I found it ironic earlier this month when Sen. Dianne Feinstein, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, accused the CIA of secretly removing classified documents from her staff’s computers in the middle of an oversight investigation.
Feinstein has long been a defender of the U.S. intelligence community, including the National Security Agency’s wiretapping and electronic surveillance activities on millions of Americans.
Apparently what’s good for the goose isn’t necessarily good for the gander.
It’s true, the Central Intelligence Agency is not supposed to operate within our borders. They are supposed to spend their time wiretapping, harassing, creating havoc, and eliminating American headaches everywhere but home.
That dirty work at home is supposed to be the job of the NSA, FBI and Homeland Security.
Feinstein said she had “grave concerns” the CIA search of her committee’s computers may have violated federal law dealing with domestic spying.
Duhh.
I, too, have grave concerns that the NSA has been violating the rights of millions of Americans.
In fact, I think all of our spy agencies ought to be zeroing in on Congress right now, not to check out what they’ve been doing, but to find out how they can spend so much taxpayer money and accomplish next to nothing.
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham went a step further and added that if what Feinstein said was true, it is “dangerous to society”.
“Heads should roll, people should go to jail, if it’s true,” said Graham, adding that Congress should declare war on the CIA if it is true.
Good luck with that, senator. But while you’re at it, why not chop a few heads off at NSA for wiretapping John Q. Public. Or do members of Congress somehow have more rights than the rest of us?
Again, what’s good for the goose, is good for the gander.
And for the record, CIA Director John Brennan was quoted saying “As far as the allegations of CIA hacking into Senate computers — nothing could be further from the truth. We wouldn’t do that. I mean that’s, that’s, that’s just beyond the scope of reason.”
Sound familiar? That’s about the same line we heard after we first learned NSA was snooping on average Americans. Then as more proof was leaked, the story changed. NSA admitted to some wiretapping, but only listening for key words, etc., that might give them a heads up about potential terrorist plots. They would never listen in on totally private, personal, non-country-threatening phone and internet conversations.
I know we have to maintain a certain amount of vigilance. We live in a country where we value our rights and freedoms, but that leaves us more vulnerable to those people who would wish us harm. It is the job of Homeland Security, the NSA, FBI and even the CIA, to protect us from those people and nations.
Unfortunately, all the spying and more intense scrutiny under which we now live has stripped us of some of that freedom we cherish, all in the name of the American way of life.
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