Big Brother Joe
The events in London and Glasgow this past week have raised awareness that despite our ostensible efforts in Iraq to combat terrorism, terrorists are still able to target the US (or in this case our allies) with impunity. And while first indications seem to suggest the latest incidents were perpetrated by rank amateurs, we should not become complacent. There are individuals with far more expertise willing to ply their deadly tradecraft.
Which makes being able to track and monitor such individuals all the more paramount. But I don't know if taking the Orwellian route advocated by the likes of Joe Lieberman is the right course.
Lieberman goes on to suggest that there is "gridlock" over whether or not we should spy on "non-American citizens". Leaving aside for the moment that the issue is not whether to spy on terrorists but if it should be done in contravention of the law, parsing the language of this exchange is rather telling and particularly disturbing when you consider who Joe Lieberman is. He is chairman of the Homeland Security Committee and as such, would hold a lot of sway in any legislation that would define what exactly constitutes a "non-American citizen".
If having Holy Joe as the arbiter of what it means to be "non-American" doesn't frighten you, I don't know what will.
More reactions via Meme.
(Filed at State of the Day and All Spin Zone)
Which makes being able to track and monitor such individuals all the more paramount. But I don't know if taking the Orwellian route advocated by the likes of Joe Lieberman is the right course.
Appearing on ABC’s This Week, Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) used the foiled terror attempts in London to call for greater domestic spying here in the United States. Lieberman said, “I hope these terrorist attacks in London wake us up here in America to stop the petty partisan fighting going on about…electronic surveillance,” in apparent reference to the Senate Judiciary Committee’s subpoenas for documents related to Bush’s NSA warrantless wiretapping program.
Lieberman goes on to suggest that there is "gridlock" over whether or not we should spy on "non-American citizens". Leaving aside for the moment that the issue is not whether to spy on terrorists but if it should be done in contravention of the law, parsing the language of this exchange is rather telling and particularly disturbing when you consider who Joe Lieberman is. He is chairman of the Homeland Security Committee and as such, would hold a lot of sway in any legislation that would define what exactly constitutes a "non-American citizen".
If having Holy Joe as the arbiter of what it means to be "non-American" doesn't frighten you, I don't know what will.
More reactions via Meme.
(Filed at State of the Day and All Spin Zone)
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