Freedom On The March
Wait a second, you thought I'm talking about Egypt?...Well, apparently freedom starts at home. This is the US we're talking about here...(whoever said we can't teach those Yankees something or two about deeeeeemoc-racy!)
Just stop wondering what the US is doing about our freedom. Americans have issues of their own!
Whoever said that our sufferings are not the same after all? *sigh*
Pssst..Bush..yeah you...maybe you can think about that....you'll thank me!
posted by TB at
1:41 AM
12 Comments:
They are not listening in on phone calls. They are examining external data about calls to determine if they find patterns of activity among groups of terrorists.
By
Anonymous, at
May 12, 2006 3:09 AM
1- I didn't say they listen
2- I worked in telecom a while, and these 'external data' can compromise a lot of information that can threaten a person...his location for example...whether he is at home or not at a certain time...which I think you can agree is a 'bit' risky
3- They don't listen for 'groups of terrorists' only...they're trying to listen to everybody
Plz...stop the talking points, and follow your guts...that ain't right, and u know it.
or dont...I couldn't care less
By
TB, at
May 12, 2006 5:10 AM
I just wanted to point out that this isn't a case of them listening into phone calls - something a lot of people seem to be getting the impression is going on. I wasn't criticizing what you wrote, just clarifying things. A lot of people seem to have the wrong impression that wiretapping is occurring.
I've worked for a telecom company also. I understand the risks of putting this information in the wrong hands, but I don't think the NSA is likely to share this information with just anybody.
Also, from what I've been hearing, this isn't a new practice for the NSA, it is just the largest effort of its kind.
By
Anonymous, at
May 12, 2006 5:58 AM
Tommy: the NSA have already said that they share all 'assets' (i.e. information) with the FBI & CIA ... and the FBI information can be accessed by any large police department, so yeah, they really are sharing this with 'just about anybody'
By
Anonymous, at
May 12, 2006 1:24 PM
I must be dense, I don't understand how someone, anyone, knowing the location I was in when I made a phone call can threaten me. Of course I am a law abiding citizen though. However, if I was in the habit of calling my favorite terrorist organization then I guess I'd be shaking in my boots. But of course, I would never use the same phone twice if that were the case.
By
Um Haleema, at
May 12, 2006 4:16 PM
firefallukl,
I want to know where you get this information about the NSA sharing 'all assets' with other organizations. The NSA is an extremely secretive agency even by the standards of other intelligence agencies. I might imagine they share some finished intelligence products with other agencies but I have a hard time believing they are handing out this big collection of phone numbers out to the FBI or to local law enforcement.
By
Anonymous, at
May 12, 2006 4:30 PM
Hey egypeter, did you hear about the ACLU's own database. This one is a real database not just a bunch of anonymous phone numbers:
http://stoptheaclu.com/archives/2006/05/11/aclu-has-massive-database-of-its-members-financial-information/
By
Anonymous, at
May 12, 2006 7:52 PM
What the wingnuts are trying to say is that they trust the President won't use this information for the wrong purpose.
Because he's never used secret information for political purposes *cough* VALERIE PLAME! *cough*
They mean to say that if the President says they're not listening to conversation, he must be telling the trust, because he's never lied before.
*cough* SADDAM/911 LINK WMDs *cough*
By
Sirkowski, at
May 13, 2006 12:13 AM
The information the NSA has are phone company records of who called whom, and when. That's analogous to the information written on the outside of the envelope.
Our judges have long interpreted our Constitutional protection against government searches as applying to any "reasonable expectation of privacy". The information in question is necessarily public, or at least available to the phone company, and therefore unprotected.
The scary language about 'surveillance' is merely about American politics. The political party opposed to our President Bush is trying to smear him with this...which is counterintuitive at best, because he inherited this program.
Of course, the President's people are actively seeking out every policing technique they can use consistent with our Constitutionally protected liberties, but provided that they stay on the right side of the Constitutional line, which they have so far, that's a feature, not a bug.
By
Anonymous, at
May 13, 2006 5:01 AM
That "these are interesting times", is an understatement.
Terrorism in many forms is happening now but it is sadly just a taste of what is to come.
Our freedoms are important, but the lives of our children and ourselves are more important.
You can't enjoy your privacy or your freedom if your dead.
Papa Ray
West Texas
USA
By
Papa Ray, at
May 13, 2006 4:55 PM
A good example of the use of such records is the investigation of the murder of Hariri in Lebanon. Phone companies in all countries keep such records.
By
Anonymous, at
May 14, 2006 5:27 PM
amino: thinking about it this way actually makes it sound better! u know what let's do it!
(100,000 breakups in the first 3 minutes of the service!)
By
TB, at
May 15, 2006 12:10 AM
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