Is NSA Phone Record Database the Cause of Phone Record Bill Disappearance?

[BR_Parkway]

Congressman writes Speacker to find out why Phone Privacy Bill that was scheduled for consideration has disappeared.

http://markey.house.gov/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1545&Itemid=125

Washington, DC- A USA Today article reports that the National Security Agency (NSA) has been secretly collecting phone records of tens of millions of Americans using information provided by America’s largest telephone companies including AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth. In response to the disturbing new information about domestic spying Representative Edward J. Markey, the ranking Democrat on the House Telecommunications and Internet Subcommittee and a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee sent a letter to Dennis Hastert speaker of the House of Representatives raising questions about the connection between the reports of NSA phone record data bases and the sudden disappearance of the “Prevention of Fraudulent Access to Phone Records Act,” a bi-partisan bill that was scheduled for consideration on the floor of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, May 2, 2006.

The letter sent today states: “With no notice or explanation, H.R. 4943 summarily disappeared from the House floor schedule that day and it has not been seen or heard from since. I am concerned about reports that some intelligence agency or interest had a hand in the bill’s disappearance. . . Is it currently in some legislative ‘Guantanamo Bay?’”

The “Prevention of Fraudulent Access to Phone Records Act,” was introduced by Energy and Commerce Chairman Joe Barton (R-TX) and cosponsored by Representatives John Dingell (D-MI), Edward Markey (D-MA), Fred Upton (R-MI), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Cliff Stearns (R-FL). It was developed after public hearings into how Americans’ telephone records were being sold on the Internet and the practices of telecommunications companies in safeguarding such sensitive telephone records and passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously.

Rep. Markey went on to express his concern about the missing bi-partisan bill and the new breaking information on phone record data bases reported today.

[Miss Chybil]

1. Seems we have our own Gestapo. nt

[Triana]

30. That's what I've been referring to them as lately...

...The Gestapo.

[UpInArms]

2. I think my hat may be a bit tight today

:tinfoilhat: :eyes:

[BR_Parkway]

3. When Congressman are asking if intel agencies are killing legislation

maybe we all should tighten up the tin a little.

[PassingFair]

25. I'm picking up ALL KINDS of signals!

:tinfoilhat:

And I usually don't WEAR HATS!

[MrPrax]

4. Wow...

The implications of this sure beats most of the tinfold theories...they don't even appear to be going 'through the motions' anymore.

I hope they pursue it to the nth degree, because it really makes not much sense to bother even contacting them representatives anymore, if the fruits of that process is simply removed by a dictator.

You think any Republicans would put aside partisanship for 4 seconds to simply protect their jobs and Constitution.

[daleo]

5. The government vs "the real government"

This is the sort of thing that gives rise to suspicions that there are two governments at work - a constitutional one and an extra-constitutional one.

[Demeter]

16. Show Me the Constitutional One, Please

I reported it missing in NOVEMBER OF 2000!

[ArbustoBuster]

21. The Constitution is still there...

...under bulletproof glass, protected in argon gas to keep it from decaying. The moment we start using it again, it'll blossom forth.

First we have to get rid of the bastards who are shredding it, though.

[davekriss]

28. O don't exaggerate!!

It didn't disappear until December 12, 2000!

[Lars39]

29. Suspicions? It's been established:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=5619850

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=2473253

[dmr]

6. "Is it currently in some legislative ‘Guantanamo Bay?’”

That is one hell of a question to be asked by a representative to another!

Enough is enough!

[Inland]

10. The pres. has signed a directive that the bill not be considered.

He has determined that it is dangerous. No explanations will be required, or forthcoming. No IRC vists to the bill. The bill will get a hearing from administration officials who will use reasoning of their own choosing. The results will not be reported.

When our legislation starts disappearing into a Gitmo on presidential orders, we are in a dictatorship.

[DBoon]

13. He's afraid the next step is...

..."inconvenient" legislators themselves disappearing into Guantanamo Bay,

[AndyTiedye]

24. They Just Have Airplane Crashes Instead

[zann725]

7. The word "absurd" now far outdated...out-done. We are LIVING thru

the 'darkest' satire/"Reality" imaginable.

