GOP Senators Push Eavesdropping Rules

(Washington) The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is hopping mad about legislation proposed by GOP Senators to set rules for eavesdropping on terrorists. The bill has been proposed by Senators Mike DeWine of Ohio, Olympia Snowe of Maine, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and it requires the President to get court approval as soon as possible for wiretapping and other forms of surveillance. Response by the ACLU was immediate.

From Chron.com:

The ACLU said in a statement that the bill would allow "Americans' phone calls and e-mails to be monitored for 45 days without any court oversight and makes court review after that period optional" -- in violation of the Fourth Amendment's guarantees against unreasonable searches.

"Congress cannot approve an illegal program when so many questions remain unanswered," said Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU's Washington legislative office. "When the rule of law has been broken by anyone, especially a president, the proper response is a full and independent investigation."

The proposed rules would be similar to what the President has already authorized by executive order with the exception that surveillance is limited to 45 days unless a warrant is obtained or the House and Senate intelligence subcommittees concur.

Even though the program specifically monitors communications between terrorism suspects when one is in the U.S. and the other is overseas, the ACLU is against it. Unfortunately, the general public has not been well informed about the program since the media has repeatedly mischaracterized it as a domestic surveillance program.

It is NOT a domestic surveillance program. Nonetheless, the ACLU opposes it.

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