Bush defends spying after NSA database report

[sabra]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12734870/

Bush defends spying after NSA database report
Agency collecting information on tens of millions of Americans, paper says


WASHINGTON - Following a report that the U.S. agency in charge of a domestic spying program is building a database of every phone call made within the country, President Bush told the nation from the White House that all anti-terrorism efforts are within the law.

Facing intense criticism from Congress, President Bush did not confirm the work of the National Security Agency but sought to assure Americans that their privacy is being “fiercely protected.”

“We are not mining or trolling through the personal lives of innocent Americans,” Bush said.

[truthisfreedom]

1. gathering ALL data about your phone use is NOT mining or trolling through

your personal life. no sirree, bob. we're looking the other way while we collect the information, so we won't see it!

[CountAllVotes]

14. think you are "unknown"

check it out: www.privateeye.com

You got to write them and give them your SOCIAL SECURITY # to get off of this damned "database". Privacy? What is that?


:kick:

[Misunderestimator]

19. Holy crap.... I searched myself and found six of my last 7 addresses

That sucks

[CountAllVotes]

20. this too is an invasion of our privacy

class action lawsuit anyone? :grr:

:kick:

[ixion]

27. I found a listing for some city in New Jersey... I've never lived in NJ

so I'm a bit concerned now. :-(

[Sapere aude]

30. look what else anyone can get

Also includes: age, possible current address, up to 20 year address history, phone numbers, bankruptcies, tax liens & judgments, property ownership, possible relatives, possible roommates, aliases / maiden names, neighbors, marriages and divorces, dea registrants, and website ownership. (view sample)

[Daphne08]

39. Can someone tell me what this site is? Thanks. n/t

[la la]

46. holy jeezusmaryandjoseph-

it 'says' I'm 105 yrs old and hubby is 106!

No wonder I feel like crap ---dogdamn NSA and GWB.

[wordpix2]

48. wow, I thought I was more anonymous than that

[cantstandbush]

31. THIS WAS A SET-UP LEAK!!

It's what the administration orchestrated so that Bush could get in front of the public and say what he said to make it look like he's in charge and that the administration is fully engaged in fighting terrorism at home. It's the debate they want to have against Dems so that they can accuse all opponents of the spying of being soft on terrorism and more concerned with personal privacy issues than attacks on America. The media is complicit in this rouse...it's Rovian techniques all over again. Americans are indeed stupid!

[snooper2]

36. nope, this is their new statergery

They are going to be in full force with dipshit telling chimpy what to do now...

Anything that comes out chimpy will there hours later. They are not waiting for talking points to be created by AM repbulican whores to choose the best course of action.

[Oak2004]

43. No, but it does indicate there are powerful people

opposed to this administration.

I am not surprised, but it has taken far too long for such people to realize that Bush puts even their interests at risk.

[midnight]

Yep. That's the way the plan on doing it.

This way they won't be breaking any laws.

[midnight]

50. Yep. That's the way the plan on doing it.

This way they won't be breaking any laws.

[Botany]

Lie

"We are not mining...."

So tens of millions of al Qaeda live in the United States?

Please!

"It's the largest database ever assembled in the world," said one person, who, like the others who agreed to talk about the NSA's activities, declined to be identified by name or affiliation. The agency's goal is "to create a database of every call ever made" within the nation's borders, this person added.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-10-nsa_x.htm?csp=34

[KeepItReal]

2. So therefore 10 Million Americans are Al Qaeda sympathizers??

Because innocent Americans don't have their data mined, right?

[paparush]

3. I call Bullshit!!

This 'might' be the issue that awakens the sheeple! Although I'm sure Faux news, et al, will be spinning the beejezzus out of this.

I see Pat Roberson has already voiced his displeasure at the revelation.

tony snow should have fun juggling this ball.

[Ezlivin]

4. Then open YOUR books, Bush. We promise WE won't spy on you.

I cannot wait for this fucker to serve hard prison time.

[KeepItReal]

6. That's why he doesn't "email"...he doesnt want you reading his stuff!

He told us everything we needed to know way back then.

