General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSince May 2011, Obama, and not Bush, has been 100% responsible for Patriot Act phone data-mining
That is because on May 26, 2011, Obama signed a four-year extension of three Patriot Act provisions, one of which, Section 215, has been the mechanism used by the government to access millions of citizens' phone records via FISA's secret court approval.
When Obama signed Section 215's extension, he immediately absolved Bush completely from all subsequent Patriot Act-enabled data-mining and irrefutably assumed ownership of the matter himself. Therefore, any attempt to point the finger of blame at Bush for the data-mining that is occurring today is duplicitous. The buck stops with Obama on this issue, and no one else.
Incidentally, it should be pointed out that earlier this year, Eric Holder directed the DOJ to try to dismiss two Freedom of Information Act lawsuits (by the New York Times and the ACLU) which sought to reveal how the government interprets Patriot Act provisions, specifically Section 215. Not only was the Obama administration using the Patriot Act to gather citizens' phone records, but they were trying to prevent the public from ever knowing about it.
Given its history of vengefully attacking whistleblowers and leakers, expect the Obama administration to pursue like the Stasi whoever leaked knowledge of the phone-record data mining to the Guardian newspaper.
limpyhobbler
(8,244 posts)Even though spying was (questionably) permitted under the Patriot Act, he still could have refrained from engaging in the spying, because it is so offensive. We don't have to do offensive things simply because they are legal.
brentspeak
(18,290 posts)I focused on the May 2011 extension because those who are supporting Obama on this are citing Bush's role in signing the Patriot Act, deliberately ignoring the fact that two years ago, Bush's Section 215 of the Patriot became Obama's Section 215 of the Patriot Act by virtue of Obama's own signature.
MjolnirTime
(1,800 posts)Obama must have really whalloped the hornets' nest at the old Elm Tree this time.
monmouth3
(3,871 posts)brentspeak
(18,290 posts)When half of a (mis)user's DU posts consist of merely calling other DUers "trolls" would have gotten him the pizza tombstone back on DU2:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=220375
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=304834
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=182983
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=152864
MjolnirTime
(1,800 posts)You and your ilk abused the moderators of this board for far too long.
ProSense
(116,464 posts)In response to a report by the Guardian about the National Security Agency collecting telephone records of millions of Verizon customers, a senior Obama administration official provided this statement to TPM:
The article discusses what purports to be an order issued by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court under a provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that authorizes the production of business records. Orders of the FISA Court are classified. On its face, the order reprinted in the article does not allow the Government to listen in on anyone's telephone calls. The information acquired does not include the content of any communications or the name of any subscriber. It relates exclusively to metadata, such as a telephone number or the length of a call.
Information of the sort described in the Guardian article has been a critical tool in protecting the nation from terrorist threats to the United States, as it allows counterterrorism personnel to discover whether known or suspected terrorists have been in contact with other persons who may be engaged in terrorist activities, particularly people located inside the United States.
As we have publicly stated before, all three branches of government are involved in reviewing and authorizing intelligence collection under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Congress passed that act and is regularly and fully briefed on how it is used, and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court authorizes such collection. There is a robust legal regime in place governing all activities conducted pursuant to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. That regime has been briefed to and approved by the Court. And, activities authorized under the Act are subject to strict controls and procedures under oversight of the Department of Justice, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the FISA Court, to ensure that they comply with the Constitution and laws of the United States and appropriately protect privacy and civil liberties
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/obama-administration-defends-nsa-collection-of-phone-records
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022956167