NSA Spying Pros And Cons

How would you feel if the president of the United States violated the constitution? The New York Times reported on December 16, 2005 this is happening through warrant less NSA spying ordered by George W. Bush. According to The New York Times, Bush signed an order in 2002 allowing the National Security Agency to monitor without a warrant the international cell phone calls and emails of thousands of citizens inside the United States. The program eventually included internal controls, but no requirement that warrants be obtained from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court as the fourth amendment to the Constitution and the foreign intelligence surveillance laws require.

No independent review or judicial oversight that kind of surveillance is illegal. After the abuse of power became public, President Bush admitted that he had authorized it, but argued that he had the authority to do so. The separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches, the concept of checks and balances on executive power, the notion that the president is subject to the law like everyone else, and the general respect for the “rule of law” on which our democratic system depends. Electronic surveillance by the …show more content…
Citizens concerned about surveillance do not have to answer the question, “what law restricts the NSA’s spying?” Rather the government is required to supply an answer to the question “What law permits the NSA to spy?” There are only a couple of laws that permit the government to spy (18 USC, Section 2511 (2) (f)). They are Title III and ECPA. Title III and the electronic communications privacy act make up the statutes that govern criminal wiretaps in the United States. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is the law that governs eavesdropping on agents of “foreign powers” within the United States, including suspected foreign

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