Wasn't FISA passed in reaction to Nixon and the Hoover FBI (MLK Jr.)?

[underpants]

I turned on my radio to the local talk radio station this morning to hear about the terrible terrible time little Georgie had at the Coretta Scott King funeral yesterday. For those of us who actually watched any significant part of it we know that it was very well done. A aptly very classy event. So Newradio 1140 WRVA (see line up) had on a Mike McConnell (?) from Fox News to talk about how politicized the funeral yesterday was and how low it was for people to take advantage of the situation. They directly mentioned Pres.Carter of course. They did give Sen.Kennedy credit for a great speech and were surprised that he didn't "overly politicize it".

The event was then compared to the Wellstone funeral which according to this expert from Fox News just might have (some people say) cost Fritz Mondale a chance at the Minnesota Senate seat.....some people were very upset about what occurred.

Okay so Pres.Carter mentioned the FACT that Dr.King and Coretta were wiretapped. Isn't that abuse of power part of the reason for the FISA law in the first place?

Anyway get ready for all the talking heads to have their talking points ready today.

[htuttle]

1. I think that was part of the reason

I've read that one of the reasons the Republicans went along with it was that they were worried about Carter doing to them what they'd been doing to Democrats for almost a decade. Right around that same time, George HW Bush left as head of the CIA, so they might not have had another way to really keep an eye on things.

[underpants]

7. Hmm I'd never considered that angle

Funny as soon as they are out of the WhiteHouse they need to put a hold on POTUS power. Sort of like the line item veto in reverse.

As I posted below-they kept the ability to due physical searches in their pocket. That wasn't under FISA until 1995 you know when that evil Bill and Hillary were in the WhiteHouse (and yes I know that Clinton supported and signed the change).

[Dr.Phool]

2. FISA was passed after a great number of transgressions

The FBI had tapped King for years, and even kept hounding him, with the goal of getting him to commit suicide. Actress Jean Seberg did after a harrassment campaign.

There was a secret FBI plan (cointellpro) that illegally spied on everyday Americans. A letter to the editor was enough to get a FBI file started.

The CIA, NSA, DIA and a lot of other acronyms were gathering information about US citizens for no good reasons. Hoover even had files on every Quaker in the US for their peace protests. Even while Nixon, a Quaker was president.

[Gman]

4. There's old timers here on DU that have FBI files

from the 60's and early 70's who did nothing more than speak out publicly or even attend a protest.

[papau]

5. :-)

:-)

[wicket]

9. Jean Seberg's life is such a sad tale

:(

[karynnj]

10. In the 2004 race, one of the papers (Boston Globe?)

said that Kerry was shocked to see how closely they followed him. He had, of course, known they were likely tapping his phone, but had no idea how extensive it was. (Oddly, it's really proof that he broke no laws during the only controversial part of his life.)

That they initiated this against a war hero, whose idea of protest was to argue for staying within the system and petitioning Congress and testifying before the SFRC in such a respectable, intelligence, eloquent way that he was commended by many Senators and Senator Pell told him he hoped at a future date he would be a member of the Senate.

[Gman]

3. Not only MLK

but IIRC, things that led to the burglary of Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist's office and the wiretapping of political opponents.

[underpants]

6. Not disagreeing with you but just pointing out

AS I have learned in all this discussion-physical searches were not covered by FISA until 1995. It would seem to me that those in power did do something about wiretaps but they left the ability to do blackbagjobs open.

Just wanted to point that out.

[Gman]

8. You are correct about blackbag jobs

Regardless of what they did in Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist's office, they did not include that type of blackbag jobs at that time. Actually, I wasn't aware that they even included bbj's ever.