Fratto’s FISA Fearmongering: In 3 Weeks, Terrorists ‘Can Be Free’ To Make Calls Without Surveillance
Fratto’s FISA Fearmongering: In 3 Weeks, Terrorists ‘Can Be Free’ To Make Calls Without Surveillance
On Feb. 1, the Bush administration’s broad expansion of its surveillance powers in the hastily-passed Protect America Act are set to expire. Facing a confrontation in the Senate over the inclusion of retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has said he “is likely to push for a one-month extension of the existing law to give Congress and the White House time to work out a compromise.”
But the White House is balking at Reid’s approach, stoking fears of a terrorist attack if it does not get everything they want on a permanent basis. Spokesman Tony Fratto told Congressional Quarterly yesterday that without the immediate passage of legislation, “terrorists” will soon “be free to make phone calls without fear of being surveilled“:
“We’re exactly three weeks away,” he said, “from the date when terrorists can be free to make phone calls without fear of being surveilled by U.S. intelligence agencies”.
Fratto’s contention is flat-out misleading. As CQ’s Keith Perine notes, “intelligence agents would not be instantly hobbled if the law were to expire Feb. 1.” In fact, surveillance authorizations would still “remain in effect until a year after they were issued”:
The existing law allows the National Intelligence director and the attorney general to authorize surveillance aimed at people outside the United States — even if they are communicating with people inside the country — for up to one year, subject to some conditions.
Even after Feb. 1, any such surveillance authorizations would remain in effect until a year after they were issued.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), who favors denying retroactive immunity, says the White House is creating a “false choice” by claiming that “if you want to give all the power to the president, you’re in favor of America” and if not, you’re “in favor of the terrorists.”
UPDATE: In a statement, People for the American Way say Fratto’s claim is “a bold-faced lie.”
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Memo to sheeple:
Cower, be very afraid.
Your government must intercept all your communiations to keep you safe.
Sweet nightmares!
January 15th, 2008 at 12:29 pmLet me see if I get this.
Reid is advocating once again caving in, to buy time to negotiate, but the cabal is saying, NO NEGOTIATION!
Give us exactly what we want, NOW! Or we’ll call you names.
Can anyone find a vendor stall selling spine? I need to buy some for Harry and the Spinelessenators.
January 15th, 2008 at 12:31 pmThe Bush crime family terraists currently holed up in the White House have been free to make telephone calls for the last seven years…
January 15th, 2008 at 12:31 pmIt’s pretty crappy they can keep doing this for another year, but then why not just let it ride? Don’t negotiate with Bush, don’t do a thing.
January 15th, 2008 at 12:34 pmBush will be out of office and we can get a more responsible and Constitutional policy.
OH NO!
January 15th, 2008 at 12:36 pmAhboo is going to to start calling me again four times a day offering a 1.5% refinance loan.
Keep him locked-up and screw habeas corpus.
Tony El Fartto has become the new Tony Snow.
Use alarmism, fear and Holy Cow! warnings to preempt any rational discussion.
January 15th, 2008 at 12:37 pmAmerica’s security will never be solved by laws, only by it’s People.
Can anyone find a vendor stall selling spine? I need to buy some for Harry and the Spinelessenators.
Comment by RUCerious — January 15, 2008 @ 12:31 pm
a while back, ed schultz was talking about sending congress members some BALLS as a message…
never heard what became of that…
January 15th, 2008 at 12:38 pmprobably, with the aversion to the deadly snail mail, not much…
Is it just me, or does this Fratto guy look like a freakin’ retard?
Oh shiot, don’t look now! There’s a terrorist under my bed!
I am so sick of these cowardly ass, yellow bellied pussy crybaby republicans and their freakouts over terrorists.
January 15th, 2008 at 12:39 pmReligion has always relied on fear. The Bush administration has followed the lead of religion. But, I have to ask, where do they find these weirdos, in the unemployment line?
January 15th, 2008 at 12:41 pmFourteen Defining Characteristics of Fascism
# 2. Disdain for the importance of human rights. The regimes themselves viewed human rights as of little value and a hindrance to realizing the objectives of the ruling elite. Through clever use of propaganda, the population was brought to accept these human rights abuses by marginalizing, even demonizing, those being targeted. When abuse was egregious, the tactic was to use secrecy, denial, and disinformation.
January 15th, 2008 at 12:44 pmkaty, what would the female Senators get?
January 15th, 2008 at 12:44 pm#7 Can anyone find a vendor stall selling spine?
What? You getting tired of marinated oxtail?
