Libertarian ping! To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here.
Posted on 05/11/2006 12:30:13 PM PDT by demlosers
Washington is agog today with the disclosure that appeared in USA Today that Verizon, AT&T and Bell South have been providing domestic phone call information to the National Security Agency on millions of residential and business phone calls made by Americans.
It’s all part of the spy agency’s quest to create a huge database of caller information it could data mine in order to find patterns that might reveal terrorist communications. But it has raised enormous privacy concerns in the minds of many.
The USA Today report, coming after last year’s disclosure in the New York Times of the NSA’s warrantless electronic surveillance of phone calls it deems to be connected to terrorism ginned up the debate over how far is too far in the Bush administration’s efforts to protect the American people from al Qaeda and other terrorists.
The newspaper’s disclosure modified a lot of plans today. President Bush, on his way to give a commencement address in Biloxi, Miss., stopped in the White House’s Diplomatic Reception Room to deliver a brief statement to the press.
By the way, the president’s rapid response was remarkable. When other bad news has hit, say Dubai Ports World or the initial revelations of the NSA surveillance last December, there was a noticeable lag which allowed White House critics to define the debate.
The president’s quickness before today might be attributable to Tony Snow, the new press secretary. Or it could be that the White House is so nervous about the president’s ever lower poll ratings that he and his advisors felt he had to speak and quickly.
PRESIDENT BUSH: After September the 11th, I vowed to the American people that our government would do everything within the law to protect them against another terrorist attack. As part of this effort, I authorized
(Excerpt) Read more at newsblogs.chicagotribune.com ...
Yes. And not one single court or congressional investigation has found that he is doing anything in fighting the war on terror illegally.
This is not illegal either; Echelon's been around for a few years.
I must have missed the part of the 4th Amendment that allows the suspension of probable cause when an oversight committee is involved.
Sink, from what I have seen, this is borderline illegal. And beyond that, it is just plain a bad idea for the government to get the entire calling database for large telecoms with no subpeona and no probable cause.
OMG- listening to Rep Harold Ford now on Gibson- he is SOOOOOOOO TYPICAL of the spin going on out there- and the IGNORANCE...Rep Ford said we're being listened to..eavsdropped on...etc. THAT IS A LIE.
We are compiling patterns between phone numbers- a VERY long way from LISTENING IN on conversations.
He sounded so noble and upright..and UNLESS I knew better..and IF I hadn't read up on this- I would be sucking it up.
He either is DELIBERATELY misleading the public- OR he is IGNORANT.
Rant finis.
Those are Verizon's words, not taken from the 1934 Act.
They can do it, pal. If you have a problem with what they're doing, take it up with their legal departments.
Libertarian ping! To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here.
And then Verizon said they would release information to government with a subpeona. And I don't see one mentioned here.
What is this, sink? Strike twelve?
It's likely because he's stupid.
Are you aware of a 1994 Statue, which requires all phone companies to have equipment in their telephone exchane to record caller ID info?
This seems to be what is being collected .....
The Media has inflamed this to now having your Phone calls monitored....
You offer nothing but insults, I see. Even ones that backfire on you. Those must really hurt.
What a concept - asking that the fedgov follow the 4th Amendment and relevent federal telecom and privacy laws makes me a moonbat.
Are you aware of a 1994 Statue, which requires all phone companies to have equipment in their telephone exchane to record caller ID info?
Now, tell me where in that statute that the government can obtain that info without a subpeona.
The Media has inflamed this to now having your Phone calls monitored....
I expect the media to get it all wrong. I don't expect to have freepers get it wrong as well.
You make the mistake of thinking that a list of phone numbers is the equivalent of the content of a phone call. It's not.
If the government wants to know what you're actually SAYING on a call, they get a court order from the FISA court.
I said vamoose, droid.
I am making no such mistake, sink. I am saying the fedgov has no business having this data without a subpeona under the existing federal telecom laws that have been cited on this thread and that you continually have misrepresented.
Take it up with the mods. You came into this thread flaming, don't complain when it gets thrown back at you.
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