ACLU Refutes FBI’s Claims of “Unintentional” Patriot Act Abuses, Citing Lies About Authority to Demand Phone Company Records – aclu.org: Claims that the FBI’s reported Patriot Act abuses were the “unintentional” result of outmoded computer systems and human error are not credible, the American Civil Liberties Union said today, citing evidence that agents contracted with phone companies to obtain customer records and later sought to cover up the illegal requests.
The report also shows that the FBI is issuing hundreds of thousands more National Security Letters than ever imagined, and that tracking of the NSLs is sloppy, resulting in thousands of innocent Americans being entered into databases that are shared with numerous U.S. agencies and foreign governments.
“It seems that every time the American people entrust the Bush administration with some new power, it not only abuses that power but also seizes additional powers without our knowledge,” said ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero.
Not new. Not surprising either. The creeps who staff the agencies spying on American citizens always have a
rationalelie handy.It’s heading towards 40 years since I was part of a successful class action suit against local government/police, my local Telco and the FBI – for illegal wiretapping. My suspected crime? Being a civil rights activist and opposing the VietNam War.
Cripes, they even tapped Joe Lieberman’s phone. He never had the balls to get out of line in his whole life.
We’re stuck with corruption endemic to a whole class of lawyer/politicians. They’re just more confident about getting away with it in this era of lapdog journalism.
C’mon everybody — even if you supported the “Patriot Act” you knew anything with such a shameless name had to be a load-o-crock.
The “Right to Work Act” is supported by union busters.
It’s always that way, “The Fresh Air for Children Act” is supported by the tobacco industry.
The “Fresh Water for Puppies and Bunnies Act” is financed by major polluters.
It’s always that way!
“The Patriot Act” is surely written by scoundrels.
The United States is about as close to a police state as we’ve been in our history. While eastern block countries have successfully dismantled their internal security services behind the former Iron Curtain, the United States is slowly building up an even more insidious one. Our Ministry for State Security is secretly spying and collecting dossiers on our own citizens. Anything done in secret qualifies as a secret police state. How far will this go in the name of national security and protecting the homeland?
‘Our Administration’ has signed away every ounce of freedom we as citizens may have had, and they did not even read what they were signing.
People shrug off these types of encroachment as ‘conspiracy theory’ yet, the theorems are being proven true every day.
Last week, the news reported on the obstruction of justice trial for the chief of staff for the VP (CONVICTED), the squalid conditions in Walter Reed (‘Support the Troops’) and the firing of 8 AG’s that did not go along with the Administration plans (GOP appointed AG’s).
‘If you are not with US, you are with the Terrorists” seems to be the mantra and motive.
Yet, people refuse to even consider it. Everyday a new scheme is uncovered, and every day people hide their heads from what is being shown to them.
These must be the same faithful that have imaginary friends and scoff when told they are not really ‘God’.
The same faithful that aren’t worried about Global Climate Change because their imaginary friend is coming back to make things right.
These are the same people that have made a book and DVD about ‘using your mind to attract GOOD things’ and if bad things happen it is because ‘you thought bad things’.
What happened to the Country I fought to defend? It turned into one big Corporation.
Say what you will, the police state will happen. Oops. Too late.
Excuse me while I go answer the door…….
And in case nobody noticed, TIA is alive and well and apparently online.
4. “Yet, people refuse to even consider it. Everyday a new scheme is uncovered, and every day people hide their heads from what is being shown to them.”
A lot of us do care, and try to keep the discussion alive only to be shot down as CT or nutjobs. It really is getting old. The people doing this, some on this blog, are direcly responsible for being traitorous sheep and allowing it to happen. It may be too late.
TIA, CIA, CYA. Acronyms or Synonyms? These people are so scared for themselves and their power that they are spending all their time staring at their navels, worried their belly hair will rebel against them and form a noose. The world these blunderers have created is far too dangerous for this mentality. It won’t be us, in the end, that depose these losers on both sides of the isle, but the climate change/economic debasement/global resentment that they have long chosen to ignore.
One of the worst consequences the threat of surveillance creates is the chilling effect it can have on our conversations and emails. Sometimes I wonder if the greatest beneficiary with these occasional disclosures of privacy invasions isn’t actually the current holders of power themselves.
Isn’t it possible that even the harshest critics are subconsciously a little more subdued, knowing that even with no probable cause, their emails might be scanned for keywords that will flag them for further scrutiny by an agent?
Hello, I’m from the [IRS, INS, FBI, DOD, NSA, HS, Borg] and I’m here to
assimilate help you.
I’m shocked that no-one is shocked by the following quote:
“..the FBI is issuing hundreds of thousands more National Security Letters than ever imagined…”
They’re issuing hundreds of thousands more than expected? Did everyone else expect them to issue hundreds of thousands in the first place?