MotherJones.com | MoJoBlog - Social Issues and Political Commentary: Let the Warantless Wiretapping Resume

MotherJones.com MoJoBlog - Social Issues and Political Commentary: Let the Warantless Wiretapping Resume:

"It's official: The Protect America Act is on it's way to the president's desk
and, once it arrives, you can be sure it will be signed promptly so the
administration can resume its warantless eavesdropping program (legally this
time). Last night 41 House Democrats sided with their Republican colleagues to
pass the measure, greenlighted by the Senate on Friday, which revises the
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), allowing the NSA to intercept
foreign communications without obtaining a court order. Troubling to civil
libertarians and the House Democrats who voted against the legislation, is the
wording in the bill, which seems just vague enough that U.S. citizens and
domestic communications could still be swept up in the surveillance net, which
was the whole problem with the first incarnation of the administration’s
warrantless wiretapping program. According to the bill, electronic intercepts
involving people 'reasonably believed to be outside the United States' are fair
game. The question is what constitutes 'reasonable belief' and can the intel
community be counted on to adhere to this standard, particularly after the FBI's
well publicized abuses of its FISA authority."

These are issues that need to be resolved, it needs to be understood what the power of the government is and what the power of the government isn't in dealing with civil rights. Over the next six months, Congress and the White House have a chance to discuss these issues and find the right balance of power. In this issue more than any other I think that the voice of the American people need to be heard. Both sides in this debate are saying that they are speaking for the protection of Americans and they both have valid points. The problem is that on both sides there is also egos involved and it it hard to know where the stand for rights end and the stand for the sake of the stand begin.

My personal opinion is that they can listen to my phone. I am not breaking the law. I think that the fourth amendment that forbade unlawful search and seizure was more about the violation of property and person involved in having someone enter your home without your permission and take your property. It does no harm to me, if they are listening to my phone calls, they are really boring so it might allow them to get some sleep. I don't think that the same level of protection is needed for electronic searches as of standard searches.