New FBI privacy violations confirmed

FBI Director Robert Mueller says an upcoming Justice Department report will show the bureau improperly used national security letters to obtain personal data on Americans during terror and spy investigations.

Read full story from www.syracuse.com

[Will Rogers]

I'll guarantee you it's been more than just "terror and spy" investigations. You can bet they've been pursuing other criminal investigations under a very broad definition of "terror."

[wyojake]

Yup.

[Kimbefly]

Not surprising. Any time broad powers are granted, they will be used for broader purposes than intended. We need to get this resolved before the next administration or it will continue to grow.

[johanson]

Will Rogers wrote:

I'll guarantee you it's been more than just "terror and spy" investigations. You can bet they've been pursuing other criminal investigations under a very broad definition of "terror."

Based on what; your suspicion that the government is out to get us? The letters were misused and I believe that the appropriate discipline will be administered. There really isn’t a conspiracy to spy on all citizens of the United States.

[south618]

yes there really is a conspiracy to spy on people.i know people whove been accused of being terrorists or "supporters of terror" just because of the books they possessed or the fact that a couple of them were drug dealers.dont give me shit for having friends that sold drugs,i dont care to hear it.i dont judge people.one of them had his phone,his girlfriends,one of his sons,and both his parents phones tapped under the reasoning that his money from cocaine was "supporting the terror network."im sure some of you can come up with a reason or two why he was supporting terrorists,but he wasnt outrightly doing it.he was just trying to get paid,they used their newfound power or spying on "terrorists" to bust a lot of people who werent terrorists in the least bit.the way i see it,a junkie is gonna get their fix one way or the other,if youre gonna bust one dealer you should bust them all.but of course they cant/wont do that,that would screw up a lot of the governments money.

[dave_port st lucie_fla]

johanson wrote:

<quoted text>
Based on what; your suspicion that the government is out to get us? The letters were misused and I believe that the appropriate discipline will be administered. There really isn’t a conspiracy to spy on all citizens of the United States.

ah , someone with some brains..........the above people all wear tin foil hats and think the worst always...the big bad government is out to get them!

[stpetejeff]

another surprise, the feds gotta think were all stupid

[Bill of rights WhatsThat]

Kimbefly wrote:

Not surprising. Any time broad powers are granted, they will be used for broader purposes than intended. We need to get this resolved before the next administration or it will continue to grow.

So true! And if they admit anything,their must be a lot more than that, proven by the simple fact they oversteped their bounds in the first place.
Bottom line: When they admit to us there is an ice berg in the water, just take a guess how deep that goes, and they'll have to admit they don't know either. Just like the economy, they are still saying things are good, that this is just a little slow down in the economy,
If we get into a full blown depression, then they may admit a small recession.
Like Brutus said; Honorable Men, Aren't They All Honorable Men

[Lollerkeekles]

johanson wrote:

There really isn’t a conspiracy to spy on all citizens of the United States.

Sweetie, we're two heartbeats away from being a fascist nation.

[The Iggy]

dave_port st lucie_fla wrote:

<quoted text>ah , someone with some brains..........the above people all wear tin foil hats and think the worst always...the big bad government is out to get them!

So we should just give up our right to privacy in the name of protecting us against "terror"?!?!? Frankly, I would rather keep my rights and yes unwarranted no oversight, misuse of "letters" to spy on Americans with out cause is an invasion of our privacy. Once they get us to give that up, what's to stop the next administration or several down the road to use it to gather information on people who don't agree with them? Next they will be charging someone with treason for disagreeing with the government. Our right to privacy is EXTREMELY important if we want to keep our country free.

[The Bald Guy]

johanson wrote:

<quoted text>
Based on what; your suspicion that the government is out to get us? The letters were misused and I believe that the appropriate discipline will be administered. There really isn’t a conspiracy to spy on all citizens of the United States.

Which is why two federal agencies have been caught spying on american citizens in the last few months?
Governments are not inherantly benevolent, and the founding fathers did not intend for the US citizens to trust the government they created. In fact, just the opposite. It was what they believed would keep our government in line. People like you who dismiss those who look at the government with a critical eye are the people who would sit back and let the government trample all over our liberties.

