Gonzales blasts surveillance critics

[buckthesystem]

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/...0,6819532.story

Gonzales Blasts Surveillance Critics

By CHASE SQUIRES

Associated Press Writer

November 19, 2006, 5:25 AM EST

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Attorney General Alberto Gonzales contended Saturday that some critics of the Bush administration's warrantless surveillance program were defining freedom in a way that poses a "grave threat" to U.S. security.

Gonzales was the second administration official in two days to attack a federal judge's ruling last August that the program was unconstitutional. Vice President Dick Cheney on Friday called the ruling "an indefensible act of judicial overreaching."

Gonzales told about 400 cadets from the Air Force Academy's political science and law classes that some see the program as on the verge of stifling freedom rather that protecting the country.

"But this view is shortsighted," he said. "Its definition of freedom -- one utterly divorced from civic responsibility -- is superficial and is itself a grave threat to the liberty and security of the American people."

Gonzales and Cheney's attacks on the court order came as the administration was urging the lame-duck Congress to approve legislation authorizing the warrantless surveillance. The bill's chances are in doubt, however, because of Democratic opposition in the Senate, where 60 votes are required to end debate and vote.

At a news conference, Gonzales would not speculate how the administration would react if Congress did not authorize warrantless surveillance.

"We're optimistic because of the importance of this program, the success of the program, the stated commitment of the Democratic leadership to work with us in protection of America, and that we're going to have a good discussion and dialogue about the program," he said.

(continues - go to link)

[Arthur Durnan]

Of what value are civil liberties when one is indubitally dead? Life, and remaining alive in the face of Islamic aggression, must trump "civil liberties" every time. 9-11 says so!

http://arthurdurnan.freeyellow.com

[buckthesystem]

Of what value are civil liberties when one is indubitally dead? Life, and remaining alive in the face of Islamic aggression, must trump "civil liberties" every time. 9-11 says so!

http://arthurdurnan.freeyellow.com

Doesn't that cut both ways? What is the point in a life of slavery to the state? Because that is what a life without civil liberties would be!

The catchphrase "give me liberty or give me death" doesn't exist for nothing. What has "9.11" got to do with a life with no civil liberties anyway? Using "9.11" as the excuse for all manner of evil is getting rather old, don't you think?

[Arthur Durnan]

Actually, in all reality, the answer is really NO! It DOESN'T cut both ways at all. Civil liberties as espoused by the derelict ACLU junkies has NO defense against current Islamic terrorism in which innocent citizens are automatically & unexpectedly condemned to die by a violence-prone Muslim mass-murder system. I say it again: what good are "civil liberties" in the ongoing culture of constant terrorism bent on a global Muslim Caliphate which shows NO mercy for anyone? If one is indubitably DEAD, to what extent can "civil liberties" assist? Or perhaps you don't feel we've entered W.W.3 yet? Hmm. Okay, alright, so it's all just Bulldog Drummond on the rise.

http://arthurdurnan.freeyellow.com

[buckthesystem]

I see that there are some who are slaves already.

When you are willing to give up what America stands for in order to have "security" you are in fact a slave to fear.

Right after 911 the president said that they hate us for our freedoms.

I guess the terrorists have won afterall....Americans are willing to give up their liberty for fear of terrorism.

How very sad.

If I am not mistaken, Arthur Durnan is from Canada. If I'm wrong A.D., let me know, but I believe it was your evangelism web-site I checked out some time back and it said you were in Canada. Even so, I don't believe the wire-tapping program is violating my freedom. Even in the article criticizing it in USA Today some time back, the total number being monitored was around 600 in a nation of 300 million. If that is the number the critics of the program were giving out, it is likely pretty accurate. There is no way the government can be going after anyone but terrorists, and I am fine with that.

Yes, there is a point where one can give up too much of their rights in the name of safety, but I don't consider this one of them. I hardly consider allowing the government to wire-tap terrorists slavery. Making such ascertions is nothing but being an alarmist for the left.

Do you believe it is ok for the government to run wiretaps on people for joining a peaceful protest?

There are more instances of wiretapping going on than just what the article says.

Get on your phone and say "I think George Bush is the bomb." Around here that would be a compliment, but it would also trigger the data mines. Go ahead, try it.

Yeah, "They hate us for our freedoms",sure! It would seem that "freedom" is being given away incrementally. This seems to be a case of "give them an inch and they will take a mile". "function creep" - it always happens. It also seems that the figure of "600" is a "spun" or "twisted" figure (maybe something along the lines of "we have intercepted 600 so far, but there is potential for millions more".

Here is an bit out of an article on this, it is a pretty old news item now, but rather more informative:

"In defending the previously disclosed program, Bush insisted that the NSA was focused exclusively on international calls. "In other words," Bush explained, "one end of the communication must be outside the United States."

As a result, domestic call records

[ted]

I'm willing to live in freedom with the absence of laws designed to protect us, but can't stand the thought of some whining because we haven't done enough.

If we get hit again, I don't want to hear any crying.

t.

[Arthur Durnan]

Then Long Live the despicable ACLU! Rights, Schmights....And then Rights too for an altogether different variety of individual: Muslims who seek to mass-murder in the name of their moon-god Allah. No wire-taps? No swift discovery & apprehension. No special courts? No swift justice & imprisonment. No Islamic racial/national-profiling? No zeroing-in on truly possible (with cause) individuals. Sixty-five-year-old grandmothers have yet to carry explosives on board in their shoe-soles! Have past Muslim mass-bombers been anything other than Muslim mass-bombers or would-be Muslim mass-bombers? Maybe 109 war warnings in the Qur'an - meaning 1 out of every 55 verses advocates violence against "infidels"! - mean ZIP to some kind folk. However, those warnings (and all those individuals who have already committed these despicable acts) tend to speak volumes to acute observers. These are special times involving America & Western allies regally ensconced in World War 3. Once more: "civil liberties" cannot exist if people are indubitably dead as promised by IslamoFascist sleeper cells! Eternal vigilance in every respect is the price of liberty! Lest we forget.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

http://arthurdurnan.freeyellow.com