January 15th, 2008 at 12:44 pmEverybody thought there’d be a false-flag attack that Bushco would use as an excuse to cancel the elections.
The false-flag attack is out and the economic collapse is in. America has been sold to the highest bidder, and the hunger pangs await us. Bushco will use the worst economic crash in the history of mankind to void the Constitution and establish dictatorship.
This and similar blogs are missing the real threat to America.
It’s still the economy, stupid.
January 15th, 2008 at 12:46 pm#12 Clumberfeets ~ [: }
Yuck, oxtail would be bad enough, but marinating it?
January 15th, 2008 at 12:47 pmMaybe I’m wrong but the previous FISA law would allow the same surveilance, they would only have to show the FISA court the rationale for the surveilance.
January 15th, 2008 at 12:47 pmMarcus, how dare you insinuate that the economy is….what? Hold on,
the DOW is doing what? Down how many? Sell, Sell, Selllllllll!
Now, back to my point(less)…
January 15th, 2008 at 12:48 pmImmunity for Telcos or DIE DIE DIE!!!
January 15th, 2008 at 12:48 pmwhat terrorists? where are they? they guys that wanted shoes in Miami? The guys that couldn’t get a job except with the FBI in Chicago?
the nit was just over making deals with the terrorists.
and these jerks pretend they care about the court and the decision?
January 15th, 2008 at 12:50 pmyour government has been purchased, don’t you get it yet?
Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) says the White House is creating a “false choice†by claiming that “if you want to give all the power to the president, you’re in favor of America†and if not, you’re “in favor of the terrorists.â€
The White House HAS TO create “false choices”. It’s the only way they stand any chance of gaining support for their policies among anyone but the 29 percenters.
All of the real choices they offer are crap, and they know it.
January 15th, 2008 at 12:50 pm#14 It’s all natural.
January 15th, 2008 at 12:51 pmTerrorists ‘Can Be Free’ To Make Calls Without Surveillance,
we know who the ‘terrorists’ are now……guess.
January 15th, 2008 at 12:52 pmover-exaggeration about EVERYTHING is the trademark of this administration. If anyone in the service of Bushitler were to tell the truth about ANYTHING, that person would instantly keel over dead from a heart attack-because they LIE ABOUT EVERYTHING- ALL THE TIME.
January 15th, 2008 at 12:53 pmI must have been numbed down by so much hyperbolic rhetoric.
When I heard a right wing radio pundit screaming that “they’re still coming here to kill us!”, it made me laugh out loud. These warmongering idiots sound like pure psychopaths, and should be treated as such.
The only people who are still buying into the “fear” campaign are the TRUE TIN-FOIL HAT wearers.
January 15th, 2008 at 12:55 pm#20 At this point I’d take any spine, even one from one of the creatures in Alien!
January 15th, 2008 at 12:55 pmCaption:
January 15th, 2008 at 12:55 pm‘And then Mr. Gannon said, ‘it’s this big’!’
RUCerious — January 15, 2008 @ 12:48 pm
Thanks for getting it.
January 15th, 2008 at 12:55 pmDNFP ~ was that by any chance Mikey Thavage?
January 15th, 2008 at 12:55 pmComment by RUCerious - Probably, but I’m not sure, I had to switch back to sports talk before my IQ began to suffer.
January 15th, 2008 at 12:57 pmkaty, what would the female Senators get?
Comment by RUCerious — January 15, 2008 @ 12:44 pm
same thing - BALLS …
January 15th, 2008 at 12:59 pmthey’d get the message, i’m sure…
DNFP~ Yeah, I know, channel 770 has the Seattle Sonics, and every now and again I dial in to get the pregame show and Savage or Limbaugh is screaming at me…
January 15th, 2008 at 1:01 pmthe same ol’ neoCON song and dance:
you’re either with us
-or-
you’re with the terrorsts.
Life in the neoCON is so simple.
January 15th, 2008 at 1:01 pmkaty ~ I hope they don’t send out emails asking for donors!
January 15th, 2008 at 1:01 pmthe same ol’ neoCON song and dance:
you’re either with us
-or-
you’re with the terrorsts.
Life in neoCONland is so simple.
January 15th, 2008 at 1:02 pm“terrorists†will soon “be free to make phone calls without fear of being surveilled“
January 15th, 2008 at 1:03 pmBut they already phone each other without surveilance… Bush calls Olmert, Olmert calls Rice, Rice calls Chenney, Chenney calls Gates, Gates calls Bush… the terrorists are calling each other!
He neglected to warn us of terrorists coming to our homes to eat our children! He must still be in training.
