In case you are curious how the president of the United States feels about you, here is the answer: He doesn't trust you, and he thinks you should be monitored secretly, just because he decides you should be. To be more specific: Be a good little American, or you'll never do anything in private again.
According to a Friday article by The Associated Press, President George W. Bush defended his warrantless eavesdropping program and stated during comments - which he was not aware were being recorded - that he believed spying on other Americans is necessary.
The president, who stated before the House Republican Caucus his concern over future terrorist attacks, has asked the National Security Agency for a way to gather intelligence on terrorists' potential activities. Their response was to monitor any and all international e-mails and phone calls of people in the United States who are at all suspected of having any ties to terrorists overseas. According to the president, "We put constant checks on the program."
What checks? By whom?
The U.S. government has already made it painfully clear that it believes no one in the general public should ever be given access to any material possessed by its agencies or information gathered as a result of its agencies. So, who is putting "constant checks" on government activities? Or does the government expect the public to accept with docile trust that government officials themselves will be carefully monitoring and checking to make sure their actions are ethical? Have any of their previous actions been monitored by ethical standards - especially with a government that advocates torture?
Bush went on to say, "I take my oath of office seriously. I swear to uphold the Constitution and laws of the United States."
This makes me sick.
Bush's comments about the apparent necessity of eavesdropping were made after about six minutes of remarks intended for the public to hear. Bush used this time to thank lawmakers and carefully push for the priorities he outlined in the State of the Union address.
Then the President sent the reporters away. His remarks at the time were, "I support the free press, let's just get them out of the room."
Once the reporters were gone, and the president could speak confidentially to his fellow Republicans, the very first matter he chose to raise was the highly controversial eavesdropping program. This program has come under heavy fire, as the administration seems to feel the current monitoring system - which requires a warrant from a secret court which can act quickly or even after the monitoring has occurred - is too strict.
Out of the entire discussion, which went on for an hour and 40 minutes, only the first few minutes were heard by reporters.
Make no mistake: The aim of these discussions is clear. The president wants complete, immediate and unrivaled power to monitor anyone, anywhere, at any time and with little or no checks on the validity of his reasons. It is possible the sole reason for these measures is, as the President says, to protect the American people against terrorist threats by decreasing civil liberties.
However, the president has also said, "I swear to uphold the Constitution of the United States," so decide for yourself.
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