100% Surveillance of Congress
Apparently the NSA is under some heat for proposing to monitor the communications of a member of Congress thought to be meeting with terrorist suspects:
While the N.S.A.'s operations in recent months have come under examination, new details are also emerging about earlier domestic-surveillance activities, including the agency's attempt to wiretap a member of Congress, without court approval, on an overseas trip, current and former intelligence officials said. . . .
The agency believed that the congressman, whose identity could not be determined, was in contact "” as part of a Congressional delegation to the Middle East in 2005 or 2006 "” with an extremist who had possible terrorist ties and was already under surveillance, the official said. The agency then sought to eavesdrop on the congressman's conversations, the official said.
The official said the plan was ultimately blocked because of concerns from some intelligence officials about using the N.S.A., without court oversight, to spy on a member of Congress.
I have a counter idea. Why don't we monitor all the communications of all of Congress all the time and post it on a web site. If they want to exercise ultimate power over us, we can then exercise ultimate scrutiny over them. Unfortunately, in the world of the future, Congress is likely to be the only group exempted from monitoring.
DrTorch:
Yeah, I don't understand this at all. Somehow if you're an elected official, you don't get scrutinized? Shouldn't you be under MORE scrutiny? Don't like it? Don't run for office.
April 16, 2009, 9:51 amici chacal:
for any in congress who might whine about being NSA'd, we can always respond with the same BS line they give *US* whenever they pass yet another privacy-killing, intrusive law. "we're only doing this to catch the **bad people**!! if you're not doing anything illegal, you shouldn't mind us checking up on you, right?"
and, since i'm wishing for stuff that'll never happen, i'd also like to turn myself invisible and have the powers of superman, only i won't wear a cape. capes are SO last year.
April 16, 2009, 12:52 pmDr. T:
"...including the agency’s attempt to wiretap a member of Congress, without court approval, on an overseas trip..."
Wasn't there already a court ruling that no warrants are needed to tap the phone conversations of US travelers to another country? I'm traveling to Germany soon, and my understanding is that the NSA can monitor any of my calls while I'm overseas. The NSA doesn't need a warrant. It doesn't even need a reason. So, why would it matter that the subject is a Congressman?
If the Congressman doesn't like it, perhaps he will sponsor a bill to reduce the overly pervasive snooping powers of the NSA.
April 16, 2009, 3:44 pmMesa Econoguy:
Unfortunately, in the world of the future, Congress is likely to be the only group exempted from monitoring.
The beauty of the free market says everyone has a price, even in the future.
I’ve got $2000 for anyone with Nancy Pelosi’s cell phone number. The American Spectator would probably pay 500x this.
Think of it as TMZ for politicians....
April 16, 2009, 10:02 pm