January 15th, 2008 at 1:03 pmWhy don’t we just make a law that says terrorists are only allowed to use Sprint. Then they won’t ever be able to get service anywhere. Plus, after 15 minutes on the line with customer service, they’ll blow themselves up.
January 15th, 2008 at 1:03 pmdesparacido! Brilliant!
January 15th, 2008 at 1:04 pmsend them a case of ping-pong balls from mail order…
January 15th, 2008 at 1:05 pmthe shipping would be minimal…
SWBob, I do believe the gesture he’s making in the photo is showing us how to rub the baby with butter prior to baking…
January 15th, 2008 at 1:05 pmkaty ~ whew! I was thinking of balls of a much more personal nature…
January 15th, 2008 at 1:06 pmwell, RU, THAT would be tortcher!
January 15th, 2008 at 1:07 pmHere is the obvious point at which to throw this back at the President and his party.
1. Take a stand that Congress will not reauthorize the act unless done in accordance with the will of the people.
2. Congress will not authorize retroactive immunity for crimes committed by the telecoms against the people of the United States. Indeed, the potential liability under existing law was put into place to ensure that criminal and intelligence agencies could not impinge on the rights of the people unchecked.
3. The telecoms have proven themselves unworthy of such protection.
The telecoms are the ones who have removed surveillance over billing disputes. Yet, we are to believe that they are super patriots? We are to believe that the FBI and other agencies acting like key stone cops have not illegally sought taps?
4. IT IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES WHO IS WILLING TO JEPOARDIZE THE SECURITY OF THIS COUNTRY JUST TO GET HIS WAY. CONGRESS HAS BENT TO HIS WHIM TOO MANY TIMES. IT IS TIME FOR THE PRESIDENT TO TAKE REPSONSIBILITY FOR HIS OWN DECISIONS: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE.
January 15th, 2008 at 1:08 pmRUCerious. . . . I think you’ve spotted a significant detail I missed. Good work!
January 15th, 2008 at 1:09 pmContact your Senator and ask him/her not to support this renewal. It amounts to a power grab that is leading us down the road to a government take over. All of you so called conservatives who claim to believe in small government should be joining in calling for the defeat of this law. Big brother is watching so be careful what you say. The military people who are spying on us should be ashamed of themselves for helping to turn this country in a facist police state.
January 15th, 2008 at 1:13 pmJMOHR ~ yes. No law with retroactive immunity. Period. Let it expire if the BushitCo cabal won’t have it any other way.
January 15th, 2008 at 1:14 pmThese guys are completely full of shit…
http://mediamatters.org/items/200512200008
January 15th, 2008 at 1:14 pmW has already stated, in numerous signing statements, that he will violate the law. Why should FISA be any different. He violated for years before the “fix” (accomplished by outright lies by the administration to members of Congress).
Let the “fix” expire and we can all revisit this issue next year, say in February.
January 15th, 2008 at 1:19 pm“Fratto’s FISA Fearmongering: In 3 Weeks, Terrorists ‘Can Be Free’ To Make Calls Without Surveillance.”
Please… Who is this clown WH press secretary? Yeah, the terrorists can make calls free without surveillance yet the American people’s phone calls have been tapped since the Orwellian-in-chief crawled into Oval office. Pass the popcorn please…
January 15th, 2008 at 1:19 pmFratto’s contention is flat-out misleading. As CQ’s Keith Perine notes, “intelligence agents would not be instantly hobbled if the law were to expire Feb. 1.†In fact, surveillance authorizations would still “remain in effect until a year after they were issuedâ€:
No to mention the fact that the FISA law still gives them the right to spy and within 72 hours get the warrant. But, Bush doesn’t want this because he knows that he will not have the evidence he needs to get the warrant. They want to spy on us without any checks and balances. Why is that? My bet is that they are spying on Americans for purely political reasons that have nothing to do with terrorism.
January 15th, 2008 at 1:23 pmIt’s not about preventing terrorist acts; it’s about dismantling Constitutional guarantees that stand in the way of realizing Cheney’s goals of an unfettered imperial presidency.
January 15th, 2008 at 1:24 pm“We’re exactly three weeks away,†he said, “from the date when…Black ops forces in our government will conduct selective strikes within the borders of the United States to kill civilians who live in Congressional Districts of those who oppose the Bush Administration…“
January 15th, 2008 at 1:24 pm“terrorists ‘can be free’ to make calls without surveillance” = “we will no longer be free to spy on Americans”
I suspect that REAL terrorists plotting to do harm to Americans have always conducted their communications and their movements as if they are being watched every moment. This means that telephone communications are handled through pre-paid throwaway phones and e-mails are handled by frequently changing aol, gmail, or hotmail accounts and using public computers (such as in public libraries).
