Posted on 12/23/2005 8:05:47 PM PST by MindBender26
WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 - The National Security Agency has traced and analyzed large volumes of telephone and Internet communications flowing into and out of the United States as part of the eavesdropping program that President Bush approved after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to hunt for evidence of terrorist activity, according to current and former government officials.
The volume of information harvested from telecommunication data and voice networks, without court-approved warrants, is much larger than the White House has acknowledged, the officials said. It was collected by tapping directly into some of the American telecommunication system's main arteries, they said.
MORE
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Indeed. A CLOSE relative of mine was hired as FBI agent during the Clinton Administration to work specifically with Carnivore. As always the NY Times is dusting off old news and trying to make it sound new.
Muleteam1
At Fort Geroge Meade in MD there are acres of supercomputers that NSA uses to sniff out key items in all different communications channels, one end outside the US sometimes both ends outside the US. This has been going on for decades and has been used by ALL PRESIDENTS to spy on folk who desire to destroy the USA (with the exception of the Left and MSM). Microwaves are intercepted as well as satellite paths. Remote interception stations are all around the globe and in space. Old wireline stuff was being intercepted back in the Western Union days, when the Government would come around to RCA and pick up "the package". Read James Bamfords "The Puzzel Palace" if interested in the NSA side of it. I am sure the USArmy, and others do some to a limited extent also, but nothing to the extent of the NSA. The NSA used to be the largest purchaser of the most powerful supercomputers in existence.
Leaking to the media is very illegal.
And when will something be done about it? Do each one of us have to call the Dept. of Justice ourselves and beg them to do it?
the first amendment is so broad, even in civil matters, it would be a high hurdle.
what I do not understand is that we just went through a SCOTUS litigation with Judith Miller - she lost, and was jailed for not revealing a source in a matter before a grand jury. now of course, the media is busy (with the help of some idiot republican senators, I believe Lugar is one of them) trying to get a federal shield law passed. but as it stands now, these reporters would have to reveal their sources - or am I missing something?
Thanks for the update!
The Pentagon Papers case was decided on the narrow ruling that the information in them would not harm national security. If the information is deemed such that their publication would harm national security, then the Pentagon Papers precedent does not apply.
indeed, that is why this story is a compilation of information that really isn't new, combined with some "fresh leaks" about the hightened attention this was given after 9-11 (and rightly so) - all spun together in a nice little "warrantless wiretap" package.
you wonder how the people at the Times gets together to spin up these stories, what the scumbags in the room must be saying to each other as they craft this propaganda for publication.
Perhaps that is correct - but keep in mind the NYT has no authorization to possess the classified data, and hence are not properly "handling or securing" the data passed to them. The actual publication is perhaps a 1st amendment right, but all sorts of other rules are being broken when the NYT received the data and do not seucre it in an approved safe, two man rule depending on the level of classification, etc., etc. I am not disputing the printing, but the handling is very much not in accordance with DoD or DOE Regulations.
DoD or DOE Regulations do not apply to you, me or the NYT.
"Is it just me...or is the NYT stuck on stupid."
Stuck on evil, IMO.
They certainly applied to me when I was a Defense contractor. That is the NISPOM reference I made earlier. DoD writes and issues the NISPOM, and DOE has their own.
See the Espionage Act from the US Code I cited in #55. It is public law and applies to us all.
According to Rush, history only started when GWB took office.
I know it sounds like a stretch, but this is the price we pay for a free press. In most cases we expect them to be responsible. They often are, but not the NYT in this case.
We know it's BS, but if they can stop anything, they can stop everything.
Ecactly. it applied to you when you were a DoD contractor. Now, it does not apply to any NEW infromation you might learn.
Oh yes....it was Paradise before that.
GWB is the Original Sin.
I'm sorry, make that please see #69.
Government has been spying on Americans for a very long time. This is just a public airing.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.