May 15, 2006
Here is some good news, I think, for the country, though some so-called civil libertarians are probably disturbed.
The number of wiretap permits issued by a special court has more than doubled since September 11, 2001, according to a justice department report to congress.
More than 2,000 wiretaps were approved last year by the foreign intelligence surveillance court to spy on suspects of terrorism or espionage. That compares with a little more than 900 wiretaps in 2001.
In addition, more than 9,000 warrants were issued without court approval last year through national security letters. Their purpose was to look through the records of more than 3500 people.
I say this is a good thing. It shows the government is serious about investigating people who might want to kill us. That we haven’t been attacked again and we know one of the reasons for that is that some terrorists have been stopped is a good thing. While we need to be vigilant to make sure our freedoms are protected, we need to be even more vigilant in finding and arresting the terrorists.
Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.
