THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume VII, Issue # 279, December 17, 2005
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
THE PATRIOT ACT & ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE
By President George Walker Bush
TWO CURRENT POLITICAL CONTROVERSIES RELATING TO AMERICAN NATIONAL SECURITY & HOMELAND DEFENSE:
CONGRESSIONAL REAUTHORZATION OF THE USA PATRIOT ACT & THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF THE UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT'S INTERCEPTION & SURVEILLANCE OF INTERNATIONAL ELECTRONIC COMMUNITIONS OF INDIVIDUALS WITH
KNOWN LINKS TO AL-QA'IDA & OTHER ISLAMIST TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS WAGING THE JIHAD, OR TERROR WAR,
AGAINST THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA & ITS ALLIES
FULL STORY:
As President of the United States of America, I took an oath to defend the United States Constitution, and I have no
greater responsibility than to protect our people, our freedom,and our way of life. On September 11, 2001, our freedom and
way of life came under attack by Islamist terrorists, brutal enemies who killed nearly 3,000 innocent Americans. We're
fighting these terrorist enemies across the world. Yet, in this first war of the 21st. century, one of the most critical
battlefronts is the home front. And since the September 11 attack, we've been on the offensive against the terrorists
plotting within our borders.
One of the first actions we took to protect America after our nation was attacked was to
ask Congress to pass the USA Patriot Act. The Patriot Act tore down the legal and
bureaucratic wall that kept law enforcement and intelligence authorities from sharing
vital information about terrorist threats. And the Patriot Act allowed federal investigators
to pursue terrorists with tools they already used against other criminals. Congress
passed this law with a large, bipartisan majority, including a vote of 98-1 in the United
States Senate.
Since then, America's law enforcement personnel have used this critical law to
prosecute terrorist operatives and supporters, and to break up terrorist cells in New
York, Oregon, Virginia, California, Texas, and Ohio. The Patriot Act has accomplished
exactly what it was designed to do: it has protected American liberty and saved American lives.
Yet key provisions of this law are set to expire in two weeks. The terrorist threat to our country will not expire in two weeks. The
Islamist terrorists want to attack America again, and inflict even greater damage than they did on September 11. Congress has a
responsibility to ensure that law enforcement and intelligence officials have the tools they need to protect the American people.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed reauthorization of the Patriot Act. Yet, a minority of U.S. senators filibustered to block
the renewal of the Patriot Act when it came up for a vote yesterday. That decision is irresponsible, and it endangers the lives of
our citizens. The senators who are filibustering must stop their delaying tactics, and the Senate must vote to reauthorize the
Patriot Act. In the war on terror, we cannot afford to be without this law for a single moment.
To fight the war on terror, I am using authority vested in me by Congress, including the Joint Authorization for Use of Military Force,
which passed overwhelmingly in the first week after September 11. I'm also using constitutional authority vested in me as
Commander-in-Chief.
In the weeks following the terrorist attacks on our nation, I authorized the National Security Agency, consistent with U.S. law and
the Constitution, to intercept the international communications of people with known links to al-Qa'ida and related terrorist
organizations. Before we intercept these communications, the government must have information that establishes a clear link to
these terrorist networks.
This is a highly classified program that is crucial to our national security. Its purpose is to detect and prevent terrorist attacks
against the United States and against our friends and allies. Yesterday the existence of this secret program was revealed in media
reports, after being improperly provided to news organizations. As a result, our enemies have learned information they should not
have, and the unauthorized disclosure of this effort damages our national security and puts our citizens at risk. Revealing classified
information is illegal, alerts our enemies, and endangers our country.
As the 9/11 Commission pointed out, it was clear that terrorists inside the United States were
communicating with terrorists abroad before the September 11 attacks on the U.S.A., and the Commission
criticized our nation's inability to uncover links between terrorists here at home and terrorists
abroad. Two of the terrorist hijackers who flew a jet into the Pentagon, Nawaf al Hamzi and Khalid al
Mihdhar, communicated while they were in the United States to other members of al-Qa'ida who
were overseas. But we didn't know they were here, until it was too late.
The authorization I gave the National Security Agency after September 11 helped address that
problem in a way that is fully consistent with my constitutional responsibilities and authorities. The
activities I have authorized make it more likely that killers like these 9/11 hijackers will be identified
and located in time. And the activities conducted under this authorization have helped detect and
prevent possible terrorist attacks in the United States and abroad.
The activities I authorized are reviewed approximately every 45 days. Each review is based on a
fresh intelligence assessment of terrorist threats to the continuity of our government and the threat
of catastrophic damage to our homeland. During each assessment, previous activities under the authorization are reviewed. The
review includes approval by our nation's top legal officials, including the Attorney General and the Counsel to the President. I have
reauthorized this program more than 30 times since the September 11 attacks, and I intend to do so for as long as our nation
faces a continuing threat from al-Qa'ida and related groups.
The NSA's activities under this authorization are thoroughly reviewed by the U.S. Justice Department and NSA's top legal officials,
including NSA's General Counsel and Inspector General. Leaders in Congress have been briefed more than a dozen times on this
authorization and the activities conducted under it. Intelligence officials involved in this activity also receive extensive training to
ensure they perform their duties consistent with the letter and intent of the authorization.
This authorization is a vital tool in our war against the terrorists. It is critical to saving American lives. The American people expect
me to do everything in my power under our laws and Constitution to protect them and their civil liberties. And that is exactly what I
will continue to do, so long as I'm the President of the United States.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
The USA Patriot Act
Islamism & Jihadism -- The Threat of Radical Islam
Page Three
Page Two
Page One
War & Peace in the Real World
Page Two
Page One
Islamist Terrorist Attacks on the U.S.A.
Terrorism & American Homeland Security
Osama bin Laden & the Islamist Declaration of War
Against the U.S.A. & Western Civilization
Islamist International Terrorism &
U.S. Intelligence Agencies
Counterterrorism & U.S. National Security
U.S. National Security Strategy
The foregoing message by President George W. Bush was delivered as a radio address on December 17, 2005.
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Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
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