Posted on 12/18/2005 7:21:35 PM PST by doesnt suffer fools gladly
Clinton NSA Eavesdropped on U.S. Calls
During the 1990's under President Clinton, the National Security Agency monitored millions of private phone calls placed by U.S. citizens and citizens of other countries under a super secret program code-named Echelon.
On Friday, the New York Times suggested that the Bush administration has instituted "a major shift in American intelligence-gathering practices" when it "secretly authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans and others inside the United States to search for evidence of terrorist activity without [obtaining] court-approved warrants."
But in fact, the NSA had been monitoring private telephone conversations on a much larger scale throughout the 1990s - all of it done without a court order, let alone a catalyst like the 9/11 attacks.
In February 2000, for instance, CBS "60 Minutes" correspondent Steve Kroft introduced a report on the Clinton-era spy program by noting:
"If you made a phone call today or sent an e-mail to a friend, there's a good chance what you said or wrote was captured and screened by the country's largest intelligence agency. The top-secret Global Surveillance Network is called Echelon, and it's run by the National Security Agency."
NSA computers, said Kroft, "capture virtually every electronic conversation around the world."
Echelon expert Mike Frost, who spent 20 years as a spy for the Canadian equivalent of the National Security Agency, told "60 Minutes" that the agency was monitoring "everything from data transfers to cell phones to portable phones to baby monitors to ATMs."
Mr. Frost detailed activities at one unidentified NSA installation, telling "60 Minutes" that agency operators "can listen in to just about anything" - while Echelon computers screen phone calls for key words that might indicate a terrorist threat.
The "60 Minutes" report also spotlighted Echelon critic, then-Rep. Bob Barr, who complained that the project as it was being implemented under Clinton "engages in the interception of literally millions of communications involving United States citizens."
One Echelon operator working in Britain told "60 Minutes" that the NSA had even monitored and tape recorded the conversations of the late Sen. Strom Thurmond.
Still, the Times repeatedly insisted on Friday that the NSA surveillance under Bush had been unprecedented, at one point citing anonymously an alleged former national security official who claimed: "This is really a sea change. It's almost a mainstay of this country that the NSA only does foreign searches."
Don't worry about those 900+ FBI files. Hillary has them securely stored.
Naturally. Reminds me of the exchange in the movie A Few Good Men.
Col. Jessep: You want answers?
Kaffee: I think I'm entitled.
Col. Jessep: You want answers?!
Kaffee: I want the truth!
Col. Jessep: You can't handle the truth!
Regarding your #100: Backhoe is The Linkmeister.
(That's Clinton dropping from the eaves.)
Triple Ping
Ditto the CIA and Justice.
Clearly State is part of the klinton cabal.
Then either Harry Reid is a dummy, or he's just lying.... or, of course, it's entirely likely to be a combination of both.
Actually, I intended that to be a joke, a typical Rat response. He may yet say it, however.
NSA has a mission. If you have nothing to hide- no worries.
Right - that's what they all say about things like cell phones not being tracked, I-Passes used for tollway payments (the records of which have already been subpeonaed for divorce court cases), RFIDs, etc. etc. etc.
Super secret? A few years ago on FR posters were discussing ESCHELON and trying their best to use keywords that would trip the wires on the program.
BTTT
Based on your comment this should be of interest to you.
self-o ping-o
Take your ACLU VIEWS OUT OF HERE.
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