Great article by Glenn Greenwald. Obviously, some of the media is missing the boat on reporting this:
A front-page Washington Post article this morning [Sunday] reports that the FBI's illegal use of NSLs was known inside the FBI but continued anyway. The real value of this article is that it keeps this scandal in the spotlight, because there has, thus far, been too little appreciation for just how serious and threatening this rampant FBI lawbreaking really is. The seriousness of this scandal has been, understandably, slightly obscured by the sheer number of other DOJ scandals, so it is worthwhile to note what makes this so significant.
In essence, the FBI and our nation's telecommunications companies have secretly created a framework whereby the FBI can obtain -- instantaneously and without limits -- any information it asks for. The Patriot Act already substantially expanded the circumstances under which the FBI can obtain such records without the need for subpoenas or any judicial process, and it left in place only the most minimal limitations and protections. But it is those very minimal safeguards which the FBI continuously violated in order to obtain whatever information its agents desired, about any Americans they targeted, with literally no limits of any kind.
In order to obtain telephone records within this FBI-telecom framework, FBI agents have been simply furnishing letters to the telecom companies -- not even NSLs, just plain letters from an agent -- assuring the telecom companies that (a) the records were needed immediately due to "exigent circumstances" and (b) a subpoena for the records had been submitted to the U.S. Attorneys Office and was in the process of being finalized. Upon receiving that letter, the telecoms provided any records the FBI requested -- instantaneously, via computer.
More on Glenn's story.
3 comments:
factual misstatements.........hmm nice verbage for lieing
I was listening to a retired general say (about Bushs pep talk on the war) today that Bush was referring to winning on a political basis and not on a military one........ok
I was cut off by a Hummer today with a W sticker still stuck to the window and the other side of the window in back had an NRA sticker.......yes those proud of the "W" imbeciles that can't drive or have any common courtesy as I was already somewhat over the speed limit but not going fast enough for this %^$##@# guy with A "W" sticker and proud of it
"Bush was referring to winning on a political basis and not on a military one.."
Bush should get the foot-in-the-mouth award..
As far as the guy with the W sticker, there are still folks out there with the W man-love and still in denial about what the Gerbil has done to the country. When he affects the people who are proud of the W sticker sooner or later, then you will see thise proud W fans turn on the Gerbil. Yup, there are still W imbeciles and clones out there...
And this "W" Man-Love guy in the Hummer was on the very Democratic South Side, driving down South Pulaski, lots of nerve, but he was headed North, go figure, to his own people.
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