As described by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an ever-watchful guardian of the Constitution, these Attorney General’s Guidelines for Domestic FBI Operations authorize the FBI — without going to a court — “to open investigative ‘assessments’ of any American without any factual predicate or suspicion. Such ‘assessments’ allow the use of intrusive techniques to surreptitiously collect information on people suspected of no wrongdoing and no connection with any foreign entity. These inquiries may include the collection of information from online sources and commercial databases.”
The press has largely been uninterested in this suspension of the Bill of Rights — but we know a lot about David Letterman.
President Barack Obama has expressed no objections to these radical revisions of the Constitution, a founding document he used to educate students about at the University of Chicago. His attorney general, Eric Holder, said calmly during his Senate confirmation hearing: “The guidelines are necessary because the FBI is changing its mission … from a pure investigating agency to one that deals with national security.”
Found by A Fox.
Other than wasting time and not catching bad guys what EXACTLY is illegal about this?
No action, no infringement, no chilling takes place by the collection of public information.
The “only” issue that upsets me is the waste of resources==and that is troubling as there is so much that is worthy of investigating and prosecuting.
Yes, our leaders have feet of clay, political enemies lists, slippery slopes all pointing downhill.
As the singularity approaches, it will only get worse. Live long and prosper.
The smart thing to do is give Obama the Mussolini treatment now instead of waiting until his reign of terror really gets going.
The smart thing to do is to agitate Obama to prosecute the Bush Administration so that he doesn’t think he too can get away with acting like Mussolini during his reign of terror.
Its sad to see the complete and total lack of enforcement of laws that regularly gets passed on without comment or concern. The only people that get caught are those that turn themselves in or are handed to prosecutors on silver plates by motivated citizens.
Laws not enforced are permission cards and even invitations to crime. It really needs to stop. So, yea===Obama should get going. He won’t though.
#3-bobbo-Laws not enforced are permission cards and even invitations to crime.
Agreed. Maybe we could take care of Charlie Rangel at the same time as Obama.
So, how’s that change thing working out for ya now??
#5–HEY ALFIEEEE!!!!!! === No, its not America…where is the American Civil Liberties Union when they are needed… /// Exactly right. I’ll look for your contribution pledge/check in the mail asap.
“Papers please” is no longer a dirty word in America. Apparently, neither is “dossier.”
#1:
It doesn’t matter if it’s public info. The gov’t shouldn’t be collecting it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_Gtb1kElRk
We’ve just switch the opposition party with Bobo’s own party lets see if he notices the difference.
Nope… but neither do the Republican idiots.
I hope for change. I also hope to win the lottery. I’m probably screwed.
Republicans and Democrats side by side lying not to each other but to themselves. Telling themselves that they’re not scumbags. They’re both wrong.
“President Barack Obama has expressed no objections to these radical revisions of the Constitution”
Constitution? We have a Constitution? Oh, that’s right, that really old piece of paper that they quote when they want to do one thing and ignore when they want to do something else. Riiiighht…
What is deemed “unreasonable” search by the government is partially determined by what the private sector does with personal data.
If the average advertiser can access detailed personal information on any citizen’s web habits and other preferences why shouldn’t the gov’t be able to do so?
I’m not rubber stamping this, but if a fee access database contains this information then gov’t access comes along with that. I would question the wisdom of making this access available to anyone.
What ya gonna do?
National Security will always be a central concern to agressor repressor nations. Perhaps less mucking about overseas.?
How many different ways can government, industry and finance f%^$ the American people? We’re running out of unused orifices.
What a bunch of effen ijits.
… “to open investigative ‘assessments’ of any American without any factual predicate or suspicion. Such ‘assessments’ allow the use of intrusive techniques to surreptitiously collect information on people suspected of no wrongdoing and no connection with any foreign entity. These inquiries may include the collection of information from online sources and commercial databases.”
What is unconstitutional about that? Oh wait !!! Just because some ignorant idiot says “this is unconstitutional” the wing nut, tin foil hat crowd gets their knickers in a knot and start screaming FASCISM.
I would bet that the vast majority of posters to this point couldn’t name more than four rights outlined in the “Bill of Rights” without looking them up. But it is so much easier to scream their fool heads off.
Two demerits to John C for having two colons in the headline..although with news like this I can see where having two colons could be useful.
Not exactly new behaviour, guys. Anyone forget McCarthyism? My grandfather – an army veteran, prosecutor, judge, pastor of a Christian church – had an inch thick FBI file from the 50s and 60s simply because he knew a guy who had a beard that looked like Fidel Castro’s.
The quote in para. 2 of Hentoff’s op-ed appears to have been truncated. See paragraph 3 here.
Where’s the ACLU? Here’s a bill they support.
If you like what you see there, write Sen. Feingold in support (and your own Senator also).
This is nothing new it started in 2001 and though we were promised change it seems were are just getting more of the Bush Administration. Where was John C. Dvorak then? Why just start calling people fascist when your guy didn’t win the election? Can Dvorak really be taken serious on any matter anymore? Seems like he is just trying to get a job on Fox “news”.
Obama fooled the sh*t out of us.
I think its all about “Jobs Jobs Jobs!”.
To keep all the pigs employed, FBI needs to open as many cases as possible, and Homeland dept needs to have a security guard and a half on every acre of US soil. Its just about them getting paid for humiliating us, the people.
That’s how it starts I think… time for Revolution 2.0?