1984 arrived 17 years late in 2001
Today the New York Times answered the question of WHY BUSH IGNORED THE 1978 F.I.S.A. law. What is taking place at NSA is eavesdropping on millions of calls and E-mails with sophisticated computers that harvest those calls and E-mails that meet the patterns that the NSA has established. The messages that are selected by the computer systems are then monitored by analysts to determine if they are harmless or contain information relating to our security.
Thus, the statements by Bush and his senior aids that stressed the executive order allowing warrant less surveillance was limited was untrue. The NSA, under the President’s secret order, has become Big Brother. The number of total calls and E-mails monitored by the computers at the NSA most likely number in the millions each day. Calls analysts review which the computers identify of potential interest could be in the thousands each day and the limited number acknowledged by Bush are those analysts actually listen to in detail.
Now we know WHY Bush was so unhappy when the New York Times first ran this story. WE also know WHY Bush is not obtaining warrants under the 1978 law. The volume is so great, warrants either before or within 72 hours is impossible. The only practical way they could in part comply with the law is to seek warrants for those messages the analysts believe have security implications AFTER THE FACT.
This is the link to the New York Times artticle.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/24/politics/24spy.html?th=&adxnnl=1&emc=th&adxnnlx=1135436997-BxsIb0sDi3aejNbe/KWATw