Bush Authorized NSA Eavesdropping in U.S.

LR,
You're a good man.

LR, one-zero, TR, everyone, Merry Christmas.

Martin

[longrange1947]

Martin - Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you as well.

May we continue to have open discussions.

[sf11b_p]

Originally Posted by Sten

But then you are guaranteed to be in "violation of the law". Setting you up to be picked up whenever the police want to.

Using the cover, in a few places.

[JMI]

DEPT OF JUSTICE LETTER TO RANKING MEMBERS OF THE SEN / HSE INTELLIGENT COMM.

As you know, in responsc to unauthorized disclosures in the media, the President has
described certain activitics of the National Security Agency ("NSA") that he has authorized since
shortly after Septcmber 1 1,200 1 . As described by the President, the NSA intercepts certain
international communications into and out of the United States of people linked to al Qaeda or an
affiliated terrorist organization. The purpose of these intercepts is to establish an early warning
system to detect and prcvent another catastrophic terrorist attack on the IJnited States. The
President has made clear that he will use his constitutional and statutory authorities to protect the
Amer~canp eople from further terrorist attacks, and the NSA activities the President described are
part of that effort. Leaders of the Congress were briefed on these activities more than a dozen
tlnies.
The purpose of this letter is to provide an additional brief summary of the legal authority
supporting the NSA activities described by the President.

[Phantom]

Anyone note that the latest thing the ACLU is complaining about is area monitoring for radiation in likely areas of attack or storage?

Edit: Even though they haven't complained too loudly about other forms of area monitoring for radiation before. IE: Monitoring for increased Light/Infrared to pinpoint potential "grow rooms" and drug labs.

Already legal to intercept/monitor radiation that leaks beyond the boundaries of one's property, has been for decades....

[Phantom]

Originally Posted by sf11b_p

There are things you can do that hinder the ability of cameras to read a plate. When/if they begin to place "black boxes" in vehicles there will no doubt be a fix for that too.

Originally Posted by longrange1947

Already there.

Just my opinion. I think the news papers are again blowing things out of proportion.

With all the cameras in use today, a fair record of your daily activites occurs right now.

<engage conspiracy theory mode>

Chrysler/Dodge develops ceramics near end of 70's that can withstand combustion pressures and temperatures, has money problems, gets bailed out by the government, ceramic engines never mentioned again. Chrysler/Dodge grows and consumes small competitors, now fat and happy. During the same period, ceramic guns appear in in the arms rooms of a select three letter agency. Obvious connections are made by "nuts."

GM develops On-Star, struggles with lagging sales, somehow manages to grow to number one selling vehicles through all sorts of creative new methods (including below cost for a very long period this past year) forcing everyone to adapt and take hits to their bottom line to keep up. On-Star disseminated widely, and even freely for extended periods to develop "dependence" as the technology becomes accepted. On-Star commercials begin to adopt the "Who will" protect us/watch over us/help us find our way/tell us where to go/save the children edge. Other car companies develop complimentary/competing products. BMW let's us know the car only called to schedule an appointment for maintenance, not to 'spy' on us. No apparent government encouragement, no big connection of note in general public consciousness. However, now that public acceptance is high, and product is embedded in nearly all new vehicles, whether the owners use it or not... those private "black boxes" are accessible to government entities.. either through liason at the operation centers for the service, or passive tracking of continuous emmission of individualized electronic fingerprints of the various devices and their cell phone technology based communications interface.

Yes, it is already there, more than people may realize.

[HOLLiS]

LR, I fell outside amoung these great people here. I wish you have a great Merry Christmas....... Chag Sameach is good for me. As a Hispanic friend said. "Los familia est meuy importante". I pray all our love one's are safe. We who defend/ed peace, know family is what it is all about.


When I see our heros say Peace, I know they Know what Peace means, and what it it means to preserve Peace.

[VelociMorte]

Infiltration from the south feared
Terrorist smuggling denied by admitted drug runner

BY SERGIO CHAPA
The Brownsville Herald

January 15, 2006 — The back door to this country is unguarded, and the locks in place to protect it against terrorists are easy to pick.

Lawmakers and border security critics have repeatedly made this point, stressing the need for more funding, patrols and protection against illegal entry on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Officials are pointing to records in a South Texas drug case with alleged terrorist ties that they say underscores the lack of preparedness here.

The attorney for a jailed Gulf Cartel member cited in the incident, however, says his client was falsely accused of trying to smuggle Iraqi terrorists into this country. He maintains the claims were brought to increase the punishment for a drug offense against the accused.

The allegations are debated but the danger is real, warns U.S. Rep. Solomon Ortiz who believes federal lawmakers do not realize the exposure that exists on this porous international boundary.

“There is a huge disconnect between Washington and the border,” Ortiz, D-Corpus Christi, said and called the security issue “alarming.”

‘Gente de Osama’

The January 2005 arrest of Noel Exinia and Cesario Nuñez appeared to be just another Drug Enforcement Administration bust on the border, until court documents in the case are examined more closely.

A few days before their arrest on federal cocaine trafficking charges, Exinia and Nuñez moved more than a quarter-ton of cocaine from Mexico through the Rio Grande Valley and on to New York City, the men told officials.

