Rockfeller I would be an ordinary American?

Absolutely, it's like Animal Farm. Some Americans are more ordinary than others.

 

[raybia]

Absolutely, it's like Animal Farm. Some Americans are more ordinary than others.

Man, I wish I was a rich (old money not new) white angelo saxon protestant male.

I HATE MY BLACK SELF.

Oh well, I guess I can just pretend. (or cross the the southern border. Do you think the minute men will let me pass?

 

[SuperDude]

Yeah, you guys are right. The most powerful government in the world is spending millions of dollars, tons of man hours, and risking political backlash so that they can tap your phone line. In fact, your posts probably lit up the red flag and they've already traced your IP address and are in the process of tapping your phones, arranging a stake out, and reconfiguring spy satalites to monitor your house. Yeah, good ol' GWB has his headset on right now and is listening intently to you telling your mom what happened on Myspace the other day. Freaking aye. You better just hope the camera's in your bathroom haven't revealed your strange rash...who knows what the government would do with that information!

 

[bored]

Sell it to your enemies, of course .

 

[jaguarr]

Y In fact, your posts probably lit up the red flag and they've already traced your IP address and are in the process of tapping your phones, arranging a stake out, and reconfiguring spy satalites to monitor your house.

Thanks to the Carnivore program, that's probably true.

jag

 

[raybia]

Yeah, you guys are right. The most powerful government in the world is spending millions of dollars, tons of man hours, and risking political backlash so that they can tap your phone line. In fact, your posts probably lit up the red flag and they've already traced your IP address and are in the process of tapping your phones, arranging a stake out, and reconfiguring spy satalites to monitor your house. Yeah, good ol' GWB has his headset on right now and is listening intently to you telling your mom what happened on Myspace the other day. Freaking aye. You better just hope the camera's in your bathroom haven't revealed your strange rash...who knows what the government would do with that information!

Is this sarcasm? I swear it comes across that way.

 

[ShadowBoxing]

Yeah, you guys are right. The most powerful government in the world is spending millions of dollars, tons of man hours, and risking political backlash so that they can tap your phone line. In fact, your posts probably lit up the red flag and they've already traced your IP address and are in the process of tapping your phones, arranging a stake out, and reconfiguring spy satalites to monitor your house. Yeah, good ol' GWB has his headset on right now and is listening intently to you telling your mom what happened on Myspace the other day. Freaking aye. You better just hope the camera's in your bathroom haven't revealed your strange rash...who knows what the government would do with that information!

You're right in a sense. Average Americans who don't want to bomb anything probably can consider everything to be life as usual. However that does not make it right in my opinion. Sure they are not combing SHH and my phone records with a fine precision, I accept that as the truth. But they could. If I started talking about Bush in an ill light they could know about it.

It is very true and comforting to know America has the world's lowest corruption rating. It is also very comforting to have a system of Government that weeds out what would by most be considered extremists. For this reason I can be confident no "average American" will ever have to worry about this in a safety sense. However its still an ability I'd prefer, and many politicians currently would prefer the President and Government (and NSA) not have.

 

[jaguarr]

It is very true and comforting to know America has the world's lowest corruption rating. It is also very comforting to have a system of Government that weeds out what would by most be considered extremists.

There are those who feel the system has failed on both of those points in the last 6 years.

jag

 

[twylight]

There are those who feel the system has failed on both of those points in the last 6 years.

jag

It's been going on longer than just 6 years.

 

[jaguarr]

Well then they have uniformed opinions. Our Government has the lowest corruption and that is not self-rated (its rated by the United Nations, who probably doesn't like Bush right now). And we don't have extremists either, we don't have a Hitler. And even though the Patriot Act is being looked down upon, IT'S BEING LOOKED DOWN UPON and being questioned by Politicians who have a great degree of power. Furthermore it is not the Alien and Sedition Acts, nor is it Internment. I hate the Patriot Act, it bugs me (to put it lightly). I could give it a full evaluation, I don't have time right now. But it has its strengths and I also recognize it is a part of our Government that these things happen. When facing a new problem like terrorism often the first solution (such as this) is a insufficient one and usually reactionary (see:Internment). However, over time our system has a way of correcting its mistakes through public opinion, new and progressive technologies and methods, and the change of the political tide. I just saw Howard Dean on TV today talking about the wiretapping and he certainly presented a new paradigm which I think the American people will pick up on and run with. However lastly, Government and everything it does is always advantageous to some and disadvantageous to others. The better you are at making policy the better you are at addressing this inherent problem. However, Bush's weakness(es) is policy. He doesn't know how to make them. Seemingly has trouble executing them and furthermore listens to people far too easily. The Presidents like Clinton did not try to give every organization what they wanted. Bush does, he does not do a great job of checking and balancing the powers of Government...or doesn't think far enough ahead to consider the ramifacations of a policy that might disrupt that. As Colbert pointed out he "shoots from the gut". Sometimes his gut tells him to try policies he used in Texas, like "No Child Left Behind"...and in some areas that has worked out very well. In others not so much. His approval ratings dictate as much. Our Government is not corrupt, no more so than it has been and less than it was when it began. It just has a President no one likes (or 60-70% dislike). That reflects poorly on it as a whole. However it will drive public opinion to attempt to elect officials that will not have the same problems as Bush.

Like it or not, many people view Bush's policies (or lack thereof) to be almost completely lacking in consideration of the people he is supposed to e representing in this country and more reflective of his own moral and personal agendas (which are decidely right-wing neo-con Christian in nature), which earmarks him as an extremist when compared with the previous Presidents of the past 30 years. I don't think it's just that he doesn't think far enough ahead in terms of the ramification and implications of his policy, I think it's that he doesn't give a damn about them as long as his personal objectives are met by those policies. He has an arrogance and elitist attitude that, while certainly nothing new to the Presidency, shines through in his dialogue and mannerisms unlike any other President in recent memory. Couple that with the unabashed war profiteering, scratching of corporate backs and cronyism that are far more flagrant in nature with this administration than in past ones (which constitutes corruption in my book, thanks), and you've got a recipe for unhappy Americans as reflected by the President's currrent approval ratings.

Bottom line, there will always be corruption and personal agendas about in politics. But when the lack of consideration for the people is this obvious, the camel's back begins to crack.

jag

 

[Reader]

Yeah, you guys are right. The most powerful government in the world is spending millions of dollars, tons of man hours, and risking political backlash so that they can tap your phone line. In fact, your posts probably lit up the red flag and they've already traced your IP address and are in the process of tapping your phones, arranging a stake out, and reconfiguring spy satalites to monitor your house. Yeah, good ol' GWB has his headset on right now and is listening intently to you telling your mom what happened on Myspace the other day. Freaking aye. You better just hope the camera's in your bathroom haven't revealed your strange rash...who knows what the government would do with that information!

I think the point is the Government of the World's Most Powerful Nation (I wouldn't call them the most powerful government) IS spending millions of dollars and TONS of man hours. And risk? What risk? The American two-party system is a pendulum. Republicans could do anything they wanted and maybe risk 20 years max out of office.

While this kind of ideology is funny to you, not everyone can afford being forced 'the security of being free.' A human being's phone calls, skin rashes, or opinions are only as important as the government makes them. If that skin rash was in the shape of a Star of David in another place in another time that would be something the government would respond to. Right now you can be noticed by this surveillance for speaking ill of Bush.

The only thing that's funny here is your complacency.