[Seentheotherside]

johanson wrote:

<quoted text>
Based on what; your suspicion that the government is out to get us? The letters were misused and I believe that the appropriate discipline will be administered. There really isn’t a conspiracy to spy on all citizens of the United States.

Just where the hell have you been hiding for the last 7 years?

Every time I turn around there's something being discovered on an extensive spying operation upon ALL Americans by the Bush administration.

[The Iggy]

I'll add, our right to bear arms, our right to due process, our right to freedom of speech & religeon..........

[The Bald Guy]

dave_port st lucie_fla wrote:

<quoted text>ah , someone with some brains..........the above people all wear tin foil hats and think the worst always...the big bad government is out to get them!

See above.

[Seentheotherside]

Commission Finds President George W. Bush and His Administration Guilty of War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity

The Commission of Inquiry on Crimes Against Humanity Committed by the Bush Administration released its final verdict on Wednesday, September 13, 2006.

An unprecedented Commission of Inquiry has found the President of the United States and his administration guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The five-member panel of jurists unanimously found the administration’s actions “shock the conscience of humanity” in five areas – wars of aggression, illegal detention and torture, suppression of science and catastrophic policies on global warming, potentially genocidal abstinence-only policies imposed on HIV/AIDS prevention programs in the Third World, and the abandonment of New Orleans before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina.

A delegation, headed by 27-year CIA veteran Ray McGovern and former US diplomat and retired US Army Reserve Colonel Ann Wright, will deliver the verdict to the gates of the White House at noon today following an 11AM press conference.

THE VERDICT

In their summary, the Commission jurists found that:“Each of these constitutes a shocking crime in itself, and taken together the full horrors are all the more unconscionable. It is also clear that this is an administration that demonstrates an utter disregard for truth and flagrantly lies about the reasons for its actions.

"In arriving at this decision the jurists were particularly alarmed by the degree to which the Bush Administration’s actions in all five indictments were informed by the extreme right..... although the specific conduct differs among the indictments, the result is the same: human life was debased and devalued by gratuitous acts of violence, torture, narrow self interest, indifference, and disregard."

In arriving at their verdict, the Commission’s panel of jurists examined a wealth of evidence with care and rigor. Consistent standards were employed, with well-established international law referenced where applicable

The panel of jurists consisted of Adjoa A. Aiyetoro, William H. Bowen School of Law, Little Rock; former executive director, National Conference of Black Lawyers (NCBL). Dennis Brutus, former prisoner, Robben Island (South Africa), poet, professor emeritus, University of Pittsburgh. Abdeen Jabara, former president, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. Ajamu Sankofa, former executive director, Physicians for Social Responsibility-NY. Ann Wright, former US diplomat and retired US Army Reserve Colonel.

THE HEARINGS

The Commission’s year-long investigation included five days of public hearings in October 2005 and January 2006 in New York City. The 45 expert and first-hand witnesses included former commander of Abu Ghraib prison Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski, former British ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray, former UN official Denis Halliday, former UN arms inspector Scott Ritter, Guantanamo prisoners’ lawyer Barbara Olshansky, and Katrina survivors.

[The Bald Guy]

I wonder if congress will pass legislation "legalizing" the FBI's actions now like they did recently for the NSA

[Seentheotherside]

On May 9, 2007 President Bush issued two new presidential directives, National Security Presidential Directive/NSPD 51 and Homeland Security Presidential Directive/HSPD -20. According to the White House press release,“This directive establishes a comprehensive national policy on the continuity of Federal Government structures and operations and a single National Continuity Coordinator responsible for coordinating the development and implementation of Federal continuity policies. This policy establishes ‘National Essential Functions,’ prescribes continuity requirements for all executive departments and agencies, and provides guidance for State, local, territorial, and tribal governments, and private sector organizations in order to ensure a comprehensive and integrated national continuity program that will enhance the credibility of our national security posture and enable a more rapid and effective response to and recovery from a national emergency.”

In case you do not understand governmental gobbly-gook, it says that in the case of a “catastrophic emergency”[The president gets to decide when a national emergency should be declared. He also gets to decide when the emergency is finished.] Bush has granted himself the power to run the entire federal government without any checks and balances, in other words dictatorial powers. The document states that,“The President shall lead the activities of the Federal Government for ensuring constitutional government.”