Nuñez, 33, pleaded guilty to a drug conspiracy charge in September. His sentencing is set for Thursday.

Exinia, 35, eventually pleaded guilty to the same charge. His sentencing is expected in March.

Court documents filed in Exinia’s case make frequent references to his position in the notorious Gulf Cartel. The paperwork also contains details of a December 2004 incident in which he tried to secure transportation for 20 Middle Eastern “terrorists” waiting to enter the United States from Monterrey, Chiapas and Puebla in Mexico.

Recorded telephone conversations authorized under the U.S. Patriot Act and a court order captured the La Feria truck driver referring to the 20 men as “gente de Osama” or “Osama’s people.”

During a Jan. 5, 2005, telephone conversation, Exinia described the men as “Iraqis,” ages 25 to 33, who were willing to pay $8,000 for transportation past Border Patrol checkpoints in South Texas and into the U.S. interior.

Exinia mentioned that eight of the men were coming to Progreso, northwest of Brownsville. He said they were “dangerous” and “really bad people.” They carried guns and made the smuggler that was helping them “afraid.”

Court records show that Exinia tried to employ a pilot — who turned out to be a confidential government source — to fly the men from the Valley to the northeastern United States.

Federal prosecutors declined to comment on the documents in Exinia’s case, citing his pending March sentencing.

Nancy Herrera with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas said the documents filed in the case reflect the government’s position at the time they were filed.

“The pleadings are what they are and we have no further comment,” Herrera said.

‘A lot of hot air’

Exinia’s attorney John Blaylock said the FBI conducted a thorough investigation into the incident and cleared his client of any terrorism charges.

“This is an example of a lot of hot air with a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing,” Blaylock said.

He said that the references to terrorism were kept in the court documents to “vilify” his client so they could be used to increase the length of his sentence.

Court records show that Exinia’s former attorney William May successfully argued to keep all references to terrorism out the October trial.

At a sentencing hearing for another client in an unrelated case, May told The Brownsville Herald he believed the terrorist allegations against Exinia were “true.”

“Otherwise,” he said, “I wouldn’t have filed a motion to argue against it.”

Blaylock maintains the allegations are false and being used as a tool to justify “massive government spending” and a “power grab.”

“Terrorism is the flavor of the week,” Blaylock said. “If they could have, they would have charged him with terrorism to justify the Patriot Act that is coming up for renewal.”

The USA Patriot Act, first adopted shortly after 9/11, is meant to “deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools, and for other purposes,” according to the version approved by Congress in October 2001. It provides for, among other things, enhanced surveillance procedures, protecting the border, removing obstacles to investigating terrorism and strengthening the criminal law against terrorism.

A Patriot Act extension, signed by the president on Dec. 30, keeps anti-terrorism laws that were due to expire Dec. 31 in place until Feb. 3.

The extension allows the FBI to continue to investigate terrorism cases using powers granted in 2001, including roving wiretaps and the authority to intercept wire, spoken and electronic communications relating to terrorism, The Associated Press reported.

FBI officials declined to publicly comment on the Exinia case. One federal law enforcement official that asked not to be named, said the men labeled “terrorists” turned out to be undocumented immigrants from a “nation of concern.”

The FBI would not say if the group made it across the border or if authorities have located or detained them.

‘A serious flaw’

While attorneys debate the existence of terrorists connected to the Exinia case, Ortiz, a former Nueces County sheriff, said information found in court documents underscores the U.S-Mexico border’s vulnerability to terrorist infiltration.

“It is very alarming” he said, holding a copy of the court papers.

“We know there are terrorist cells in the United States. These guys are coming through our back door.”

In fact, Border Patrol agents found Middle Eastern clothes and money in the South Texas brush, according to a federal report issued last year.

Ortiz said drug cartels and other criminal organizations, including the Central American gang, Mara Salvatruchas or MS-13, are dangerous enemies against U.S. security.

Similar to Exinia’s story about the 20 Iraqis he dealt with, Ortiz said Mexican and Central American criminal organizations are sought out to help smuggle terrorists into the United States.

“If they have the money, they’ll bring them across,” he said.

The presence and power of such organizations has long been known to Valley law enforcement but their threat to national security is lost on federal leaders and lawmakers, Ortiz said.

In one anecdote, the congressman said he attended a recent terrorism conference in Washington, D.C., in which FBI officials did not know about the Mara Salvatruchas — one of the most notorious organized crime outfits with documented links to al-Qaida.

“There is a serious flaw in communication,” Ortiz said. “We need to correct it.”





Too bad their trials are already over. I suspect that rather than divulge sources and methods, and an ongoing classified program, the Feds let the "terrorism" charges slide. Now that traitorous scumbags outed it, things would probably have gone a little differently had the trials taken place now.

[dennisw]

Absolute power corrupts absolutely, it is not a bad thing to watch the government.

I've seen this qoute a million times and I think it's BS. When at the end of the War for Independence and congress had fled, the whole world watched expecting Washington to declare himself king. However, the old soldier turned in a receipt for his personal expenses paid on behalf of his army and turned the reins back over to congress.

