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Bush White House Approved Domestic Spying Operation
As this issue goes to print, Black Cow Press is still attempting to unearth some of the details around the surveillance program allegedly authorized by President Bush. Critics charge that the covert operation allowed for the country's intelligence services to spy on American citizens, a clear violation of the Constitution. While Black Cow Press continues to be a strong backer of President Bush (even going so far as to help him navigate that touchy business with the fondling allegations at the Dallas orphanage in '97) these latest charges seem particularly disturbing in light of what we were told by Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales only two months ago. To set things straight, we spoke again with Gonzales to see if he could help us understand why everything the president does is right, and why his consistent infallibility makes him so suited to rule the most powerful country in the world.
SIDNEY NOTTINGHAM, BCP: Mr. Gonzales, in our last interview, you assured us that there was no such domestic spying program. You went on the record as saying, and I quote: "There is no secret program to spy on Americans."
ALBERTO GONZALES: Right. I said there wasn’t a secret program to spy on Americans. There may be a program to spy on Americans, but it’s not secret now that we got caught and everyone knows about it.
SN: But at the time you told me it didn't exist, it really did exist, and it was still secret then, so...
AG: Nope. The New York Times knew all about it. They just hadn't published the story yet.
SN: But doesn't that sort of legal hair-splitting almost make President Clinton seem like a "straight-shooter" by comparison?
AG: Nope. Herr Bush only lies about torture, democracy, spying and stuff related to oil. Mr. Clinton lied about S-E-X!
SN: Yeah, I guess you're right. So who do you spy on?
AG: Americans, mostly.
SN: All Americans?
AG: No. Only some of them.
SN: Which ones?
AG: The bad ones.
SN: How do you choose which ones to spy on? How do you profile these bad ones?
AG: We look for anyone who talks on the phone with someone in another country, or communicates by email with someone in another country, or has ever spoken on the phone with anyone who has ever met someone who sends email to someone who has been outside the country, or people that go to Mosques, or...
SN: So it's like a lot of people?
AG: Only the bad ones, like I said: People who criticize Wal-Mart and won't watch NASCAR, stuff like that. Radicals.
SN: If, let's say -- hypothetically speaking, of course -- a guy was sending emails to former soviet union countries inquiring about, well about finding a young lady friend he might like to spend the rest of his life with in holy matrimony, would he be spied upon?
AG: We don't spy on you, Sidney.
SN: Just asking, hypothetically. I don't know anyone who does that.
AG: Uh-huh.
SN: Good to see you again, Al. Thanks for keeping America safe from the bad people.
AG: All in a day's work, Sidney. All in a day's work.
-bcp
Write Your Own FOIA Letter to Washington Just paste into your email, and blast away. Ms. Elizabeth Farris Supervisory Paralegal Office of Legal Counsel Room 5515 950 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. U.S. Department of Justice Washington, D.C. 20530-2038 Re: Freedom of Information Act Request Dear Ms. Farris: This letter constitutes a request under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. §552 (“FOIA”), and is submitted by the undersigned individuals who are concerned about the Bush Administration’s reported decision to undertake a massive program of spying on American citizens in apparent violation of the law and the Constitution. President Bush stated on December 19 that his legal authority to have the National Security Agency conduct such spying derives from his inherent constitutional powers and from the congressional authorization for the use of military force in Afghanistan. Of course, these assertions made no sense, in view of the express statutory provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, 50 U.S.C. §§1801 et seq. that flatly prohibit any such spying without a court order. It is the duty of your Office to advise the President on precisely such questions relating to his constitutional and statutory authority. The American people certainly have a right to know whether the President has knowingly acted in blatant violation of the law or believed he was acting within the law based on advice of your office. We therefore request all documents in the possession, custody or control of the Office of Legal Counsel, prepared on or after January 20, 2001, referring, relating to or discussing the authority of the President of the United States to authorize any agency of the U.S. Government, including but not limited to the National Security Agency, to conduct electronic surveillance of a United States person, as defined in FISA, 50 U.S.C. §1801(i), or where there is a substantial likelihood that the surveillance will acquire the contents of a communication to which such a United States person is a party, without obtaining a court order as required by FISA. We urge you, in considering this request, to forego invoking Exemption 5 to FOIA allowing the government to withhold documents based on deliberative process or attorney-client privilege. In these exceptional circumstances, where the President of the United States may have acted in gross disregard of the law and the Constitution, the stakes for the American people are too high for the Bush Administration and the Department of Justice to hide behind legal privileges as an excuse for withholding these documents. The undersigned requestors fall in the category of “other requestors” for purposes of FOIA and the Department’s FOIA fee regulations. On behalf of the undersigned requestors, the Democratic National Committee will pay any fees for searching or copying the requested records. We look forward to your response within twenty (20) working days as the law requires. If you have any questions or need any further information concerning this request, please contact the first signatory below. Thank you for your prompt attention to this important matter. _______________________________ (your name here)
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