And these presidential directives will only be implemented in the event of an emergency as defined as “any incident, regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government function.” According to the directives, the emergency could include,“localized acts of nature, accidents, and technological or attack-related emergencies.” In effect, anything from a hacker attack, an earthquake, hurricane, or another 9/11 type attack could trigger the declaration of a national emergency.

According to the directives, he would be assisted by the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism who will create a National Continuity Implementation Plan. This person will become the National Continuity Coordinator. The implementation plan will guide not only the federal government, but also “state, local, territorial, and tribal governments, and private sector owners and operators of critical infrastructure.” The plan will impact all government functions at any level and many private sector functions as well, including communications. The directives also give a prominent role to the Vice-President. With Dick Cheney assisting the president, what do we have to worry about?

Even though the new position of National Continuity Coordinator carries tremendous powers, it appears that the job can be filled by the president without the consent of Congress, without hearings, or any interference by the legislative branch. Even the declaration of the national emergency does not appear to require any Congressional action or oversight. In fact the new presidential directives make no reference whatsoever to Congress and any effective role of the legislature. But why would a dictator want to be bothered by a pesky legislature?

This is NO joke, you can look them up yourself. So contact your House Representative(s) and demand they IMPEACH Bush AND Cheney before it’s too late.

[dave_port st lucie_fla]

south618 wrote:

yes there really is a conspiracy to spy on people.i know people whove been accused of being terrorists or "supporters of terror" just because of the books they possessed or the fact that a couple of them were drug dealers.dont give me shit for having friends that sold drugs,i dont care to hear it.i dont judge people.one of them had his phone,his girlfriends,one of his sons,and both his parents phones tapped under the reasoning that his money from cocaine was "supporting the terror network."im sure some of you can come up with a reason or two why he was supporting terrorists,but he wasnt outrightly doing it.he was just trying to get paid,they used their newfound power or spying on "terrorists" to bust a lot of people who werent terrorists in the least bit.the way i see it,a junkie is gonna get their fix one way or the other,if youre gonna bust one dealer you should bust them all.but of course they cant/wont do that,that would screw up a lot of the governments money.

shut the hell up you loser..........your drug dealer friends should be put to death , today,now not later..........hell man tell me where they live, i'll do it myself! scum

[River Veteran]

south618 wrote:

yes there really is a conspiracy to spy on people.i know people whove been accused of being terrorists or "supporters of terror" just because of the books they possessed or the fact that a couple of them were drug dealers.dont give me shit for having friends that sold drugs,i dont care to hear it.i dont judge people.one of them had his phone,his girlfriends,one of his sons,and both his parents phones tapped under the reasoning that his money from cocaine was "supporting the terror network."im sure some of you can come up with a reason or two why he was supporting terrorists,but he wasnt outrightly doing it.he was just trying to get paid,they used their newfound power or spying on "terrorists" to bust a lot of people who werent terrorists in the least bit.the way i see it,a junkie is gonna get their fix one way or the other,if youre gonna bust one dealer you should bust them all.but of course they cant/wont do that,that would screw up a lot of the governments money.

Maybe you don't KNOW your friend as good as you THINK you do.

I would like PROOF other than YOUR WORD (since no of us know u that well either) that your drug dealing friend, his girlfriend, mom, dad and son had their phone tapped?

[dave_port st lucie_fla]

The Iggy wrote:

<quoted text>
So we should just give up our right to privacy in the name of protecting us against "terror"?!?!? Frankly, I would rather keep my rights and yes unwarranted no oversight, misuse of "letters" to spy on Americans with out cause is an invasion of our privacy. Once they get us to give that up, what's to stop the next administration or several down the road to use it to gather information on people who don't agree with them? Next they will be charging someone with treason for disagreeing with the government. Our right to privacy is EXTREMELY important if we want to keep our country free.

like i said take off your tin foil hat!.........i do not want any of my rights to go away,however i do not believe that the governmaent is tapping my phone either..........it is ludicrous..........this is not a scene from farenheit 451.......