Absolute power does not always corrupt if you're dealing with people of character.

[The Reaper]

Originally Posted by dennisw

I've seen this qoute a million times and I think it's BS. When at the end of the War for Independence and congress had fled, the whole world watched expecting Washington to declare himself king. However, the old soldier turned in a receipt for his personal expenses paid on behalf of his army and turned the reins back over to congress.

Absolute power does not always corrupt if you're dealing with people of character.

Character of that level is an extremely rare commodity, and is not to be counted on.

TR

[QRQ 30]

Originally Posted by dennisw

I've seen this qoute a million times and I think it's BS. When at the end of the War for Independence and congress had fled, the whole world watched expecting Washington to declare himself king. However, the old soldier turned in a receipt for his personal expenses paid on behalf of his army and turned the reins back over to congress.

Absolute power does not always corrupt if you're dealing with people of character.

The reason you have seen this argument so many times is that it is generally the case. Few dictators concerned themselves with the welfare of the people even though most started out under the guise of protecting the people they eventually screwed.

[blackkn]

Senate Intelligence Chairman: Bush Can Spy By PETE YOST, Associated Press Writer
Fri Feb 3, 8:13 PM ET



WASHINGTON - Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts said Friday the Bush administration's domestic spying is within the president's inherent power under the Constitution, and he rejected criticism that Congress was kept in the dark about it.

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The program is "legal, necessary and reasonable," the Kansas Republican wrote in a 19-page letter, taking a particularly expansive view of the president's authority for the warrantless surveillance.

"Congress, by statute, cannot extinguish a core constitutional authority of the president," Roberts wrote.

Presidents from George Washington to George W. Bush have intercepted communications to ascertain enemy threats to national security, Roberts told the chairman and ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Roberts' letter came just three days before that panel was to question Attorney General Alberto Gonzales about the surveillance.

All eight Judiciary Committee Democrats urged Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., to call more top Bush administration in for questioning, including former Attorney General John Ashcroft and ex-Deputy Attorney General Jim Comey. Comey reportedly objected to parts of the program.

Roberts said the Bush administration's notification of just eight members of Congress fulfilled the legal requirement that the legislative branch be kept fully and currently informed.

Roberts has received a dozen briefings on the program; the committee's ranking Democrat, Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, half that many.

Rockefeller says he has not received enough detailed information about the surveillance to make a judgment about its legality, and that the full committee should be briefed.

A closed-door hearing is scheduled for Feb. 9, with testimony from Gonzales and Gen. Michael Hayden, the principal deputy director of national intelligence and a former National Security Agency director.

Committee Democrats are pushing for a vote on whether to authorize an investigation. A Feb. 16 business meeting of the committee is scheduled.

With Congress preparing to plunge into a hearing focused exclusively on the warrantless wiretapping, Vice President Dick Cheney said exposing the effort has done "enormous damage to our national security." The New York Times revealed the program's existence in December.

"It, obviously, reveals techniques and sources and methods that are important to try to protect," Cheney said. "It gives information to our enemies about how we go about collecting intelligence against them. It also raises questions in the minds of other intelligence services about whether or not they can work with the United States intelligence service, with our CIA, for example, if we can't keep a secret."

Cheney said he agreed with CIA Director Porter Goss, who told a Senate hearing on Thursday that such leaks are undercutting U.S. intelligence efforts. "I thought Director Goss was rather restrained in his comments, but he was absolutely correct," said Cheney.

Cheney's remarks came in a radio interview with conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham.

[QRQ 30]

WASHINGTON - Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts said Friday the Bush administration's domestic spying is within the president's inherent power under the Constitution, and he rejected criticism that Congress was kept in the dark about it.

I can find nowhere that the POTUS, his cabinet, the NSA or any other intelligence agency has referred to DOMESTIC spying. This is the intercept of international signals.

The oponents of the POTUS use the word "DOMESTIC" incorrectly and IMO fraudulently to panic the citizenry.

[one-zero]

just when I thought I was surrounded by commies in the DC area, the local leftist paper screws up and prints a letter from a sane reader:

"I hereby expressly consent to the NSA eavesdropping on any telephonic, internet or other electronic forms of communications I may have (whether I initiate or am on the recieving end of the communication) with any person(s) the government has reasonable basis to conclude is a member of Al Qaida, affiliated with AQ, or a member of an organization affiliated with AQ.
I aver that I have no expectation of privacy with respect to any communications I might have with suspected or known AQ members or persons linked to AQ or related terrorist organizations.
Indeed, I'd like to meet the person who would pretend to be victimized by an interception of a call he had with Al Qaida" signed EJW, Falls Church , VA.

He's basically laying out the program for all the retards who think the NSA is willy-nilly listening to domestic calls...easier to bush-bash than actually look at the program's intent.

right-on,
1-0

[vsvo]

The administration found a way to work within the contours of FISA.

Attorney General January 17, 2007 letter to the Senate.

Court Will Oversee Wiretap Program
Change Does Not Settle Qualms About Privacy
By Dan Eggen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 18, 2007; A01
Article.