Wider Spying Fuels Aid Plan for Telecom Industry

[go west young man]

Source: NY Times James Risen

A lawsuit was filed in federal court in New Jersey challenging the agency’s wiretapping operations. It claims that in February 2001, just days before agency officials met with Qwest officials, the N.S.A. met with AT&T officials to discuss replicating a network center in Bedminster, N.J., to give the agency access to all the global phone and e-mail traffic that ran through it.

The accusations rely in large part on the assertions of a former engineer on the project. The engineer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said in an interview that he participated in numerous discussions with N.S.A. officials about the proposal. The officials, he said, discussed ways to duplicate the Bedminster system in Maryland so the agency “could listen in” with unfettered access to communications that it believed had intelligence value and store them for later review. There was no discussion of limiting the monitoring to international communications, he said.

“At some point,” he said, “I started feeling something isn’t right.”

Two other AT&T employees who worked on the proposal discounted his claims, saying in interviews that the project had simply sought to improve the N.S.A.’s internal communications systems and was never designed to allow the agency access to outside communications. Michael Coe, a company spokesman, said: “AT&T is fully committed to protecting our customers’ privacy. We do not comment on matters of national security.”

But lawyers for the plaintiffs say that if the suit were allowed to proceed, internal AT&T documents would verify the engineer’s account.

“What he saw,” said Bruce Afran, a New Jersey lawyer representing the plaintiffs along with Carl Mayer, “was decisive evidence that within two weeks of taking office, the Bush administration was planning a comprehensive effort of spying on Americans’ phone usage.”



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/16/washington/16nsa.html...

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So they were planning on spying well before Sept. 11. Very interesting indeed.

[drm604]

1. K&R

Very important info.

[Maven]

2. I know the word is overused, but this is the definition of fascism

This is government and corporations colluding to control the people.

K/R

[acmavm]

3. I do believe that they were spying prior to 911. And 911 still happened.

What's that tell ya?

[atreides1]

16. Yes it did

That's because I believe that they were spying on adversaries and enemies and some within the party who might not back the WH 100%!

They had little or no interest, or maybe they did know and allowed it to happen!

[NewJeffCT]

4. The primary purpose of their spying is against political opponents

I'm guessing. They could care less about protecting against terrorism. It's all about fear for them.

[rAVES]

5. K&R

[bonito]

6. And their planing to push this through today!

[lonestarnot]

7. Fucking attrocious, and they're making their run at amnesty today. Stop them.

[MannyGoldstein]

8. It's Sad That We Need To Go After Private Companies To Reign In The Chimperor

But it's what we need to do.

[TheMadMonk]

11. And just WTF is SAD about going after coconspirators pray tell?

And if you don't understand about queries ending in the words "pray tell" I suggest you read some Terry Pratchett.

Don't let me detain you.

[MannyGoldstein]

15. Really It's The Main Conspirator We Should Be Going After

But the co-conspirators should pay a price as well.

[TheMadMonk]

17. Um that wouldn't be GW no matter how you try to paint it.

The whole damned lot of them are in it up to their necks. (Us too, but they're not standing on their heads.)

This whole exercise has been about moving power from The People to the people with the money. (Please note capitalisation.)



Oh and let me guess, your candidate of choice is Hillary?

[MannyGoldstein]

24. You'd Be Guessing Wrong On My Candidate Of Choice

I'm a big Romney supporter (just kidding). Actually, Obama.

[yardwork]

22. These private companies ARE the main enemy.

The corporations made sure that W would be appointed to two terms in the White House so that corporations could push through legislation that maximizes their profits and minimizes enforcement of basic human and environmental rights.

The corporations control the "news" media. They control the message that most people in the U.S. see and hear every day. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are huge money-making endeavors for corporations.

It's all about money and power. Bush is simply a symptom. The problem is that the corporations are completely uncontrolled. We need to go back to regulation. We need socialism.

[AllyCat]

9. Within 2 weeks of taking office?

“What he saw,” said Bruce Afran, a New Jersey lawyer representing the plaintiffs along with Carl Mayer, “was decisive evidence that within two weeks of taking office, the Bush administration was planning a comprehensive effort of spying on Americans’ phone usage.”

This has NOTHING to do with national security (as if any of us are surprised).

Is it the Senate making this vote today? What is the bill? I will call my Senators (Feingold won't support it, but Kohl can be a good corporatist).

[mntleo2]

10. Call Your Senators!

...this is *not8 a partisan issue, this is about the Constitution and every soul who died for it. Let them know they work for you, and they have an obligation to stand up for the Constitution. Here are some toll free numbers for the senate:


1 (800) 828 - 0498
1 (800) 459 - 1887
1 (800) 614 - 2803
1 (866) 340 - 9281
1 (866) 338 - 1015
1 (877) 851 - 6437

Cat In Seattle

[PassingFair]

26. Everyone's mail boxes are full...

We are walled off.

[balantz]

12. I'll call, but will (R)McCain and (R)Kyl care if I call them?

They don't give a rat's ass about us.

[nightrain]

13. make the calls anyhow, it's important to assert ourselves

and let them know we don't go silently.

I am sickened to hear of Bush's attempts to illegally spy on Americans in January 2001. But it doesn't surprise me given his need to dominate and "win". How many more days until he's out?? (if he leaves!)

[pattmarty]

14. How am I not surprised by this? Disgusted yes, surprised no.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

18. This was a really bad idea

I don't like suites spying on me of anyone. I just had a scary thought..Since AT&T "let" this happen, I hate to think what would happen if AT&T did another breakup or just flat sell the company to China...or the highest bidder.

[liberalla]

19. This just stinks.

It gets worse and worse. What other abuses remain unknown?
Thanks for posting the link.

[orleans]

20. k&r there is the fuckhead--always planning ahead

"decisive evidence that within two weeks of taking office, the Bush administration was planning a comprehensive effort of spying on Americans’ phone usage.”

argh

[Dangerously Amused]

21. As long as you keep your phone around in "on" or "standby" mode

(i.e., waiting for a call), the law allows them to remotely turn the receiver on (without any other indication to you that they are doing so) and listen to anything going on around the phone.

A nice little bug in nearly every house in the US.

[donkeyotay]

23. The whole rationale about the commander in chief, in this time of war, etc.

Down the toilet. There is no stance wide enough to include January, 2001. Recall, the administration was busy kissing Ken Lay's ass, covering up for the west coast ripoff, not releasing Cheney's energy policy, covering up tits on statues, and restoring our moral order, dignity, blah, blah, blah. The education president had not morphed into the supreme world commander in chief yet. This is evidence of a colossal lie even by the standards that we've learned they're capable of in the years since.

[Supersedeas]

25. will the courts sweep another one under the rug for El Dimson