Gov Mitt Romney: We Should Wiretap Mosques And Monitor Foreign Students

[GotZoom]

Muslim groups and civil libertarians demanded an apology from Gov. Mitt Romney on Friday for his comments about wiretapping mosques and monitoring foreign students. But the governor refused, saying he was only advocating for improved homeland security.

The groups delivered a letter to Romney that said 'your desire to wiretap mosques is an affront to the values and principles that make America a great country.' The groups include the American Civil Liberties Union and various mosques and Islamic organizations.

After the letter was delivered, spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom said the governor would not apologize or retract his comments.

Romney made the remarks Wednesday during a speech in Washington at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. He referred to the state's 120 colleges and universities and speculated about students who are from countries that sponsor terrorism, asking 'Do we know where they are, are we tracking them?'

He also spoke about gathering intelligence at mosques 'that may be teaching doctrines of hate and terror.'

'Are we monitoring that? Are we wiretapping?' he asked. 'Are we following what's going on? Are we seeing who's coming in, who's coming out? Are we eavesdropping, carrying out surveillance on those individuals from places that sponsor domestic terror?'

Romney, who is considering a run for president in 2008, said Friday morning he wasn't suggesting anything beyond the scope of what's done by the FBI today. But some Muslims said that Romney is stereotyping all Muslims as terrorists and promoting dangerous policies that erode civil liberties.

Hamza Pelletier, spokesman for the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation, said his group planned to attend all of Romney's public appearances until he retracts the statements.

http://interestalert.com/story/site...a&Fid=LATEBRKN&Type=News&Filter=Late Breaking

 

[Annie]

Muslim groups and civil libertarians demanded an apology from Gov. Mitt Romney on Friday for his comments about wiretapping mosques and monitoring foreign students. But the governor refused, saying he was only advocating for improved homeland security.

The groups delivered a letter to Romney that said 'your desire to wiretap mosques is an affront to the values and principles that make America a great country.' The groups include the American Civil Liberties Union and various mosques and Islamic organizations.

After the letter was delivered, spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom said the governor would not apologize or retract his comments.

Romney made the remarks Wednesday during a speech in Washington at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. He referred to the state's 120 colleges and universities and speculated about students who are from countries that sponsor terrorism, asking 'Do we know where they are, are we tracking them?'

He also spoke about gathering intelligence at mosques 'that may be teaching doctrines of hate and terror.'

'Are we monitoring that? Are we wiretapping?' he asked. 'Are we following what's going on? Are we seeing who's coming in, who's coming out? Are we eavesdropping, carrying out surveillance on those individuals from places that sponsor domestic terror?'

Romney, who is considering a run for president in 2008, said Friday morning he wasn't suggesting anything beyond the scope of what's done by the FBI today. But some Muslims said that Romney is stereotyping all Muslims as terrorists and promoting dangerous policies that erode civil liberties.

Hamza Pelletier, spokesman for the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation, said his group planned to attend all of Romney's public appearances until he retracts the statements.

http://interestalert.com/story/site...a&Fid=LATEBRKN&Type=News&Filter=Late Breaking

His being Mormon was sort of scaring me off. With this, if he sounds sensible on other venues, I'll be seriously looking at him.

 

[Adam's Apple]

This guy has real courage to implement a common-sense policy like that in Ultra-Liberal Land, where, evidently, common sense departed long ago. Romney must be a transplanted Easterner with his core beliefs developed in some other part of the country.

Politically, Massachusetts is a state I cannot understand. How can the voters choose a man like Romney to be their governor, yet give a man like Ted Kennedy a life-time job representing them in the Senate?

 

[KarlMarx]

Let's put this in perspective.....

Randall Terry, the now nationally known pro-life activist, is the founder of "Operation Rescue", and is from Binghamton, New York, which is a few miles from where I live. In fact Operation Rescue started in Binghamton New York (hey, it's a small town, we gotta take all the fame we can get!).

The church to which he belonged was denied tax free status (churches are considered non-profit organizations and thus are freed from taxation) because the pastor had mentioned Mr Terry's political activities in some of his sermons..... Now ... just HOW did the IRS find out about that? Hmm....

Of course, this was during the Clinton years, so it figures.... but that's not the point....

If the IRS, FBI or what ever government agency, was wiretapping a church because it was associated with an anti-abortion "extremist"... then why is it so beyond the pale to wiretap mosques where violent overthrow of the government is advocated?

P.S. The reason for denial of the church's tax free status --- it was involved in political activity (OK ... the law does say that).... but then, why aren't labor unions, which are also non-profits, put under the same scrutiny? Answer: Political Contributions to the DNC!

 

[Nuc]

If the IRS, FBI or what ever government agency, was wiretapping a church because it was associated with an anti-abortion "extremist"... then why is it so beyond the pale to wiretap mosques where violent overthrow of the government is advocated?

Good reasoning here. For example the Mosque which is on Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn consistently denied knowing anything about terrorists and then of course was found to be infested with them.

I wouldn't advocate infiltrating mosques or churches lightly or for frivolous reasons. But if there is a clear cause and effect relationship, why not because they are no longer churches or mosques but rather terrorist incubators and quasi-military.

Both examples, Islamic extremists and anti-abortion terrorists are reasonable.

 

[Gunny]

Muslim groups and civil libertarians demanded an apology from Gov. Mitt Romney on Friday for his comments about wiretapping mosques and monitoring foreign students. But the governor refused, saying he was only advocating for improved homeland security.

The groups delivered a letter to Romney that said 'your desire to wiretap mosques is an affront to the values and principles that make America a great country.' The groups include the American Civil Liberties Union and various mosques and Islamic organizations.

After the letter was delivered, spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom said the governor would not apologize or retract his comments.

Romney made the remarks Wednesday during a speech in Washington at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. He referred to the state's 120 colleges and universities and speculated about students who are from countries that sponsor terrorism, asking 'Do we know where they are, are we tracking them?'

He also spoke about gathering intelligence at mosques 'that may be teaching doctrines of hate and terror.'

'Are we monitoring that? Are we wiretapping?' he asked. 'Are we following what's going on? Are we seeing who's coming in, who's coming out? Are we eavesdropping, carrying out surveillance on those individuals from places that sponsor domestic terror?'

Romney, who is considering a run for president in 2008, said Friday morning he wasn't suggesting anything beyond the scope of what's done by the FBI today. But some Muslims said that Romney is stereotyping all Muslims as terrorists and promoting dangerous policies that erode civil liberties.

Hamza Pelletier, spokesman for the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation, said his group planned to attend all of Romney's public appearances until he retracts the statements.

http://interestalert.com/story/site...a&Fid=LATEBRKN&Type=News&Filter=Late Breaking

Apologize for WHAT? Seems to me the only people actually threatened would be those involved in something illegal.

 

[William Joyce]

Romney's obviously going for president, and must lose the Taxachussetts Liberal image.

 

[Adam's Apple]

Some more information on this topic. Sometimes I wonder how Jacoby manages to keep his job at the Boston Globe. He writes some pretty hard-hitting conservative columns in a newspaper that is liberal MSM.

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/jeff/jacoby.php3