[wordpix2]

49. dont' you know, all books are open for inspection except BushCheney's &

anything having to do with their secret stuff. "Secret" definition is based on whim of BushCheneyCorp and their BigOil buds.

[Kenergy]

5. Define 'innocent American' for me King n/t

[bluerum]

7. This deserves a liebold translation -

<"">
“We are not mining or trolling through the personal lives of innocent Americans,” Bush said.
<"">

Translation: "We are tolling through the political lives of guilty terrorists and Americans."

[Julius Civitatus]

8. “We are not mining or trolling through the personal lives of innocent

Americans..."

Yeah right, only the 10 million or more you have criminally labeled "Al Qaeda sympathizers."

He really believes he is above the law.

[Kagemusha]

9. Two comments

1) To Leahy: Say it, brother!!

2) This phrase is already spreading. Spread it more:

"All Your Phone Calls Are Belong To Me."

Short, damning, and kind of chuckle-worthy too.

[Julius Civitatus]

10. “We are not mining or trolling through the personal lives of innocent

Americans..."

Yeah right, only the 10 million or more you have criminally labeled "Al Qaeda sympathizers."

He really believes he is above the law.

[rodeodance]

11. Reuters: Specter wants to know about NSA phone database

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/security_usa_phonecalls_senate_dc

Specter wants to know about NSA phone database

39 minutes ago

Andy Sullivan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said on Thursday he would ask U.S. phone companies whether they are providing phone records of tens of millions of Americans to the National Security Agency.


Sen. Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record), a Pennsylvania Republican, was reacting to a report in USA Today saying the NSA was secretly collecting the records and using the data to analyze calling patterns in an effort to detect terrorist activity.

The disclosure, if confirmed, means the agency's domestic program would be far larger than previously suspected. Last December following a New York Times report,
President George W. Bush said he had authorized the NSA to listen to international calls of people suspected of having links to terrorists without court approval.

Specter said U.S. lawmakers have been unable to determine if that domestic spy program was legal.

"We've got to call on those telephone companies to provide some information to figure out what is going on," he said.

[CountAllVotes]

23. Dear Senator Specter

If you wish to know more about the "database" simply go to the DO NOT CALL registry!

We've been DUPED!

:kick:

[GOTV]

32. He says a lot of things...

... does he ever do anything?

[kath]

41. no, Specter never does a damn thing.

[KansDem]

38. "...unable to determine if that domestic spy program was legal"

Specter said U.S. lawmakers have been unable to determine if that domestic spy program was legal.

We have a Congress of eunuchs...

[jaxx]

12. You can always tell when he's lying, he doesn't smirk.

Now we'll be innundated with the Osama bullshit, and the rest of the war lies. I'm sick of them and sick of dubya.

[Divernan]

13. How many billions of $$$$ is this costing? We're taxed to spy on ourselves

nt

[rodeodance]

15. AP: Bush Doesn't Confirm NSA Data Collection

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060511/ap_on_go_pr_wh/nsa_phone_records;_ylt=AsSlufmoXddipcDxmhROC_Os0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3b2NibDltBHNlYwM3MTY-

Bush Doesn't Confirm NSA Data Collection

By LAURIE KELLMAN, Associated Press Writer 5 minutes ago

WASHINGTON -
President Bush did not confirm or deny a newspaper report Thursday that the National Security Agency was collecting records of tens of millions of ordinary Americans' phone calls.


"Our intelligence activities strictly target al-Qaida and their known affiliates," Bush said. "We are not mining or trolling through the personal lives of innocent Americans."

USA Today, based on anonymous sources it said had direct knowledge of the arrangement, reported that AT&T Corp., Verizon Communications Inc., and BellSouth Corp. began turning over records of Americans' phone calls to the NSA shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Bush said any domestic intelligence-gathering measures he's approved are "lawful," and he says "appropriate" members of Congress have been briefed.

[Vinca]

16. This guy has got to be impeached. I don't even care that we'll

end up with Cheney.

[MGKrebs]

17. Dear george, Even if true, what is the oversight?

What mechanism is in place to ensure what you say? What is to stop you from changing your mind tomorrow? What controls will be left in place when Hillary Clinton is calling the shots? Does the Judicial or Legislative branches have any role in this?

