Telephone conversations have NEVER been a medium which included a presumption of privacy from a legal standpoint. Prior to the mid 1970s, when computers began handling the major bulk of telephone switching traffic, it was possible for an operator to be monitoring any given phone call at any given time. On long distance calls it was far more likely than on local calls.

Some of us can still remember when you had to be careful of your language while on the phone, because if an operator heard you using profanity, you could be visited by the FCC and fined. Criminals had to use codespeak and other “secure” communication methods, because discussing a crime over the phone could bring them under scrutiny.

That we have, somewhere along the line, ascribed ultimate sanctity to our electronic communications is founded neither in history OR in the law. Let Uncle Charlie listen, I say, and let the chips fall where they may.

McConnell said it takes 200 hours to assemble a FISA warrant on a single telephone number.

Can this be correct? or possible, in post 9/11 America?
Thats equivalent to 10 people using 2 and 1/2 days of work to gain one warrant for one phone number?

please tell me the Dems haven’t made it that bad…please.

In a phone interview, Michigan Rep. Peter Hoekstra said he never felt at liberty to discuss some of the information that McConnell did, including the FISA court rulings, but the executive branch gets to decide what is classified. “What I think it tells you is how important they believe it is to get this FISA thing done right,” said Hoekstra, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee.

He said McConnell is hurt by the personal attacks on him during the FISA recent debate. Among them, Democrats have alleged that he negotiated in bad faith and was too beholden to the White House.

In addition, Hoekstra said he thinks McConnell wanted to push back on accusations that the legislation gave the attorney general unprecedented new powers. “I think they felt they had to become more public,” he said.

This was no accident – this is game on – let’s tell the citizenry just how devious the Democrats are – they’ve blown the damn program anyhow.

At the end of the interview, McConnell cautioned reporter Chris Roberts that he should consider whether enemies of the U.S. could gain from the information he just shared in the interview, Roberts said. McConnell left it to the paper to decide what to publish.

I am bamfoozled. The National Intelligence Director gives an interview and then leaves it up to the El Paso Times to determine if the information shared in the interview will help our enemies?

Either this guy is as dumb as a stump or he needs to fire his communications director (assuming that the “leak” was fully intentional).

What’s next? An interview with the Rockville Gazette on actual surveillance techniques?

Does “Mad Magazine” still exist?

rockhauler on August 23, 2007 at 4:03 AM

Yes, but you wouldn’t believe how far left they are these days. I picked up a copy back in April, they had a very funny cover of “The Donald” and Rosie in a “Gone with the Wind” parody. I was very sorry I did that, after I read the inside of it. Very anti-Bush, anti-Cheney, very liberal slant in everything inside the magazine. A pity, I used to like it a lot. I suppose I grew up since the sixties. A pity they didn’t.

You also get a sense that the intelligence community knows a lot more than they are letting on; the public perception that the CIA is a bunch of bungling fools suits them just fine. Yes, there are still a bunch of stuffed shirts, full of hot air saying, “nothing is going to happen”, and six days later something big blows up.

You also get a sense of why the liberal left is terrified of surveillance.

Does “Mad Magazine” still exist? and do they still do the ‘spy vs spy’ thing?

Even as he shed new light on the classified operations, McConnell asserted that the current debate in Congress about whether to update the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act will cost American lives because of all the information it revealed to terrorists.

“Part of this is a classified world. The fact that we’re doing it this way means that some Americans are going to die,” he said.

And you know why the democrats don’t care? Because they won’t die…they have security. Just us peasants. F*ck us, we’re expendable. If a few of us die, that would be great for them, then they could scream George Bush isn’t protecting us.

• Offering never-disclosed figures, McConnell also revealed that fewer than 100 people inside the United States are monitored under FISA warrants. However, he said, thousands of people overseas are monitored.

Get that? Fewer than 100 people – Democrats compromised a program that they KNOW protects americans and KNEW was – in a population of 301,139,947 – fewer than 100 are being monitored? Because they prefer power to people’s live?

Also…

In addition, Hoekstra said he thinks McConnell wanted to push back on accusations that the legislation gave the attorney general unprecedented new powers. “I think they felt they had to become more public,” he said.

Why, because Democrats lie?

“Glenn Greenwald has a female sock puppet who wants to sex chat Whore-aldo”

And good day to you, SIR!