If the government can wiretap without a warrant how do we know they're listening to only overseas calls?

Question

Where are the checks and balances of power?

Where's the independent oversight?

Could they use them to spy on political adversaries?

Sway_27; If you're unable to answer the question you can just pass on to the next one. No need to insult me because you don't have an answer.

Sway; Funny how all the insults come from those who don't have an answer. What does that say about your cohorts? ;)

Answer 1

We just have to trust them. What's more, people and companies who receive Natl Security Letters are not allowed to tell anyone. about the letters or access they provide to the govt.

Answer 2

I really think they have the authority to listen to all calls, not just overseas calls. If I were in the intelligence community, I would listen to all calls of suspects. I would also be suspicious of people worried about such stuff. They could spy on political adversaries, but getting caught would be "Watergate".

Answer 3

To date, since the Patriot Act was passed only one citizen has filed a complaint regarding this Act. In the time of war it is vital for the government to do things like this. The governments first responsibility is the safety of each American.

During WWII Japanese Americans were in-turned under FDR, a democrat. Spying was done on Americans in much greater numbers.

The independent oversight comes from the FISA courts and Congress has access to all of these wiretaps whether they say it on the news or not.

Answer 4

Well, it's not illegal and during wartime things like this are needed. I don't really care......I figured the FBI or KGB or whatever already has a file on most of us anyway, so if they want to listen in on my arguments with the phone company or my daughters boyfriend laments, go right ahead. But, when I talk to terrorists, I always use a phone booth far away from my house, anyway.

Answer 5

We don't! But what worries me even more is that they can arrest people without a warrant and representation and hold them as long as want without charges without disclosing a location for as long as they want. How would anyone know if there doing that? How many people might they have right now? If this isn't against all the principals that this country was founded on I don't know what is. Wake Up people this is not America anymore its communist Russia like it was under Stalin.

Answer 6

Good point: you don't. Except that's what the legislation says. Their are no checks and balances, except occasionally they seek FISA approval, but are not required to. Yes, they could use this to spy on political adversaries like Clinton did.

Answer 7

The ignorance of this question is that the US government has been intercepting phone, fax, and other transmissions regularly since WWII just as Britain, Australia, Russia and many others have. With NO WARRANT. Under Clinton we intercepted communication, including domestic communications, with NO WARRANT. Just because Bush was the first one dumb enough to be honest about intercepting foriegn calls doesn't mean he is the first president to do it with NO WARRANT.
I just hate the ignorance of people who refuse to deal with the facts, facts that aren't hidden but are in plan view for all to see.

Answer 8

They're NOT only listening to overseas calls! That's been admitted already.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/17/bush.nsa/

Answer 9

You don't........ And you don't have to worry about when they're going to start listening to domestic calls, they've been doing that for the last 30 years.

Answer 10

You don't know that, and that's the point. The Bush administration killed the checks and balances by ignoring laws and packing the supreme court.

Though I hope they are wasting some of their time and money listening to my mother describe what she had for dinner last night.