The Facts about Wiretapping and the Patriot Act

President George Washington once stated, “"The necessity of procuring good intelligence is apparent and need not be further urged."

He could not have been more correct. In October 2001, the United States Congress passed the Patriot Act by an overwhelming Senate vote of 98-1-1. “Urging” congressmen to pass a bill that would protect the lives of all Americans was unnecessary as it was almost unanimous that such an Act was vital for ensuring the safety of Americans, and over past four and a half years this legislation has allowed the CIA and the FBI to partner together to target and stop terrorism within our nation.

In response to those who claim that this Act is a violation of the Fourth Amendment, I would like to state the following: wiretapping suspected terrorists does not qualify as “unreasonable search and seizure.” I find it to be in the interest of every American to avoid events such as September 11 from ever taking place again.

Why don’t we look at the facts? The Patriot Act states that our government has the authority “to intercept wire, oral, and electronic communications relating to terrorism, to have emergency disclosure of electronic communications to protect life and limb, to delay notice of the execution of a warrant, and finally to grant the President such authority to act,” which he did.

I would also like to point out that mocking CIA agents not only demonstrates a lack of appreciation for men and women who have committed their lives to protecting this great nation, but it also implies simple ignorance. In order to become a CIA agent one must hold a bachelor's degree or its equivalent from an accredited college-level institution, complete 24 months of internal auditing experience or its equivalent, agree to abide by the Code of Ethics established by The IIA, maintain their knowledge and skills and to stay abreast of improvements and current developments in internal auditing standards, procedures, and techniques and finally, practicing agents must complete and report 80 hours of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits every two years. Very few professions require such dedication and ongoing commitment.

Finally, in the article “Wire-taps put liberties at stake,” it was requested that the College Republicans meet to “figure out the definition of a link.” Such a meeting was unnecessary because the definition is elementary. As the Chairman of that great organization I would like to refer you to the dictionary which defines a link as “a connection, relation, or tie between two or more things.” I think it is evident by the lack of terrorist activity in this country since the establishment of the Patriot Act that the CIA has been very effective in identifying and addressing such “links” to terrorism.

Original Article:

Response as printed: http://www.redandblack.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/01/23/43d436af5f29d?in_archive=1