Once again (this time in a new report from the Inspectors General of various departments including Defense and Justice released yesterday), we hear that besides domestic wiretapping, former President George W.Bush also approved other forms of surveillance whose details have still not been disclosed.
We are not surprised over reports of U.S. domestic snooping or undisclosed details of secret surveillance.
Of course not.
We have long believed that U.S. warrant-less domestic surveillance is taking many forms – telephone tapping, monitoring e-mail and blogs, examining search phrases on search engines like Google, tracking all other forms of Internet communications including instant messaging and forums, using cable TV and telephone companies to look inside the homes of residents on the pretext of fixing broken service, tracking credit card purchases, peering into bank accounts, monitoring EZ-Pass toll-booth records and cameras installed in public areas et al.
The most likely target of all of this U.S. surveillance are Muslims, foreigners and immigrants.
Why? Because the folks in DC tend to think White Boys can’t do bad things even if White Trash like Timothy McVeigh bring down a government building in Oklahoma killing 168 Americans.
Do we like this kind of spying and secret surveillance? Of course, not.
Is it necessary? That is a hard question to answer.
Our hypothesis is that the U.S. has cast a wide net and is now spying on tens of thousands of people within its borders in the hope that it’s going to get lucky and net a big fish (terrorist).
But this strategy of casting a wide net to nab terrorists before they can do their harmful deeds assumes that that the bad guys are schmucks. Alas, as 9/11 proved, the bad guys are anything but schmucks.
Dickheads like former veep Dick Cheney have claimed that warrantless surveillance like wiretapping has “prevented attacks and saved lives.” But since this is the same dickhead who claimed oops lied that WMD existed in Iraq and lied about the connections between Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein’s Iraq we have to treat all of Cheney’s claims as no more than rants of a right-wing dickhead.
By the way, the 43-page report released yesterday is not clear whether even the disclosed domestic spying activity i.e. wiretapping yielded any solid information that prevented an attack on the homeland.
U.S. Most Likely Spying Widely Domestically – Muslims, Foreigners, Immigrants Most likely Target added by SearchIndia.com on
View all posts by SearchIndia.com →
when someone is a suspect, the Government can skip the court order to do the surveillance. that’s warrant-less.
what you say ‘widely’ is kinda cinematic.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write: when someone is a suspect, the Government can skip the court order to do the surveillance. that’s warrant-less.
There’s really no ground for suspicion here except that some people are Muslims or of foreign origin.
Of course, harassing innocent people under difficult circumstances is not new here. During World War II, they rounded up Japanese-Americans en masse into detention camps.
So it’s hardly cinematic to use the word ‘widely’ in our hypothesis that a wide-net has been thrown to nab potential terrorists.
But it’s hard to conclusively say that what is being done is wrong given that the attackers were all Muslims and all foreigners who lived here for several months.
You should not mix sickularism (sic) with national security. Look what happens to the countries who do (namely yours truly). If you have nothing to hide why are you afraid of surveillance? Why can’t you spare an extra five minutes at the airport if that means a 100 lives could be saved? Its not practical to check everyone in the name of equality. You concentrate on the group that is most likely, statistically speaking, to be involved. That is just a wise way of using resources. Of course, if its all done fairly.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. As we said in the above post, we are still a little ambivalent on the necessity of this kind of spying and secret surveillance.
There is enormous scope for misuse.
2. You write: You concentrate on the group that is most likely, statistically speaking, to be involved. That is just a wise way of using resources. Of course, if its all done fairly.
When you concentrate on one group (containing just a few rotten apples), there’s no question of it being done fairly.
After 9/11, US has become very paranoid regarding terrorism.
Because it shattered the notions that US security was foolproof and that nobody would dare do such a horrible thing to the people in the US. Unfortunately, as History always proved, US proved to be wrong. Their overconfidence in dealing with the Taliban resulted in a massive tragedy. What followed was a horrible feeling among Americans that all Muslims were terrorists. Although things have cooled down today, people are still suspected. Only thing is the list has now expanded to all people from the sub-continent, I’ll be surprised if Indians are not included. So, watchout!!!!
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Can’t remember any Indians being caught here on a terrorism-related crime.
Indians maintain a low profile here in general except for the Sikhs, who occasionally throw a tantrum about their Turban or Kirpan or about being confused with Osama because of the Turban. 😉
yes, it is necessary.
many (most) muslims do tend to be sympathetic to Islamic causes which transcend nationalism, patriotism or common sense, and are inclined towards conspiracy theories that relieve Islam/ Islamic terrorism of blame.
So it is important that are monitored.
Besides, what do you have to say that you don’t want the government to hear?
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write above: what do you have to say that you don’t want the government to hear?
When we are on a 1-900 call late at night for you-know-what, we don’t want the govt bureaucrat in NSA jerking off on our conversation. 😉
2. You write: muslims do tend to be sympathetic to Islamic causes which transcend nationalism, patriotism or common sense, and are inclined towards conspiracy theories that relieve Islam/ Islamic terrorism of blame
The AllÄhu Akbar screaming Muslim idiots may or may not be whackos.
But the American Christians are no saints either…killed countless Vietnamese in the 1960s and early 1970s and the last time we checked, the U.S. attack on Iraq (which had nothing to do with 9/11 and had no WMD) led to 1.22 million Muslim deaths.
Who were the Born Again Christian dickheads (George W.Bush & Co) appeasing by the needless attack on Iraq – the Military-Industrial complex, Christian Right…
Compared to Jews, Muslims and Christians, Hindus (while they are no saints) may have inflicted the least damage on those of other religions (at least in terms of absolute numbers).
