Here's Profile

Member since December 26, 2005

  • Name

    Here we

Favorite Files

Recent Posts

  1. Comment - NSA Monitoring Net Communications

    (Dec 26, 2005 - 11:47 AM)

    I did a quick scan through the replies to this article and saw no reference to a the excesses of the Nixon administration (forgive me if I overlooked such a reference). Back then the enemy was Communism, Vietnam was underway, and frameworks such as FISA did not exist. I remember hearing people saying that wiretaps were okay, that the FBI, et al, had to do whatever was required to keep America safe.

    Little did they know that a paranoid administration was watching not only "valid" spies, but also anti-war demonstrators, dissident columnists, and even average citizens. Based in part on these surveillance activities enemies lists were drawn up. Average people were shocked to find their names on those lists for having done nothing more than exercising their rights as Americans.

    It would be naive to think that no other administration has engaged in illegal spying. But, did those administrations turn those resources upon its own citizens? We may never know. Given the Bush administration's obsession with secrecy, and its "get even" mentality (see the Plame affair), I'm very concerned that we are seeing a repeat of Nixonian tactics.

    As I post this, I'll probably get a knock on my front door... ;-)