Yes, every so often, our government trots out some “evidence” that a terrorist plot was foiled because of our ability to spy on telephone conversations. Unfortunately, I have been lied to so often by this administration that even if it was the truth I’d still be skeptical.
January 15th, 2008 at 1:25 pmThe fact that they are using this argument is a sure sign that there is plenty of illegality that they’ve got to keep from coming out.
The amount of fear they have of impeachment is so much greater than the amount of hope I have that it will occur.
Pre-emptive attacks are a sign of weakness.
January 15th, 2008 at 1:25 pmActually, this whole issue of spying on “terrorist” phone calls is a non-issue. The so-called terrorists aren’t stupid. Do they really think they will be calling on a phone line that can be traced? They purchase the throw-away phones and use them for a couple of days and then, they throw them away. By the time the government would catch up to them, they would find the phone in a trash can somewhere. I’m also fairly sure that the so-called terrorists don’t discuss their plans on the phone. They really are not that stupid!
January 15th, 2008 at 1:29 pmFratto’s FISA Fearmongering: In 3 Weeks, Terrorists ‘Can Be Free’ To Make Calls Without Surveillance
Don’t look now, but as of now Bush is talking face to face to the terrorists’ king. Without surveillance (or the tapes will be destroyed soon).
January 15th, 2008 at 1:32 pmHow can the 27%ers stomach being lied to so constantly? Do they have so little self-respect? I just can’t understand it.
January 15th, 2008 at 1:39 pmThe primary reason this administration wants to spy on us is to stay ahead of home grown plots to dispose of this regime. Go ahead, send your brother-in-law an email and tell him you are ready to arm yourself and start shooting and see how long before some black SUVs are patrolling in your neighborhood.
January 15th, 2008 at 1:46 pmAhboo is going to to start calling me again four times a day offering a 1.5% refinance loan.
Keep him locked-up and screw habeas corpus.
Comment by Clumberfeet — January 15, 2008 @ 12:36 pm
This had me spewing water on my keyboard. Thanks for the chuckles Clumberfeet.
January 15th, 2008 at 1:47 pmI assume every phone call I make and every email or post is being watched by our government. Do they really think the terrorists don’t assume the same? They’re like the Keystone Cops.
January 15th, 2008 at 1:48 pmComment by Shayne — January 15, 2008 @ 1:48 pm
You may very well be right, Shayne. Just in case…FU(K YOU, CHENEY!
January 15th, 2008 at 1:58 pmIs it just me, or would Tony Fratto, looks, name and technique, be a natural as one of Tony’s underlings on The Sopranos?
January 15th, 2008 at 1:58 pmah, I feel a little better already
January 15th, 2008 at 1:58 pmPhoto Caption: Roy Schieder explains his role in “Jaws.”
Photo Caption: Eric Roberts shows off his new haircut.
January 15th, 2008 at 2:14 pmThere comes a time when really need to recognize the “lesser of two evils” - Our government virtually imprisoning us, or getting attacked by “terrorists”. The Founding Fathers KNEW which was worse, and created a Constitution reflecting that knowledge. They had lived under tyranny and knew it was a fate worse than death.
Only when enough of us personally experience the resultant injustices others are suffering will we realize what we’ve lost, and care enough to protest. Then it’ll be too late.
January 15th, 2008 at 3:19 pmI want to talk on my phone without worrying about some bored dildo head FeeBee (FBI Agent) listening to my conversations. I have that right under the fourth amendment. No matter how many attempts the neo-cons and the Republicans in congress make to bury the fourth amendment and take power from the people, the fourth amendment stands. We have the right to be secure in or persons, places, and things. When it becomes the case that we no longer have that right, the Constitution says we have an obligation to take that right back.
January 15th, 2008 at 6:16 pmDodd Facing Fight Within His Caucus on FISA
January 15th, 2008 at 6:55 pm[…]
Dodd needs our support. I’ve been in contact with his team and they want responses from citizens that they can show his staff as well as others to let them know that we have Dodd’s back to continue this fight. Please contact Sen. Dodd or leave a comment on this thread supporting his leadership.
[…]
http://www.crooksandliars.com/ 2008/ 01/ 15/ dodd-facing-fight-within-his-caucus-on-fisa/
If FISA is so all fired important to the security of the US, knowing that Congress has some ambivalence to FISA provisions, why is Georgie off galavanting in the sand ?
January 15th, 2008 at 9:32 pm