[rodeodance]

18. Feinstein saying that this may be problem for Hayden:

,Sen. Dianne Feinstein (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., who has spoken favorably of the nomination, said the latest revelation "is also going to present a growing impediment to the confirmation of Gen. Hayden."

The NSA wants the database of domestic call records to look for any patterns that might suggest terrorist activity, USA Today said.

Don Weber, a senior spokesman for the NSA, told the paper that the agency operates within the law, but would not comment further on its operations.

One big telecommunications company, Qwest, has refused to turn over records to the program, the newspaper said, because of privacy and legal concerns.

[rodeodance]

21. "enators steam over new report of N-S-A phone calling scrutiny"

http://www.team4news.com/Global/story.asp?S=4891178&nav...

Senators steam over new report of N-S-A phone calling scrutiny


CAPITOL HILL A Republican senator says it's time to "find out exactly what is going on." A Democrat senator is asking, "Where does it stop?"

The furor on Capitol Hill is over a U-S-A Today report that three big phone companies have turned over the records of tens of (m) millions of calls to the National Security Agency, as part of a government effort to compile a complete database of phone calls.

Chairman Arlen Specter says he wants A-T-and-T, Verizon and BellSouth to appear before his Senate Judiciary panel to explain.

The ranking Democrat on the committee, Patrick Leahy, says he's angry that Congress will, in his words, "rubber stamp" anything done by the Bush administration.

[GOTV]

34. I'm increasingly annoyed...

... at hearing how our representatives are angry, suspicious, concerned or troubled about what's going on when nothing seems to get done about it.

I wish I could impose a moritorium on coverage of what our Reps think and only hear about what they do. If the media could only tell them "You want to be mentioned on our program? We only report on things that are accomplished, so stop talking and start doing".

If they don't stop Hayden, for example, it doesn't matter whether or not they are comfortable with him.

[VegasWolf]

22. Bush defends, "Do you know how many really great carrot cake recipes

I got? heh heh! By the way your Aunt Susy is cheating on Uncle Wilbur. Heh heh!"

[BigDDem]

24. Today's GOP

keeping government off our back!

[noel adamson]

25. See, Big Brother listens, he loves you and is very interested in...

...what you do, your hopes, desires, political inclinations, the moral character of your little friends...

Your future.


As for “We are not mining or trolling through the personal lives of innocent Americans,” no one in America is innocent any more; every one has been criminalized in one way or another. Nothing the Nazis did was illegal; everyone they sent to the concentration camps was a "criminal".

[robbedvoter]

26. I am not a crook (also, I'm the decider of who's innocent)

[MiniMe]

28. From the man that doesn't use email because he doesn't want us.....

reading his personal stuff. :eyes:

[tinrobot]

29. "Innocent Americans" is the key phrase

“We are not mining or trolling through the personal lives of innocent Americans,” Bush said.

I guess Bush gets to define guilt and innocence, and not the courts.

I wonder if his political enemies are "innocent"

[shadowknows69]

33. "all anti-terrorism efforts are within the law."

Which is what he'll say when he goes to war with Iran without consent and when he suspends elections. Welcome to your dictatorship America.

[emald]

35. GWBushit is a LIAR......LIAR......LIAR

his word must not and can not be trusted in any way. If the idiot in chief says the water is wet I wouldn't believe him. What a liar. He truly is the anti-christ.

[zara]

37. INNOCENT until data mined into GUILT!

: (

[Triana]

40. EXCUSE ME?? They ARE mining the data of innocent Americans!!! (n/t)

[Zynx]

42. He's recording all of our calls. What's next? Tracking all of our movement

around the country? Passes to go from state to state? This database has virtually no use in the WoT and is a gross invasion of personal liberty.

[Rex]

44. So they are mining and trolling through the personal lives of innocent

Americans. Remember, whatever Bush says believe the opposite.

[struggle4progress]

45. Is this what Republicans mean by "Get government off our backs?"

[genieroze]

47. They want to get the constitution off their backs, and put women back

on their backs.