And as any writer knows, "dark comedy/satires" are the toughest to write believably. Since this Admin cares not about 'believability,' that's actually an even more ironic asset here.

In short, we're in truly deep "dark" ironic crap...when the most unimaginable happens every day.
:crazy:

[DBoon]

14. Was that a rhinoceros running by?

Though it took a few years for his absurdist view of the world to catch on, French playwright Eugene Ionesco is considered a revolutionary whose works changed the face of 20th century theater. He is perhaps best known for Rhinoceros, a surreal social commentary on fascism in which a mild-mannered clerk witnesses everyone around him transforming into the brutish title beasts.

http://www.answers.com/topic/eug-ne-ionesco

[HuffleClaw]

8. good catch!

this guy is 'slightly miffed' too.

something we'd likely never have even heard of too, if he hadn't made it an issue.

[thecrow]

9. We should all be screaming "Where is H.R. 4943 ??"

outside the capitol.

[Mr_Spock]

11. How many "HOLY SHIT" moments will I have today? I am SO OUTRAGED!

I can hardly contain my outrage at our fascist goverment!!

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[dalaigh lllama]

27. I'm with you, Mr_Spock

Sometimes I get so angry I just can't even look at what's going on for a few days -- sometimes weeks. They can't keep me down, tho. I always come back for more.

[EVDebs]

12. We should all be worried about Desaparacidos

First they came for the Bills, then the phone records of political opponents, then they did 'dirty phone tricks' like in New Hampshire, then they used datamining selectively to steal elections in FL and OH, then when people spoke out they targetted them selectively for ID theft and more fun and games, possibly IRS harassment, then RFID tagging and job 'background check' false information inserts into files to really rub it in, and let's not forget the no-fly harassment of those pesky Green party people...

Care to add to the list before we all disappear ?

[Supersedeas]

15. This should test how responsive our democracy is....

[Roland99]

17. Nice find!

[Akoto]

18. Well now, isn't that a curious coincidence.

[gordianot]

19. Did a tree just fall in the forest? Who else heard it fall?

[Trillo]

20. How might Congress "lose" a bill?

It seems kinda like a surgeon losing their scapel.

[Spazito]

22. Whoa, very interesting!

Thanks for posting!

Recommended.

[peacetalksforall]

23. And Tom DeLay wasn't even around. He isn't needed. Hastert is

as bad because he pretends to be an adult.

[wordpix2]

26. Nancy dear, are you sure you don't want to impeach should we win both

houses of Congress? :tinfoilhat:

Geesh, how many egregious high crimes do you need to add up to an impeachable offense? (Oh, I almost forgot---you need a blowjob with an intern for that). :think:

[maddezmom]

31. kick

[struggle4progress]

32. Markey Seeks FCC Ruling on NSA Program

By Ted Hearn, STAFF
(Multichannel News) _ The Federal Communications Commission needs to determine whether major phone companies violated the law by providing calling records to the National Security Agency for use in the electronic hunt for terrorists here and abroad, Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) said Monday.

In a letter, Markey asked FCC chairman Kevin Martin whether the agency planned to investigate AT&T Inc., Verizon Communications Inc. and BellSouth Corp. "for alleged violations of consumer privacy." Markey asked for "detailed legal reasoning" if the FCC determines that the law has not been broken. He asked for a response no later than May 22.

"We are reviewing it carefully and will respond accordingly," FCC spokesman David Fiske said.

USA Today reported May 11 that the three Baby Bells turned over millions of phone records to the NSA as part of secret program designed to find patterns in calling records that could help capture terrorists. The program -- launched after theSept. 11, 2001, attacks -- does not involving the listening or recording of conversations, the paper reported.

Whether the NSA program violated the law is under debate. According to The New York Times, Rep. Jane Harmon (D-Calif.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said the Bush White House violated the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1974 because the administration failed to obtain approval from a special court ..

http://www.digitalanimators.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=43132

[Peter Frank]

33. A picture is worth...

[Peter Frank]

34. I Forgot to K & R...

:kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick:

[tanyev]

35. Now I'm starting to wonder about all the other databases that

have been reported compromised in the last few years. Maybe the "hackers" were working under orders from this administration.