someone who knows about FISA please help answer a question

Ok as I understand FISA they have to get a warrant to surveill any US citizen, but if the neeed arises they have 72 hrs in which they can surveill away while going to get the warrant to continue surveillance which takes one day. The 72 hrs was established to give them the leeway to surveill on a need to know basis until they can get the warrant. Is that correct?

Ok as I understand any person from another country can be serveilled 24/7 without a warrant in the US or outside the US and there is no need to obtain a warrant to do so. Is that correct?

If it is why do people continue to think the stink going on about the FISA laws prevents us from being able to surveill the suspected or known terrorist? I'm having a real problem figuring out if all the above is true why can't Bush just go through the FISA channel and do it by established guidelines? TIA Not trying to start an argument just trying to figure out if I understand the FISA laws correctly.

Originally posted by goose
Ok as I understand FISA they have to get a warrant to surveill any US citizen, but if the neeed arises they have 72 hrs in which they can surveill away while going to get the warrant to continue surveillance which takes one day. The 72 hrs was established to give them the leeway to surveill on a need to know basis until they can get the warrant. Is that correct?

Yes, I believe that is correct.

Originally posted by goose
Ok as I understand any person from another country can be serveilled 24/7 without a warrant in the US or outside the US and there is no need to obtain a warrant to do so. Is that correct?

I'm not sure about that. They will surveil someone outside of this country without a warrant, of course, but I don't know if they can bypass a warrant to spy on a non-citizen residing in the United States. If they can, I don't believe they should be able to.

Originally posted by goose
If it is why do people continue to think the stink going on about the FISA laws prevents us from being able to surveill the suspected or known terrorist? I'm having a real problem figuring out if all the above is true why can't Bush just go through the FISA channel and do it by established guidelines? TIA Not trying to start an argument just trying to figure out if I understand the FISA laws correctly.

That is indeed the big question. The only possible answer that I can see is that they are actually spying on a larger number than they let on - or they're sifting through everyone's communications, which the NSA does have the capability to do, according to Russ Tice - and know that warrants for such things wouldn't be approved by the FISA court.