According to the results of an extensive FBI wiretap,
Americans overwhelmingly support the Patriot Act and think the FBI
should have even more power to listen in on their conversations, read
their mail and follow their online interactions. The FBI plans to
release the results of the wiretap, conducted on 1,200 Americans, to
boost its campaign for expansion of the Patriot Act.
In conversations with friends, loved ones, 90% of Americans say they think FBI deserves more power
By Deanna Swift
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WASHINGTON, DC—According to the results of an extensive FBI wiretap, Americans overwhelmingly support the Patriot Act, the law passed in the wake of September 11, 2001, that gave the FBI new surveillance powers, including permission to listen in on phone conversations. President Bush is currently pushing to expand the law.
The FBI, which plans to release the results of the wiretap this week, listened in on the conversations of approximately 1,200 Americans in order to determine whether or not they support the Patriot Act. An overwhelming majority—close to 90%, says an FBI spokesperson—indicated in conversations with friends, coworkers and loved ones that they back the law, and would like to see it expanded. People whose chats and phone calls seemed to reflect opposition to the law, or mentioned the ACLU, are now being investigated.
Listen up
The FBI agents who monitored the conversations on cell phones and landlines were on the look out for any words that could conceivably indicate support for the Patriot Act. 'Patriot,' 'act,' 'homeland,' 'home,' 'land,' 'secret,' 'probing,' 'intelligence,' 'snoop,' 'wire' and 'tap' are just a few of the words that the agents were listening for.
"We were surprised at just how enthusiastic Americans are about the Patriot Act," said one source close to the wiretapping operation. “You hear all these complaints about civil liberties and spying but that’s not what we heard people talking about at all.” 
We want more
In addition to enthusiasm for the Patriot Act, the FBI wiretap also turned up widespread support for further expanding the powers of the agency to peek into the lives of Americans in the interest of national security. According to the results of the wiretap, 73% of Americans believe that the FBI should have the authority to read the outside of mailed envelopes, a measure backed by President Bush.
The wiretap also revealed great enthusiasm for punishing Americans who criticize the Patriot Act, including holding them incommunicado for unlimited periods of time. According to the FBI, 82% of Americans believe that critics of the act "deserve whatever they get."
Who's there?
Before the passage of the Patriot Act, the FBI was greatly hampered in its ability to take the temperature of the American people by listening in on phone conversations. But the law, which President Bush is now pressing Congress to make permanent, allowed the FBI to wiretap phone users who are “proximate” to individuals under investigation to suspects in terror cases.
Earlier this year, American Idol judge Paula Abdul became the first celebrity to feel the sting of the FBI’s expanded power. Ms. Abdul, whose voice mail messages and phone conversations with one-time American Idol contestant Corey Clark were the subject of a roving wiretap, was the unintended victim of a sting operation intended to sniff out Jordanian terror suspect Buelah Abdul. The messages were recorded by federal agents under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
What do you like about the Patriot Act? Talk back to Deanna Swift at [email protected]
The Patriot Act is here to help defend our nation from further terrorist attacks. It was put into effect after 9/11 and has shown that it can be useful. The lives this Act has already saved and will continue to save are the lives of our brothers and sisters. The Patriot Act will save their lives. It will save our lives
Posted by: Charles MD | April 25, 2008 at 01:06 PM
The fact that this wasn't recognized as satire is a measure of how bad it has gotten. I had to hunt to see if it was for real and was relieved when I found the comment about satire. I wasn't sure either! Geesh! What are we coming to?
In this day and age when up is 'down' and everything our president tells us turns out to be the opposite of what he said, we can't know what's for real, can we?
Posted by: cokids | June 19, 2005 at 12:34 PM
90% FBI agents prefer to tap lines to phone sex addicts.
Posted by: Treva | June 18, 2005 at 10:17 PM
In the first place, no one meaning any harm would be talking about it on the phone. In the second place, NO ONE SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED AS A RESULT OF AN EXPRESSED OPINION. This is intolerable.
I am not surprised that they would find 90% wanting compliance with the Patriot Act. I am shocked that they believe it is support for them.
"Real" polls do not show any such results.
How ard we going to get the FBI to pay attention to really doing their work instead of just doing investigations from their desks that tell them nothing, since everyone knows they are doing them?
Ginny
Posted by: Virginia Metze | June 18, 2005 at 12:41 PM
I for one welcome our new robot FBI OVERLORDS!!!
Posted by: Jay | June 17, 2005 at 12:43 AM
WIRE TAPS!!!!
Why didn't think about this before? Yes. we don't even need actual wire taps, or may be just a few. We plant some, make people think they all are listened in on, Then we prepare a report indicating widespread support for our widely unpopular clients, causes, or proposals,and decaler dicidents a treasonus minority and we got it made.
FBI are geniuses of brain washing,I mean Marketing.
They know how how to influence people's views, you disagree, we charge you and make you taritor. I mean, is there any thing better to shape peopele's opinion?
We can be rich if we follow the lead of our ilustrious leaders.
Posted by: Marketing entuciast | June 16, 2005 at 07:43 PM
Ummm... so do you folks not realize that this is satire?
Posted by: In-credulous | June 16, 2005 at 09:26 AM
So the random comments of 1200 people are supposed to represent the fellings of millions of Americans? Tha's even more ludicrous than supposing that Pres. Bush has "a clear mandate" because he received barely over 50% of the vote. Since there is no indication of how the FBI went about choosing which phones to tap, or which to include in their "results", I would doubt that these results represent the kind of professional, scientific polling which is conducted by organizations with no ax to grind. What appalls me the most? THe ones who were heard to criticize the Patriot Act are being investigated! So it is now a potential terroristic threat for a U.S. citizen to criticize a law? This country needs to get a grip.
Posted by: donzacatl | June 16, 2005 at 03:15 AM
Maybe all of us true Patriots should do our part to help the FBI track down scurrulous non-Patriots. Send transcripts of your phone conversations to the FBI! Send them lists of the library books you check out. Report your intentions to associate with other people, detailing the name of the person, the time and place of meeting, and the purpose of meeting. If we all pitch in to help with the steady flow of information, the FBI will be able to catch terrorists that much faster!
Posted by: Eggy | June 15, 2005 at 04:03 PM
I, for one, would welcome increased FBI surveillance of my private life. I feel so much safer with the authorities keeping an eye on me. You never know what mischief I must get into if left to my own devices. Is there a list I can get on to have my phones tapped? I could be conspiring to oppose the government even now and I hope the FBI will be ready to stop me.
Posted by: Rayhorn | June 15, 2005 at 06:28 AM
Ahem...
What do any of you know about the sordid underbelly that is American public opinion.
Leave it to us professionals. You have nothing to fear.
CryptoCat
Posted by: cryptocat | June 14, 2005 at 02:20 PM
So this is valid use of the FBI's seemingly unlimited powers under the Patriot Act - Big Brother is here! No checks & balances!! Is this America or the old Eastern Bloc?
"The FBI, which plans to release the results of the wiretap this week, listened in on the conversations of approximately 1,200 Americans in order to determine whether or not they support the Patriot Act."
What else did that garner from this wire tap, and how will it be used, by whom, against whom, and who will know?
Posted by: Les Figg | June 14, 2005 at 09:36 AM