"Age of Anxiety"
I have been listening to the CD book "Age of Anxiety: from McCarthyism to Terrorism" by: Haynes Johnson (2005). I am now very near the end. As one may expect, there are many striking parallels between these two periods in American history. Perhaps the greatest similarity is how fear has been manipulated by those in power to further their own agendas and gain greater political power.What is also incredible – and speaks to the incompetence we witnessed in managing the Katrina’s aftermath by FEMA and this administration - is the fact that all of McCarthy’s communist witch hunts and all of the Patriot Act authorized round-ups have netted exactly the same number of convictions – ZERO! How much has this cost us as American taxpayers? How much will it cost our children?
The active collaboration at worst; and the far more common dereliction of duty by most of the American press and too many members of the opposition party has been well documented on this blog and elsewhere.
In the end, Joe McCarthy did himself in by over-reaching and a failure to recognize that it was time to retreat in the face of strong opposition. How will this Age of Terrorism and the mass manipulation of fear end?
Unless our so-called leaders wake up, we stand to lose our Democracy. Here is some more evidence Unfathomed Dangers in PATRIOT Act Reauthorization by Paul Craig Roberts
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posted by REB 84 at
1/24/2006 10:30:00 PM
2 Comments:
re: NSA "probable clause" issue Hayden spun out on yesterday:
In June, 2002, Republican Sen. Michael DeWine introduced legislation (S. 2659) which would have eliminated the exact barrier to FISA Hayden was abusing yesterday.
DeWine's legislation to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to modify the standard of proof for issuance of orders regarding non-United States persons from probable cause to reasonable suspicion. . . .
In other words, DeWine’s bill could have eliminated the “probable cause” barrier claimed by Bush cabal in their latest spin.
The Bush administration, in response, provided a Statement from James A. Baker,who “prepares and presents all applications for electronic surveillance and physical search under the Act to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA Court or Court).”
Baker, in his written statement, blatantly bragged about the Patriot Act on the ground that the 72-hour window stated IN the Patriot Act gave Bush the speed and flexibility he needed:
“The reforms in those measures (the PATRIOT Act) have affected every single application made by the Department for electronic surveillance or physical search of suspected terrorists and have enabled the government to become quicker, more flexible, and more focused in going “up” on those suspected terrorists in the United States.
… One simple but important change that Congress made was to lengthen the time period for us to bring to court applications in support of Attorney General-authorized emergency FISAs. This modification has allowed us to make full and effective use of FISA’s pre-existing emergency provisions to ensure that the government acts swiftly to respond to terrorist threats. Again, we are grateful for the tools Congress provided us last fall for the fight against terrorism. Thank you.”
The Baker statement:
The Department of Justice has been studying Sen. DeWine’s proposed legislation. Because the proposed change raises both significant legal and practical issues, the Administration at this time is not prepared to support it.
Soooo…in 2002 the Administration refused to support elimination of the very barrier (”probable cause”) which Gen. Hayden claimed yesterday necessitated the circumvention of FISA. Doing so, they identified two independent reasons for opposing this amendment. The Justice Department was not aware of any problems:
“The practical concern involves an assessment of whether the current “probable cause” standard has hamstrung our ability to use FISA surveillance to protect our nation. We have been aggressive in seeking FISA warrants and, thanks to Congress’s passage of the USA PATRIOT Act, we have been able to use our expanded FISA tools more effectively to combat terrorist activities. It may not be the case that the probable cause standard has caused any difficulties in our ability to seek the FISA warrants we require, and we will need to engage in a significant review to determine the effect a change in the standard would have on our ongoing operations. If the current standard has not posed an obstacle, then there may be little to gain from the lower standard and, as I previously stated, perhaps much to lose.”
Baker, who headed the FISA warrant program was not aware of any difficulties in obtaining warrants under the FISA “probable cause” standard, and the Administration did not support the DeWine amendment to do so.
…”The Department’s Office of Legal Counsel is analyzing relevant Supreme Court precedent to determine whether a “reasonable suspicion” standard for electronic surveillance and physical searches would, in the FISA context, pass constitutional muster. The issue is not clear cut, and the review process must be thorough because of what is at stake, namely, our ability to conduct investigations that are vital to protecting national security. If we err in our analysis and courts were ultimately to find a “reasonable suspicion” standard unconstitutional, we could potentially put at risk ongoing investigations and prosecutions.
Bush Administration’s statement via Gen. Hayden as to why it was necessary to bypass FISA is a complete falsehood. Their current statement that the “probable cause” component of FISA was preventing it from engaging in the eavesdropping it needed is the opposite of what it told Congress when refusing to support the DeWine Amendment as documented by the Baker statement submitted to Congress in 2002.
The Baker/Dept. of Justice document is on the record here: http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2002_hr/073102baker.html
By
Begonia Buzzkill, at 3:11 PM, January 25, 2006
Hello Begonia,
So now they plan to have Alito in place just in time for the challenges to the executive branches power grabs to reach the Supreme Court. Will the Democrats show some spine this time?
Thank you for visiting QuestioItNow
REB 84
By
REB 84, at 10:49 PM, January 25, 2006
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