WaPo: FBI Scrutinizing Records of Ordinary Americans

[adigal]

(Cross posted at dailykos)

The FBI has been a little overzealous, it seems. They have been, according to the Washington Post's headline, "Scrutinizing Records of ordinary Americans."

Wow!! That means me and you! So when I blog here, and email someone something more personal, or when I ask my sister-in-law, a nurse, what to do about PMS, the FBI can get in on my PMS! Terrif!!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/05/AR2005110501366.html


"The FBI now issues more than 30,000 national security letters a year, according to government sources, a hundredfold increase over historic norms. The letters -- one of which can be used to sweep up the records of many people -- are extending the bureau's reach as never before into the telephone calls, correspondence and financial lives of ordinary Americans.

Issued by FBI field supervisors, national security letters do not need the imprimatur of a prosecutor, grand jury or judge. They receive no review after the fact by the Justice Department or Congress. The executive branch maintains only statistics, which are incomplete and confined to classified reports. The Bush administration defeated legislation and a lawsuit to require a public accounting, and has offered no example in which the use of a national security letter helped disrupt a terrorist plot."

Got that: The Bush admin defeated legislation to require a public accounting. These people have taken the tragedy of 9/11 and turned us into a police state, complete with secret gulags.

Not to worry folks: the FBI says that they will only go after terrorists:

"Career investigators and Bush administration officials emphasized, in congressional testimony and interviews for this story, that national security letters are for hunting terrorists, not fishing through the private lives of the innocent. The distinction is not as clear in practice."

Whew. I feel better now. I know how efficient this Bush administration is at determing innocent from guilt, those with WMDs from those without.

And there's a wonderful provision in which you can complain if you are targeted. Uh, oh - one problem - people never know if there were targeted. OOOPPPPSS!

"Justice Department officials noted frequently this year that Inspector General Glenn A. Fine reports twice a year on abuses of the Patriot Act and has yet to substantiate any complaint. (One investigation is pending.) Fine advertises his role, but there is a puzzle built into the mandate. Under what scenario could a person protest a search of his personal records if he is never notified?

"We do rely upon complaints coming in," Fine said in House testimony in May. He added: "To the extent that people do not know of anything happening to them, there is an issue about whether they can complain. So, I think that's a legitimate question."

Asked more recently whether Fine's office has conducted an independent examination of national security letters, Deputy Inspector General Paul K. Martin said in an interview: "We have not initiated a broad-based review that examines the use of specific provisions of the Patriot Act."

At the FBI, senior officials said the most important check on their power is that Congress is watching.

"People have to depend on their elected representatives to do the job of oversight they were elected to do," Caproni said. "And we think they do a fine job of it."

Great. I am depending on John Sweeney to protect my rights.

[lvx35]

1. complaining.

And there's a wonderful provision in which you can complain if you are targeted. Uh, oh - one problem - people never know if there were targeted. OOOPPPPSS!

So the logical conclusion is that we should ALL COMPLAIN. Where is the provision, I want to start complaining right now?

[Syncronaut Seven]

2. SHIT! All that stuff I posted about

being an explosives expert with a masters in chemistry and physics and a decidedly anti government bent? I didn't really mean it.

That part about being Che's brother, Castro's cousin and Chavez's bodyguard? All made up, REALY!!!!!

No! that rumor about me being Kim Jong Il's hairdresser, just that! Nasty rumors!

Now, that thing about me being the second gunman, well.... OK, That WAS me.

[rodeodance]

3. Congress has NOT done its job of oversite!

"People have to depend on their elected representatives to do the job of oversight they were elected to do," Caproni said. "And we think they do a fine job of it."

[gordianot]

4. Yes and these assholes are damn slow about it & I know I am being checked.

I sent in my fingerprints 3 months ago with no response to my employers. I wonder how many felons and other people with real concerns are getting by in their employment while they investigate half witted complaints?

[leesa]

5. Why aren't they finding the anthrax murderers?? Why haven't they

investigated 9-11? Interesting that the FBI turns out to be the bad guys and the CIA the good guys...in relative terms, of course.

[adigal]

6. Why was I audited for the first time in 25 years??

I would be paranoid, except that I don't think there are enough a-holes in this country to do harm to every single person among the 65% of us who think this president is a simian. Still, I was audited. So you never know.

[lvx35]

10. Oh, quite likely.

think of what the article said. They can/do investigate anybody who communicates one sentence with somebody else under suspicion. So I am I am susptected, you are too. (now) It punishes communicators like people who post on a place like this, so its more likely you just because you post here than others.

[tanyev]

7. Hi, Agent Mike!

How ya doing? :hi:

[adigal]

8. Hi Agent Aloysius!!

How you been??? :hi:

[Rich Hunt]

9. I'm confused, though

When reports of this case first emerged, they said it was a Connecticut library.

Now they're saying it is a company that serves libraries.

The language of the 'letter' is disturbing:

"The FBI came calling in Windsor, Conn., this summer with a document marked for delivery by hand. On Matianuk Avenue, across from the tennis courts, two special agents found their man. They gave George Christian the letter, which warned him to tell no one, ever, what it said.

Under the shield and stars of the FBI crest, the letter directed Christian to surrender "all subscriber information, billing information and access logs of any person" who used a specific computer at a library branch some distance away. Christian, who manages digital records for three dozen Connecticut libraries, said in an affidavit that he configures his system for privacy."

So that guy doesn't even work in that library.

Just trying to get the facts straight, because this thing hasn't been reported consistently.

I'd REALLY like to see what one of these letters looks like.

[Romulus]

11. thank you for posting this

I just read it at the WashPost website, and then needed a drink . . .:yoiks:

[phusion]

12. Can you still get your FBI records in a FOIA request?

I wonder if these "national security letters" would show up in a FOIA request?

Has anyone ever tried this? I'd love to see what the FBI has on me... :evilgrin:

[unpossibles]

13. on the bright side

the government only tortures suspected terrorists, and it's not like they've ever gotten anything wrong so far, right?

Right?

Everything's cool, right? C'mon, tell me we'll be ok....