Ray McGovern: J. Edgar Hoover With Supercomputers

[understandinglife]

On December 19, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Deputy Director of National Intelligence Gen. Mike Hayden held a press conference in which they once again misled the American people.

Gonzales and Hayden answered questions about reports that the National Security Agency, which Hayden directed from 1999 to 2005, was eavesdropping on Americans via a special program in violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The implications for privacy — and our system of checks and balances — are immense.

As long as he read from his prepared statement, Attorney General Gonzales did just fine with the press. He conceded that FISA requires a court order to authorize the surveillance the president ordered NSA to undertake, and then hammered home the administration’s “legal analysis:” the twin argument that Congress’ post-9/11 authorization of force and the president’s power as commander in chief trump the legal constraints of FISA.

When the reporters’ questions began, though, Gonzales faltered and twice spilled the beans. Asked why the administration decided to flout rather than amend FISA, choosing instead a “backdoor approach,” Gonzales said:

We have had discussions with Congress ... as to whether or not FISA could be amended to allow us to adequately deal with this kind of threat, and we were advised that that would be difficult, if not impossible.

So they went ahead and did it anyway.

Much more at the link:

http://www.tompaine.com/print/j_edgar_hoover_with_supercomputers.php

From someone who knows:

Ray McGovern ... A veteran of 27 years in CIA's analysis directorate, he is now a member of the Steering Group of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS).

Peace.

[understandinglife]

1. "Abuse of private information can transcend the loss of the personal ...

... privacy that so many say they are willing to trade for a bit more security. Rather, such abuse constitutes serious trammeling of civil liberties and —still worse — can tip the precarious balance of constitutional checks and balances. It was, after all, such abuses that were responsible for the passing of the FISA law in the first place.

http://www.tompaine.com/print/j_edgar_hoover_with_supercomputers.php

That deserves to be read several times ...


Peace.

[mod mom]

3. The FISA was filled by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. This meant

that Rehnquist was responsible for who sat on this court. Considering who filled and that they only denied 4 out of 19,000 requests, I would guess this was one conservative court. Why would the * administration circumvent this court unless their actions were nefarious? This is not an issue of civil rights as much as it is an issue of total disregard for the constitution and the roles of the 3 branches of government.

[Burried News]

4. Even when they went to FISA - did they get the 'probable cause'

by listening first and then taking it to the court?

I invisage this kind of process:
Your honor we need a search warrant? Judge:Why?
Well we went to this guys house and found stolen goods so now we want to make our search legal?
Judge: Are you guys crazy?
Well your honor, if these guys had nothing illegal there we wouldn't be asking. Honest citizens have nothing to fear!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/04/AR2006010401864.html

"Kollar-Kotelly began pressing for a closed government briefing for the remaining members of the court on Dec. 19, the day she learned of Robertson's concerns. Other judges wanted to know, as Robertson had, whether the administration had misled their court about its sources of information on possible terrorism suspects.

Kollar-Kotelly had privately raised concerns in 2004 about the risk that the government could taint the integrity of the court's work by using information it gained via wiretapping to obtain warrants from judges under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act."

[Burried News]

2. The hallmark of this administration has been fear. They exploit

it with the people and I suspect they create it in the Congress.

Time and again posters have asked what is wrong with the Democrats. What is wrong with Republicans of conscience. One word - fear. The kind of fear Lavrente Beria would understand. The kind of fear J. Edgar Hoover would understand. Hoover had the files but he never had the real time capability that is possible now. And with his files he was able to make Lyndon Johnson Kennedy's Vice President. What can Karl Rove do with an enhanced capability? George Bush can't be re-elected, but Karl Rove may serve many Presidents to come.