Originally published June 16 2013
Treasonous Feinstein accuses Snowden of treason; insists others should honor oath of office but not herself
by J. D. Heyes
(NaturalNews) It's a typical case of the pot calling the kettle black. If it wasn't so serious and hypocritical, it might even be comical.
By now most Americans are aware of the National Security Agency's gathering of metadata on millions of Americans, in blatant violation of the Bill of Rights (never mind that a "secret" federal court granted the NSA the authority - no federal court has the power to grant any agency any authority to violate the Constitution).
No doubt most of you have heard the ranting of our anointed elected leaders, many of whom are calling the man who blew the whistle on this abuse, Edward Snowden, a traitor.
One of those tossing around the term "traitor" is a traitor to the Constitution herself, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. As head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, it is her job and the job of her panel to serve as an oversight mechanism on behalf of the American people; if she and her panel had been doing that job, Snowden's whistle-blowing would never have been necessary.
'He violated the law. That's treason.'
When asked her opinion of Snowden's disclosure, she had this to tell the press:
"I don't look at this as being a whistleblower. I think it's an act of treason. He violated the oath, he violated the law. That's an act of treason in my view."
Meanwhile, Feinstein - who has sworn an oath to uphold and defense the U.S. Constitution each and every time she has won reelection to her Senate seat - has defended the NSA's massive, broad overreach, saying that, you know, there were a few times when the agency's actions kept Americans safe.
That may be the case, but that isn't the point. The agency's mandate requires it to gather intel on those overseas who seek to harm Americans, and that only Americans known to be or suspected of communicating with known or suspected foreign threats to U.S. national security are to be targeted.
Feinstein & Co. don't see it that way, of course, but statists and other advocates of an all-powerful central government wouldn't. What's more, they throw up straw men arguments to justify the unjustifiable.
"Here's the rub: The instances where this has produced good - has disrupted plots, prevented terrorist attacks, is all classified, that's what's so hard about this," Feinstein added in comments to reporters June 10.
Defining 'the rub'
Actually, the "rub" for the statist is that the Constitution doesn't make any distinction between national security, domestic security or any form of "security" in between: The Fourth and Fifth Amendments strictly prohibit the very actions taken by the NSA, under any circumstances, period. Further, according to the NSA's original mandate, as established in 1952 by President Harry Truman, the NSA's intelligence-gathering was supposed to be limited to foreign communications. Further, the NSA was never supposed to be in the business of conducting widespread blanket surveillance of Americans. So, Sen. Feinstein, who's the real traitor?
Speaking of Feinstein, her past position on a range of issues - most notably her penchant for gun control - is considered, in the eyes of many Americans, as being traitorous. The Second Amendment, they argue, is simple and clear in its recognition of Americans' right to keep and bear arms, for self-defense, as a bulwark against government tyranny and, yes, even to duck hunt.
Her instrumental assistance in getting dozens of formerly legal, semi-automatic military look-like weapons banned in 1994 was, by any measure, not simply illegal but unconstitutional. Some call that "treason."
Treason is not whistleblowing
The point is, Feinstein and the cabal of Big Government Democrats and Republicans in Congress can blather on all they wish about how the NSA's illegal overreach is justifiable because it supposedly stopped some attacks. But how are we to know that? How can we trust the words of people who have become so untrustworthy by their own actions or, in this case, inaction?
Feinstein feigned ignorance of the NSA's programs by stating she would be "willing" to have open hearings on NSA's operations "every month, if that's necessary." But she also says the NSA's snooping has produced success - success that is, of course, classified. This latter statement suggests she and her other Intelligence Committee members (like Republican Vice-Chairman Saxby Chambliss, who has also defended the NSA) knew the snooping was taking place - otherwise, how would they know the NSA was conducting successful surveillance operations?
This entire sordid episode stinks to high heaven, and the stench just keeps getting worse. On the one hand you have an out-of-control, massive spy agency collecting metadata at will on every American citizen. And on the other you have an enabling Congress so hell-bent on controlling the masses themselves they refuse to see the difference between a noble act of whistleblowing and their own treasonous behavior in defending the actions of the spy behemoth.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.breitbart.com
http://thehill.com
http://www.americanthinker.com
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