How Is Spy Program Story 'Playing in Peoria'? Here's the Answer

[Jon8503]

By E&P Staff - Published: December 20, 2005 1:45 PM ET

NEW YORK In recent days, E&P has monitored the overwhelmingly critical response, at major metro editorial pages, to current revelations about the Bush administration's domestic spying program. Even conservatives such as George Will have raised issues about it, but he's another inside-the-Beltway guy. How is the story "playing in Peoria"?

We mean, literally.

It turns out, not all that differently. Here is a lengthy excerpt from the Tuesday editorial in the Peoria (Ill.) Journal Star.

*
An unrepentant, even defiant President Bush has admitted to authorizing the National Security Agency to conduct secret electronic eavesdropping on more than 30 occasions involving thousands of citizens, bypassing the court established by the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to deal with such circumstances. He defended those actions, proclaiming that the procedure has only been used against those with "a clear link" to al-Qaida. Bush said the Constitution and Congress, when it green-lighted his request to wage war, give him such latitude, which he will continue to exercise.

Americans who appreciate what this nation stands for should respectfully disagree with the president's generous and arguably self-serving interpretation of the Constitution, which does not give any occupant of the Oval Office absolute, unilateral power, even in wartime.

(rest of story @link below)

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001701127

[Cooley Hurd]

1. A K&R for E&P!!!

:thumbsup:

[peacebird]

2. K & R!!!!

[WildClarySage]

3. My conservative, South Carolina uncle said

this was the last straw, he's not a bush man anymore. The tide is turning, no doubt.

[Fridays Child]

4. 9-11, 9-11, 9-11.

K & R!

[Crazy Dave]

5. World Wide Attention

If you listen to the news broadcasts from around the world this has been their headline topic. The US rubs everyones face in the "we're better than you on individual rights" so this is a highly hypocritical abuse of executive power.

Other hypocritical shit going on:

The Reliable Replacement Warhead Program. At a time when the US is demanding everyone else disarm, congress has approved updating and upgrading all of our nukes.

The U.S. government is keeping Cuba out of the inaugural World Baseball Classic. When we chastise the anti-semitic nations who boycott sporting events that Israel participates in and Cuba is allowed in the Olympics, it was entirely the US government's decision to piss on them.

Enough to make you :puke:

[xchrom]

6. k & r for my old home town.

[Surya Gayatri]

7. Is the huge red-hued heartland

finally waking up from its 5-year stupor? Can rabid Repubs & right-wingers really afford to take an honest, if painful, look at what they have wrought? My fear is that cognitive dissonance, false pride and the always strident right-wing talk machine, will hinder any genuine retreat from entrenched positions. SG

(But, I'm watching and hoping...)

[The_Mule]

11. In my experience living there...

the huge heartland is purplish-hued with specks of bright blue.

And lots of amber waves of grain, of course.

[EFerrari]

8. Kick

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

9. Good for Peoria

Only point of difference is I don't "respectfully disagree" with Bush, I loudly and rudely disagree and demand IMPEACHMENT.

[progressoid]

10. "respectfully disagree"?? That's a little too tame for me.

We should be screaming about this.

[elehhhhna]

12. Yep. Was * "respectful" when he lied and tortured and spied?

[Clark2008]

13. Looks like the journalism industry would take a cue from its

industry publications and start fucking REPORTING again instead of spewing the WH said/Anti-WH said lines.

It's a FACT, afterall, that spying on citizens is a violation of the Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution. Period.

[Chi]

14. procedure has only been used against those with "a clear link" to al-Qaida

If that were the case, these people would be in Gitmo.
What a crock of shit.

Soon they'll be coming after the guns. :evilgrin: