Surveillance bill gets Hill hearing

[sabra]

Source: USA Today

WASHINGTON — FBI agents and other federal investigators would have greater leeway to eavesdrop on foreigners in the USA suspected of having information on terrorism or national security threats, under a Bush administration proposal.

The bill has the backing of the Justice Department and Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell. It would allow the telephone calls, e-mails and other activities of persons who are not U.S. citizens or legal residents to be secretly monitored if they are thought to "possess significant foreign intelligence information." Individuals and groups who deal in "weapons of mass destruction" would also become surveillance targets, under the proposed law.

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act requires that a surveillance target be an agent of a foreign power or connected to a terrorist group before a secret FISA court authorizes monitoring. The proposed law, a copy of which was furnished to USA TODAY by McConnell's office, would amend that requirement.

The Senate Intelligence Committee is scheduled to conduct hearings on the bill today.

Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-04-16-FISA_N.htm

[ck4829]

1. Congress should just drop it

They do not have to even bring it up for a hearing, so I say to Congress, just let this surveillance thing drop like a bag of bricks.

[damntexdem]

3. Oh, no -- it shouldn't be dropped. Further restrictions should be added.

Let Dubya veto an intelligence bill, too -- or accept further restrictions on snooping.

[Double T]

2. You don't let an administration that has run amok and run roughshod.........

over the Constitution and Bill of Rights and plain old human decency have unlimited powers without strict oversight. The Democrats in Congress better NOT let us down on this change in the law. bushco is ALL ABOUT skirting the law.

[MissMillie]

4. Wait a minute.... I thought Bush already had the authority to conduct surveillance of this nature

Isn't that what they kept telling us... that as commander-in-chief, he can wiretap these people w/o a warrant?


If he DOES... why does he need this bill?




If this bill is necessary, then what Bush was doing up until now is ILLEGAL... is it not?