How does everyone feel about the NSA program? Illegal or Legal?
479704
Legal according to the Patriot Act.  The authorization was the President's right, and also his right to keep it from us.\nBy the way, thank you for your service.  Proud Army wife here!
681498
hell no!!! it violates my Right to privacy, hello! why isn't anyone outraged about this. Whats the point of having the bill of right this a_s_s h_o_l_e (bush)is violating most of them, we might as well be Cuba!
1050645
It's not a matter of not knowing, it's not being interested. I, personally, tracked down the person who stole my identity to obtain all kinds of consumer goods and even surgery using my information and nobody pursued it at all. Since then, I've met at least ten people whose identities have been stolen by illegal immigrants or people with ties to terrorists and they all had the same experience with the police not even caring to make a report or follow through. Our information is being stolen with a blind-eye approval from the government.
475240
Yes, it is,. It is the way that it is used by the users that makes it potentially an illegal site.\n\nI guess it depends on how you use it.
586420
Warrantless searches, phone trolling, torture, kidnapping, indefinite imprisonment without charges, denial of legal representation, you name it. It's all legal. Just ask Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. If the president says it's legal, it's legal. When we're at war, the Constitution, the Congress and civility are out the door. \n\nBush always plays the fear card, telling us he's "protecting" us from al-Qaeda as he takes us on our national plunge into fascism. He seizes power with impunity, and the Republicans in Congress are willing accomplices as they abrogate the fundamental responsibilities of their branch of the federal government to a power-crazed madman. \n\nAs America sleeps, basic rights, especially privacy, are under assault. The concentration of claimed authority in the Executive Branch -- removed from congressional authorization and outside the scope of judicial review -- is dangerous and frightening. \n\nThe Busheviks are not conservatives -- they are neo-fascists with an agenda aimed at protecting a privileged elite and using the unbridled power of an authoritarian government to enhance and protect their wealth. \n\nThey're not wearing black shirts, boot-stomping down Pennsylvania Avenue in the style of the more theatrical of their ilk. But their insidious threat is real and chilling.
78346
Of course.  That is what has made me laugh about this wire tapping NSA situation.  We have been watched since the government realized years and years ago they can't trust the american people. Every thing you do is recorded and stored somewhere.  We are being watched and we will always be watched.
1097589
I would like to say how completely outraged I am with the New York Times.  When they reveal secret programs aimed at finding terrorist, they put my husband, a US Marine, and the men and women serving with him, at risk.  They don't have a right to endanger my husband's life more than it is.  I agreed with Mr. Daly (on the O'Reilly Factor Friday night) when he said that in order to have liberty we must have secret programs.  Thanks to the left wing media, a secret program is now considered to be a cover-up and dangerous to our civil liberties.  As far as a I am concerned, the left wing is just as bad as the terrorist at the moment.  Shame on the New York Times and all the papers that revealed this program.  God bless America and God bless our troops.
398330
Well, I don't worry about it. What you said is true, about having nothing to hide. I really don't like the idea about my privacy being invavded, but look at it this way. They are not just going to listen in for no reason. If you are acting suspicious, such as calling different countries frequently, and you are not associated with any kind of place that should be calling different coutries, then you would probably be a suspect. Or say, you are a suspected terrorist. I have no problem with things like that. They won't listen unless they have a reason. And for that I am thankful, because they are trying to better protect me and my family.
360681
IF it is done legally, then no.  As long as the spying is consistant with Constitutional protections against unwarrented intrusions into my private life, then I won't worry.  Let the government agencies get warrents first.
545234
Probley,but the Gov.over rides everybody and everything.The FBI right now is eve droping on AT&T and BellSouth and other phone companys customers like you. Nothing is private or free in this country we all answer to somebody.It is another way for them to catch drug dealers and tearest. our social security number is out mark of the beast With it,the law knows what you done sence the day you were born.
715944
it's not, \n\nIf the ACLU or some real constitutional lawers would step up to the plate and challange it, we could get somewhere.  \n\nand for the guy who said we don't have a right to privacy, how about you read the bill of rights.  \n\n"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."\n\nso "sneek and peek" wouldn't exactly be constitutional.
385043
The National Security Agency, or the NSA, is an intelligence gathering agency.  Their mission is to gather information on threats and potetnial threats to the United States, primarily through Signals Intelligence (electronic communications).  To that end they should have a great deal of flexibility on gathering information that may relate to this mission.  It is very unlikely that an actual person ever reads all the email or listens to all the phone calls made (just the volume generated in the time between when you asked this question and when I posted an answer would be more than a days work for an individual analyst) so what is looked for has to be targeted (Specific Phone Numbers and Emails known or suspected to belong to terrorists, and even these are probably sorted electronically) to even be remotely useful.  The second issue is that even if this information is gathered and used to stop terrorist attacks, it probably can't be used against US Citizens to pursue criminals, so if for example the NSA caught an entire conversation detailing how the Mafia was laundering money (and happened to notice they had it) they probably could not turn it over to the Department of Justice to prosecute.
3151
I wasn't until I read the New York Times article.  It seams that there could have been a judge involved that did could have issued warrents.  Also, they did suspend it when they thought they were crossing the line.  I also did some more digging and found out that the NY times sat on the story for a year.  If something illegal was happening the NY Times would have run the story earlier.  So No I don't think that the President or the NSA did anything wrong at this point.
425684
I speak from across the fence on this matter, but I will let you know what I hear most often. The Patriot Act that has broadened the government's ability to seek information from it's fellow citizens has left some more liberal voters upset. They feel that the government's noose of power has grown a bit tighter, and I assume they foresee a future government domination over the people of this nation. I do not know of any firsthand accounts where someone's privacy rights have been infringed upon, or violated. Not that I wish there was, but there doesn't seem to be anyone personally hurt by the Act. Personally, I've felt that as long as man would uphold his responsibilites to treat his fellow man with love, and respect there would be no need for government at all. But we both know that we fail to do this, therefore creating a need for government. So if the privilages we enjoy so dearly seem in danger, I believe it is because of our own faults. I hope that this has been helpful.
66377
Good point.\n\nMost of our lives are too boring to warrant the attention of government intelligence agencies.\n\nYes, I value my privacy, but am in more fear of losing it to marketing agencies than spy networks.
1260
The government should have the right to observe citizens. The NSA's mission is just that: to observe electronically criminal and terrorist interests. It is largely unlikely that a Big Brother society will develop as a result of this: the government will never have enough resources to listen in on everyone, nor would they want to. \n\nElectronic bugging has caught many criminals where standard investigations failed. These men include John Gotti, other Mafia dons, terrorists, and organized crime rings. It is an essential part of law enforcement and must continue.
230196
I don't particularly like it.  I mean, who really wants someone spying on them?  On the other hand, people say that it's necessary for our safety.  I mean, do we want another September 11th?  \n\nI guess what it really comes down to is, I don't mind them checking up on people as long as they use it wisely and don't go too far.  But then, who decides how far is too far?