Bush says nation in more danger because Congress hasn't extended spy law

Benjamin Franklin once said, "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."  President Bush has obviously not kept up on his Founding Fathers history despite his strict constructionist views.  Friday, he stated that America is now in more danger of attack because congress has failed to, "adopt a Senate bill that would have renewed a law that made it easier for the government to spy on foreign phone calls and e-mails that pass through the United States.  The bill also would have shielded from lawsuits telecommunications companies that helped the government wiretap U.S. computer and phone lines after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks without clearance from a secret court that was established specifically to oversee such activities."

The 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance act in part created these secret courts for a reason.  In issues of National Security that are sensitive the government must still present probable cause in an expedited fashion to these secret court for approval.  Now this seems fairly reasonable; the case is expedited, national security secrets are not given to the American people and the loose standard of probable cause in this realm must be met.  

However, the President contends that sometimes information is missed and then the attack or attacks cannot be prevented.  Which in layman's terms sounds like, "We know there is going to be an attack but not sure where and have no shred of proof but if you allow us to illegally spy on Americans than we should know soon."  Furthermore, the article points out that the wiretaps can continue, the liability shield for certain private sector companies disappear.  Thus, I echo Congressman Rahm Emmanuel's sentiment that This law is not in fact about protecting Americans but protecting telephone and internet companies that are doing the spying for the government for quite a sum of money.  

Its hard for me to believe that the government should be allowed to illegally spy on American citizens via the internet and phone without a shred of probable cause.  This would be attune to a police officer stopping someone driving an SUV and searching their car because they could or could not be a drug dealer.  This is essentially what President Bush is saying.  We have no probable cause to wiretap your emails and/or phone but you could be a terrorist so we need to do it anyway. After seven years, using the terrorism and safetey card is getting old.  I wonder if the homeland security level went up because congress has not approved this law.