Propaganda? These are facts. Some of these jails have been proven to exist. One of them is in afghanistan where a German citizen was just realeased after 5 months of torture. This was admited by Rice herself. Call it propaganda if you will and ignore it. No one needs to make or want to make the US look bad. GWB has done it himself.
What do you mean "not applicable to the current situation"?!? They are ALL applicable! What about the President having the authority to order warrantless searches in order to gather intelligence on foreign threats don't you understand? If you don't like how the Constitution is written, you are free to lobby your legislator to introduce an amendment. If you don't like who the Attorney General is, you are free to scream for his resignation. If you don't like the Supreme Court's decisions on this issue, you are free to complain to them. If you don't like the ruling the federal appellate courts made on this issue, you are free to complain to them. If you don't like the FISA Court of Review's finding that the President has inherent authority to order warrantless searches and that FISA cannot encroach on his authority, you are free to complain to them. Yes, this country is not a dictatorship. Interesting that you use the term "reasonable." Do you or do you not agree that monitoring Al Qaeda communications fits the definition of "reasonable" that is the basis for such monitoring?
Maybe if you're Ned Flanders, but a great number of the rest of us use *gasp* illegal drugs. 110 million Americans, aged 12 or over (45.8% of the US population aged 12 and over) report having used an illicit drug at least once in their lifetimes. This victimless activity classifies us as 'criminals' and even terrorist supporters, according to TV ads financed by our tax dollars. Still think we have nothing to fear? In 2004, U.S. law enforcement arrested 590,258 violent crime suspects, <b>and over three times as many</b> prohibition violators, including 684,319 people for the heinous crime of 'marijuana possession'. Prohibition enforcement is clearly a far greater priority to the government than catching pedophiles, thieves, robbers...and yes, terrorists. By turning common, victimless activities into 'criminal offences', by imprisoning millions of political prisoners at our expense, I'd have to say that you're far more likely to become a terror victim by the hand of our own government, rather than any other 'official' terrorist organization.
I still don't buy into your argument. It lacks credibility because once again, I would suggest that you would have to be incredibly naive to think that the USA does not have the satellite assets and technology to monitor one's communications. Any terrorist who wishes harm to this Country is well aware of our technological assets. They didn't have to read the NY Times to figure this out.
It does and it was used by the Gov to spy on Europeen business and that info was given then to some US co. This was well publiszed so I am sure terrorist are well aware of this as you state.
I really don't look at this issue in "right or left" terms. As Rep. John Murtha said last month, the gravemarkers in Arlington Cemetery do not state whether the soldier that died for our Country was a republican or a democrat. As a result, I tend to look at this more in terms of running a large Fortune 500 company. In that regard, this Administration has made ALL sorts of mistakes concerning Operation Iraqi Freedom. From denouncing Army Chief of Staff General Eric Shinseki's original estimate of needed troop strength, to botched and cherry-picked intelligence, to lack of appropriate armored-up Humvee's, to outright denial of a very strong insurgency . . . I can go on and on and on. If this was a Fortune 500 Company, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz would have been fired a long long time ago. If that makes the Commander in Chief look bad then so be it. It's like being in the major leagues . . . if the player personnel are unable to successfully execute day in and day out in the field, the manager gets fired. No questions asked. Last time I checked, Bush was Commander in Chief.
Bingo! Our public transportation security, border security, port security, and strategic infrastructure security ( dams, waterways, utilities, power plants, bridges, etc. ) is a joke. Just ask a CEO of a prime defense contractor. Homeland Security has never been fully funded to defend this Country with any adequacy whatsoever. And when some funding has in fact occured at Homeland Security, it has been "sprinkled" around the country with pork-barrel politics in mind, and no specific strategy or platform. How else can you explain a police chief in East Bumfuck, Tennessee able to purchase an amphibious vehicle for his police department with Homeland Security funding when there is no body of water in sight? Guess it will look good during those 4th of July parades down Main Street.
First off, it's pretty difficult to know when you've been wire-tapped ( legally or illegally ) because the NSA does not tell you. That is the beauty of this agency. Thus, your argument does not hold any water. As for all of us being in far greater danger of being monitored by a computer hacker than by any agency of government, at any level . . . I would beg to differ with you. Big Brother is watching more than you can even begin to imagine. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051224/ap_on_go_pr_wh/domestic_spying
If you can't tell if you've been tapped or not, then neither does the opposite argument. And that proves what?!? I still say your average American has far more to fear from a hacker than from a government agency.
Has nothing to do with the Left's being more concerned with Bush's downfall than national security. You honestly believe the Left is making such a big deal out of this for non-political reasons, that they view all of this with the same level of objectivity you claim to have? ROFLMAO!