Posted on 02/02/2006 2:44:56 PM PST by Aussie Dasher
US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld today acknowledged that the Pentagon conducts "counter-surveillance" of civilians in the United States to protect military personnel and bases.
But he said the program was "no big deal", dismissing concerns that it has led to domestic spying on anti-war activists and protests by a Pentagon unit called the Counter-Intelligence Field Activity. Speaking at the National Press Club, Mr Rumsfeld said the surveillance was a "perfectly understandable thing" because the Defence Department was responsible for protecting US forces and bases in the United States.
"Given the assignment to do that, they decided to establish a program whereby they would be able to observe and do the kind of counter-surveillance to see who was taking pictures of military installations and sensitive activities," he said.
"To do that, you obviously end up scooping up information, whether it is names or films or whatever to protect your base, and that information then comes into the databank," he said.
Mr Rumsfeld recalled that US intelligence was blamed for "not connecting the dots" before the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
"So here they are trying to connect the dots, and somebody looks at it and says, 'Oh, my goodness gracious, isn't that terrible you're collecting information on people in the United States'."
"And of course, if you look at it, that's what it is: it's information about people who are in the United States, who are observing a base in some way."
NBC News disclosed the existence of the database in December, reporting that it contained dozens of reports about anti-war activists or protests.
Among them was a report of a gathering of activists at a Quaker meeting house in Florida to plan a protest of military recruiting at local high school.
Mr Rumsfeld said procedures were now in place to periodically purge the database "so we don't end up with massive data that we don't need and don't want and didn't intend to keep in the first place".
"In short, it's no big deal," he said.
I agree. The slightest abuse of any information collected this way shoudl be treated as a HUGE deal. But we've got all sorts of crazy "civilians" in this country, many of whom are bent on destroying this nation as we know it, and others (mostly young adults and students) who are being used as pawns by well-organized, well-funded groups carrying out serious plans to create instability in the U.S.
Good to stir the pot, though.
The White House and Congress is carrying out the most serious plans to create instability in the U.S. by not securing our borders or expelling illegal immigrants from our soil.
Massive installations of multiculturalism programs, far beyond the nations ability to assimilate foreigners are perhaps causing more serious damage than a terrorist attack.
I would prefer to wave the flag than waive my rights, being a conservative who doesn't believe in large costly, unmovable government.
I'd prefer to focus on the serious issues you mentioned, than get distracted over the surveillance thing.
What about Echelon? That's been around forever, and I don't hear any squawking about that from the Left.
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