Foreign vs Domestic

The left has been complaining about the President’s NSA wiretapping program ever since they first found out about it. It was instituted to try and catch terrorists but you’d think it was out there tracking down anybody who doesn’t watch Fox News. Now there are issues here that would justify a debate or serious discussion on the matter. But one of the left’s favorite tactics is to slap a label on the issue that not only defines the program in their terms; it usually does so in a way that negates your argument. Think “Pro-choice.” I mean who’s not for freedom of choice? In this case the label is “domestic warrantless wiretapping.” It may be a mouthful, but it gets in all their misleading points. Every article you read by a lefty will, at least, use “domestic.” The reason is because only domestic wiretapping without a warrant is illegal. So what defines “domestic?”

If we were talking about trade, we’d all agree that if I sold something to somebody in the US that would be domestic trade. But if I sell it to somebody in another country, that would be foreign trade. But since only foreign eavesdropping is allowed, all communication involving just one person in the US is domestic. From there they are only a half step away from suggesting that the FBI is listening to you in the confessional. And now that they have established the vernacular, they no longer explain or point out that one of the callers must be on foreign soil. They have now turned foreign into domestic before your very eyes. Neat trick.