What is FISA, and what are its effects on American freedom?

FISA is the Foreign Intelligence and Surveillance Act.

It was originally designed to provide oversight to domestic investigations of foreign spies.

Even in its 1978 form, FISA granted the government sweeping powers which would have shocked the Founding Fathers.

Such wide-ranging power is unprecedented in all of American history.

FISA strikes at the heart of the Constitution by weakening or eliminating the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.

FISA is one of the greatest threats to freedom in America today.

It is clearly unconstitutional.

FISA bestows power upon the government which would have made Hitler envious.

What is even more disturbing is that most Americans do not even know of FISA’s existence.

If FISA is supposed to allow the government to investigate foreign spies, why does it mostly apply to American citizens?

WHAT IS FISA?

WHAT IS FISA SUPPOSED TO ACCOMPLISH?

FISA was enacted during the Nixon administration. Nixon was spying on political opponents and activist groups under the guise of counter-espionage. Like most knee-jerk legislation, FISA did not accomplish its stated goals and ended up doing more harm than good. The unintended consequences of FISA are just now being realized.

Congress passed FISA in an effort to allow counter-espionage investigations to remain secret while protecting the Fourth Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. It apparently did not occur to Congressmen of the time that there were already ample laws in place to accomplish these goals.

WHAT IS FISA, IF NOT A THREAT TO LIBERTY?

FISA destroys several constitutionally guaranteed rights. It lays waste to the Fourth Amendment by denying virtually all of its provisions. FISA limits free speech because citizens can no longer be assured that a private conversation will remain private in the hands of a government bureaucrat.

FISA eliminates the protection from unreasonable search and seizure, and even allows the government to prosecute using evidence obtained illegally. There is no free press because FISA allows the government to search corporate records, which will force reporters to reveal sources.

FISA is a grave threat to liberty. It is important for the people to be made aware of the implications of not repealing FISA. It is no longer enough to say that if you are not doing anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about. Under FISA, the law-abiding citizen can be deemed a suspect for any reason whatsoever.