LIE OF THE WEEK: 08-18-2006
White House Spokesman Tony Snow on the federal court decision declaring the administration's warrantless wiretapping program unconstitutional:
Tony Snow, the White House spokesman, also described the surveillance program as a vital and lawful tool. “The whole point is to detect and prevent terrorist attacks before they can be carried out,” Mr. Snow said“The terrorist surveillance program is firmly grounded in law and regularly reviewed to make sure steps are taken to protect civil liberties.”
THE TRUTH: The administration always emphasizes how "vital" warrantless wiretapping is and then follows up by saying that it is lawful. If the first statement is so true, then why don't they solve this issue by simply going to the Congress and writing a law to support this program? The answer is simple: because the second statement is a lie and it would take a constitutional amendment to allow a program without oversight by Congress and the courts. It is clearly unconstitutional for the executive branch to act completely on their own and this is a serious attack on our system of government. Dictatorships all over the world justify immoral laws by declaring them critical to national security and we should not fall into this trap and begin to slide in this direction, even to the slightest extent. We could end up on a very slippery slope - as Benjamin Franklin famously said: "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Tony Snow, the White House spokesman, also described the surveillance program as a vital and lawful tool. “The whole point is to detect and prevent terrorist attacks before they can be carried out,” Mr. Snow said“The terrorist surveillance program is firmly grounded in law and regularly reviewed to make sure steps are taken to protect civil liberties.”
THE TRUTH: The administration always emphasizes how "vital" warrantless wiretapping is and then follows up by saying that it is lawful. If the first statement is so true, then why don't they solve this issue by simply going to the Congress and writing a law to support this program? The answer is simple: because the second statement is a lie and it would take a constitutional amendment to allow a program without oversight by Congress and the courts. It is clearly unconstitutional for the executive branch to act completely on their own and this is a serious attack on our system of government. Dictatorships all over the world justify immoral laws by declaring them critical to national security and we should not fall into this trap and begin to slide in this direction, even to the slightest extent. We could end up on a very slippery slope - as Benjamin Franklin famously said: "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Labels: Lie of the Week
posted by The Debunker at 12:38 AM
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