SI said: “Can’t remember any Indians being caught here on a terrorism-related crime.”
Neither can I, but I do recall vaguely that Aamir Khan (the actor) was strip-searched at a O’Hare sometime in 2002. Even Kamalahaasan was detained somewhere in U.S. or Canada because the officials thought he was a Muslim (they mistook Haasan to be a Muslim name).
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write above: I do recall vaguely that Aamir Khan (the actor) was strip-searched at a O’Hare sometime in 2002
God, we hope they strip-search Shahrukh Khan, who’s made no secret of the fact that he hates America.
What better time than now when SRK is in the U.S. filming My Name is Khan.
2. Mammootty denied US entry at JFK!
SI Said: “God, we hope they strip-search Shahrukh Khan, who’s made no secret of the fact that he hates America.”
Funny, considering this report:
http://www.bollywoodgossips.net/bollywood-gossips/shah-rukh-khan-faces-extra-airport-security-checks.html
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Interesting.
The Heathrow report could be a red herring to distract from SRK’s original I Hate America comment.
Bullshit.
Since when is there a global Christian fraternity out to combat Islam?
America did not attack Iraq or any other country based on a Christian agenda.
Most muslims, no matter where they live see an attack on Iraq as an attack on muslims and Islam whereas most Christians will see an attack on America as an attack on America.
As for the strip searching, phone tapping, spying.. hell yeah! whatever it takes to make sure i’m safe.
I have a Saudi friend who angrily protested about how she was asked to remove her niqab and show her face at O’Hare. I told her she could move back to KSA where she wouldn’t have to suffer such treatment since she wouldn’t be allowed to travel alone in the first place.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write above: Since when is there a global Christian fraternity out to combat Islam?
1. If you took your eyes of the Rasavanti trash and read some history, you’d learn of the crusades, the current Nazi Pope who is baiting Muslims with provocative comments and that the Christian Right (George W.Bush’s base) is not unhappy with the Iraq war.
Conservative Christians Biggest Backers of Iraq War
Far Right Sells Iraq War to “Values Voters”
2. Forcing their women to wear a niqÄb is the stupidest and ugliest thing Muslim men do. Sick.
Some insurgent whackos have been trying it on and off in Kashmir too.
Muslims can’t have a decent life in this century
SearchIndia.com Responds:
And why is that so? Too busy saying prayers five times a day?
Gosh, one day we took a red-eye from L.A. a couple of years back. We got down at Dulles airport and as we were walking to our gate for a connecting flight, what should we see but a weird sight early in the morning in a side room – a whole bunch of Muslims spreading a cloth and kneeling over it, presumably in the direction of Mecca.
Time, place et al are no barriers for these guys when it comes to prayer.
We swear, this God nonsense will be the end of humanity.
SI: When we are on a 1-900 call late at night for you-know-what, we don’t want the govt bureaucrat in NSA jerking off on our conversation
I think NSA is bit confused thing.
REFERENCE: Will Smith movies
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Which movie?
Enemy of the State? – we have seen it on DVD. Thought it was decent
so how is that a war against Islam? For Bush & his righteous cronies, its always been a war against EYEraq to get SADdamn out.
I know about the crusades & the Catholic Pope…so?
There is no active binding resentment, defiance or ill will among most of the Christian faith against Islam or any other religion. On the other hand, most muslims have this “us against the rest of the kafirs”. There is just no comparison.
And like i said, America did not attack Iraq or any other country based on a Christian agenda.
so you saying, America attacking Iraq = Christians attacking muslims = Christians killing people of other faiths in the name of Christianity like muslims have done in recent times is BS.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write: There is no active binding resentment, defiance or ill will among most of the Christian faith against Islam or any other religion
That is baloney. What cheap Costco wine are you quaffing?
Adherents of every religion hate other religions believing (misguidedly) that their way is the only right way to reaching God/Heaven/Salvation.
It’d be hard to deny that over the last 100 years Christian forces have been responsible for more Muslim and even Jewish deaths than vice-versa.
2. Christian right were cheerleaders in the Iraq war.
3. The beheading of a stray western contractor in Iraq by Muslims get widespread coverage in western media but the aerial bombing and killing of innocents in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere by Christian forces get very little coverage in the West (our estimate is that 95% of American armed forces are Christians and 95% of Western journalists are Christians ‘embedded‘ with the U.S. armed forces). Embedded – wow, what a word. Sounds like in-bed, which is what embedded actually means.
God, we hope someone one day explores the links between Christian right and the military industrial complex here.
SI Said: “God, we hope someone one day explores the links between Christian right and the military industrial complex here.”
Ever heard of Blackwater in Moyock, NC?
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Yes, they were in the news in 2007 or 2008 for all the wrong reasons.
After all the bad publicity, they’ve changed their names to the ridiculous Xe.
Saw the below link on Wiki but the connection between the loony Christian Right and the Military Industrial complex must surely go beyond Blackwater. Preaching in the Army, praying et al. Remember seeing a documentary on that shit.
Blackwater’s Prince Has GOP, Christian Group Ties
the point is very simple …after all that Bush has done …there have been no attacks on US soil …..Obama’s strategy is something which will be reversed when US is attacked
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Need we remind you that the attack happened on Bush’s watch, happened after he ignored warnings that Al Qaeda was planning to mount an attack…….
SI :Need we remind you that the attack happened on Bush’s watch, happened after he ignored warnings that Al Qaeda was planning to mount an attack…….
Well he learnt his lessons and ensured that it did not get repeated …..Hope Obama will not learn it the hard way …
SearchIndia.com Responds:
So far Obama seems to be doing the right things, at least mostly.