He's frantic today.

That this surveillance has been going on for decades but before, because the infomation was transmited by microwave, no telecom permission was required. Now, due to the introduction of fiber optics, telecom cooperation is now required. So the question becomes has this activity of surveillance been going on long before the Bush administration?

Ralph, you raise an interesting point but I don't know how factual it is. It is true that anything you can grab out of the "air" requires no warrant as a wiretap would but it still is fruit from the poisonous tree in any legal proceeding, I would think, unless they change the definiton of "public domain". Your garbage is public domain.

Yes ralph, all this has gone on before Bush. In fact, FISA restrictions have only been around since the 70's

then your smart enough to know that the issue isn't simply about survellance. Its about obeying the law!

I'm surpised that your not harping even more on the "Clinton did it too" angle but the fact remains that even if Clinton did it too (as evidence suggests he did) then it's still against the law as written and still deserves to be investigated.

The difference between legal and illegal survellance isn't the degree to which privacy is breached, its the degree to which it can be controlled by institutions currently in place.

Once the law no longer matters, then what's left?

Sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Or- go with the dumb ape Tarzan's.

Chew Orbit sugarfree spearment gum?

Practice chest-pump mate neonate call?

Ahhh, auuugh, ohhh, grrrr, tough boys.

I was "Over the top"? Oh, dear. I will try in the future to tone it down, in order not to upset sensitive, fear-addled readers such as yourself. Given the fear-inducing speech of your cherished leaders in the Bush administration, I would say I'm downright muted. But if I upset you, I'll try to speak more calmly in the future.

The NSS empire builders want those of us opposing it and loving freedom and the planet to sound shrill and urgent so that we can be easily dismissed by sleeping Americans.

Ron Paul can't get traction because he is too easy to dismiss by the NSSrs as crazy and look he is far more strident and foolish than us, and we will protect you at any cost because we are the true patriots who are conservative in our actions and want to maintain your advantage over the less fortunate.

We should take our lead from Glenn, remain factual and sharp, not shrill, and take the empire down as methodically as the NSSrs have created it.

Letting despair take over only plays into their hands.

Because it strikes me as needing to be repeated:

What the NYT states is that much of what has been going on is in fact Clinton-era spying on Americans. This of course can be expected to continue under a new Clinton administration and in fact could help explain the reluctance of certain Democrats to buck the trend. Of course there is also the possiblilty that the NYTimes is being a line of crap from BushCo operatives as well.

Its time once again to regurgitate my favorite John Ashctroft link:

http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itgic/1097/ijge/gj-7.htm

Clearly the battle over electronic privacy has been going on a long time and has involved both D and R administrations.

It's also another opportunity to remind folks to show the EFF some love. They are quite in the thick of the battle and deserve support:

http://www.eff.org

But if I upset you, I'll try to speak more calmly in the future.

-- CarolynC

I think CarlynC was fibbing when she wrote that. ;o)

I think this depends on the "definition" of military base.

If you think about what you consider a military base, we don't have 800. Not even close. If he is counting military attaches and the like, some smaller types of installations and embassies, shame on Johnson.

It is a play with Grandaughter day.

I love the raindrops sparkle today.

The ice hangs on the cold pine tree.

It is one crackle good noise relief.

You, RMP, probably sleep in your boots?

It is time to go? I'm tempted to be 26% irksome.

Firebomb a church. Pray for the atomic extinction of your fascist state and everyone in it. Kill them all, piss on the ashes.

http://www.libsci.sc.edu/bob/class/clis734/webguides/milbase.htm

Does our military currently have a minor presence in many more countries around the world than it should? Yes, probably, but to give the impression they are bases with large numbers of troops, or any troops at all, and aircraft or men and materiel is pure intellectual dishonesty and Chalmers Johnson should be ashamed of himself.

Thank you, hyonahil, for this question. This is the question of the moment, for otherwise we have no choice but despair.

I would welcome concrete answers from kindred spirits who are active in the world. What are you doing specifically? Do you belong to an organization that is working positively? What are you doing? Can we bring this work to our own communities?

Hyonahil, I have joined the ACLU, and I have been working with their guidance.

However, I feel the need to do more. A group of women in my community have formed a peace group (Pink for Peace). I have called them.

I am also trying to network with the Jewish Community in my area. The Rabbis for Human Rights has a great deal of excellent information to help.

Yet, none of this seems enough to me. As Frank Rich wrote weeks ago, I feel like one of the "Good Germans" who sat by and did nothing as Hitler amassed power. And I know that the right-wing has been using the "Nazi" analogy to brand the left-wing, but truly, I feel as if we are in a fascist state.

So I ask letter-writers: Part of the problem is that there seems to be little active leadership. Glenn and others are doing important work by informing. We (being informed) can now act. However, we can act much more effectively as groups than individuals.

Ideas:

Join the ACLU, Amnesty International and other organizations. They send out daily action alerts. Their local chapters can use help.

Work for candidates such as Ron Paul and Chris Dodd who (through differing perspectives) consistently support the Constitution.

Reach out to people from "the other side." We are not "Republicans" or "Democrats." We are people seeking to protect the consititution and to protect human dignity and human rights. My dearest family member is a fundamentalist Christian, and she fully supports these principals and will work with me (and with you).

I would like to give up my cell-phone, ASAP. (I should have done this long ago.) I would like to give my cell phone payments to a human rights group. Are there any organized programs out there that I could work through? If not, would anyone like to join me?

I welcome specific, concrete, inspiring ideas.

Thanks!