Totalitarian American Domestic Surveillance

ꕤ Article SOURCE http://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2015/12/02/the-spies-who-ruin-us/ December 2, 2015 By Judge Andrew Napolitano 'The Spies Who Ruin Us' SUMMARY Post 9/11 intelligence failure to protect: --> principle target 4th Amendment right to privacy -->  Patriot Act 2001 Unread & undebated legislation -->  US Congress unaware re liberties they were sacrificing --> US domestic spying unleashed USG secret mass data gathering + warrants not based on probable cause Lapsed law ... but: USA telecoms + Internet service providers to retain records for five (5) years --> NSA instant access. Patriot Act + USA Freedom Act: unconstitutionally do away with probable cause requirement for warrants USA Freedom Act warrants: unconstitutionally do away with probable cause requirement -->  based on standard of “govt'l needs” Reality:  “governmental needs” = no standard whatsoever, as USG will always claim that it needs what it wants. USG using same basis for warrants as British colonialists for raids that provoked Revolution & 4th Amendment. propaganda that NSA have been shut down is false / operate remotely --> telecoms & ISPs s.702 FISA & EO is valid s.702 FISA & Bush EO both bypass US Constitution & continue to permit mass #surveillance data collection s.702 FISA --> permits warrantless surveillance of Americans speaking to foreigners. --> FISA court issues warrants / intercept FISA court: --> issue warrants to intercept calls of third parties (to Americans speaking to foreigners) ... encompasses all. Bush Executive Order (EO) to military intelligence (NSA is one of more) --> to intercept calls of anyone - NO WARRANT. Andrew Napolitano asserts that secret USA spying: produces too much material for the government to evaluate / Paris failure eg. General warrants: =  hallmark of totalitarian government {article US example} http://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2015/12/02/the-spies-who-ruin-us/ ---------------------- ꕤ ---------------------- COMMENT Good overview. As Napolitano said, with all of France's surveillance capabilities (and infringements of civil liberties that accompany these capabilities), both France and America, who spy on France, missed the opportunity to prevent the Paris attacks -- because they are not conducting target-specific surveillance, and their manpower is bound up in blanket surveillance of entire populations. What goes on in the US pretty much goes on elsewhere.  The same principles apply, save for the lack of constitutional protections that are supposed to be in place for Americans. The mention of British colonialists raiding homes on basis of warrantless searches ahead of the American Revolution, is an interesting detail I wasn't aware of.  Ironically, what led to revolution and Fourth Amendment rights being enshrined in the American Constitution, is present day state totalitarianism being repeated by those that exercise behind-the-scenes control of the usurped American state. ꕤ