U.S. May Ease Police Spy Rules

[cal04]

Source: Washington Post

More Federal Intelligence Changes Planned
The Justice Department has proposed a new domestic spying measure that would make it easier for state and local police to collect intelligence about Americans, share the sensitive data with federal agencies and retain it for at least 10 years.

The proposed changes would revise the federal government's rules for police intelligence-gathering for the first time since 1993 and would apply to any of the nation's 18,000 state and local police agencies that receive roughly $1.6 billion each year in federal grants.

Quietly unveiled late last month, the proposal is part of a flurry of domestic intelligence changes issued and planned by the Bush administration in its waning months. They include a recent executive order that guides the reorganization of federal spy agencies and a pending Justice Department overhaul of FBI procedures for gathering intelligence and investigating terrorism cases within U.S. borders.

Taken together, critics in Congress and elsewhere say, the moves are intended to lock in policies for Bush's successor and to enshrine controversial post-Sept. 11 approaches that some say have fed the greatest expansion of executive authority since the Watergate era.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/15/AR2008081503497.html?hpid=topnews

[clear eye]

1. Oy.

And if some obnoxious cop doesn't like you, whatever he makes up becomes part of a federal database forever. Way to go, George!

[Mojorabbit]

2. It just gets worse and worse. nt

[sattahipdeep]

13. Talk by Naomi Wolf - The End of America

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjALf12PAWc&NR=1

[judasdisney]

22. thanks for the link

[NoodleyAppendage]

3. We deserve this for electing INEFFECTUAL Dems in 2006.

Pelosi, Schumer, Feinstein, etc. ARE ALL COMPLICIT in this movement towards a police state. It's high-time for a Democratic party COUP.

J

[saigon68]

33. Joementum comes to mind also

[Quantess]

4. Homeland Security is hiring!!!

I've been searching for work, all day & every day, and I have seen many job postings for "Homeland Security" (I hate that name), including Border Patrol jobs.

I need a job, but, I'm not so desperate that I would sell my soul.

[Indenturedebtor]

8. Yeah I live in Tucson and I'm literally going bankrupt as we speak

But I wouldn't take a job for border patrol unless someone in my family's life depended on it.

[Quantess]

11. Even if you or I got hired by Homeland Security, and took the job,

I'm guessing we would probably get fired quickly for not giving 110%.

[Indenturedebtor]

18. Yeah the first time I wouldn't tase someone and take their laptop they'd can me n/t

[Quantess]

29. LOL! That't the spirit!

But you know it's true, neither you nor I are cut out for that shit, Bush's vision.
No DUer is. :)

[DBoon]

31. I'm sure after looking at the local police files on you

yu would not have a chance in hell of getting hired.

Piss off your local PD? Forget about getting a Federal job...

[Indenturedebtor]

34. Lol true that - I have a few "honorable mentions" ;) n/t

[judasdisney]

5. I didn't see THIS coming. But I'm sure Pelosi will stop them

[santamargarita]

6. If she wants to stop this - impeach the bastards!

~

[bobd0]

9. I'd castigate Pelosi again but the last post in which I did so was deleted

[judasdisney]

20. me too -- about 1 out of 10

[judasdisney]

21. I was being sarcastic, but yes, I M P E A C H . P E L O S I .

[Indenturedebtor]

19. Yes I'm sure the strongly worded letter of disapproval will shut this down n/t

[dipsydoodle]

7. To help me understand

"moves are intended to lock in policies for Bush's successor"

How so ? Why can't they be reversed ?

[bobd0]

10. This is a subject we discuss often at our house

Does this mean Bush will continue to rule even after leaving office? If Bush was able to rule by executive order and signing statements then why won't his successor be able to do the same? If Bush could design this nightmare of an all-powerful chief executive then why can't the next chief executive play by the same rules? (If so then PLEASE, God, don't let it be Insane McCain)

[Canuckistanian]

14. Say, don't ex-presidents get intelligence briefings?

I wonder what Chimpy's after.....

[bobd0]

17. I remember reading that Bush's father is one of the very few that actually did

Most ex-presidents don't ask for the intelligence briefings. Bush's father is one of the very few that did. I would assume his idiot son would do the same. How else can he keep tabs on the current situation and use it to his advantage like his father does with The Carlyle Group?

[sattahipdeep]

30. 1996....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC1nTSxuLgM&feature=related

[IndianaGreen]

12. Make no mistake about this, their targets are peace and progressive organizations

including labour and community organizers. The dictatorship clenches its fist!

[EFerrari]

15. Let's give the Bush Torture Justice Department more power

and see what happens! :puke:

[Nikki Stone1]

16. The FISA vote gave Shrub the go-ahead.

Had it been a "no", they might have put this off until after the election.

[Solly Mack]

23. shakes head

[fascisthunter]

24. and what will Congress do???? They Will Go along with It

because they have embraced fascism and rejected democracy

[ckramer]

25. Justice Department may ease domestic spying regulations

Source: bg

WASHINGTON - The Justice Department has proposed a new domestic spying measure that would make it easier for state and local police to collect intelligence about Americans, share the sensitive data with federal agencies and retain it for at least 10 years.

The proposed changes would revise the federal government's rules for police intelligence-gathering for the first time since 1993 and would apply to any of the nation's 18,000 state and local police agencies that receive roughly $1.6 billion each year in federal grants.

Quietly unveiled late last month, the proposal is part of a flurry of domestic intelligence changes issued and planned by the Bush administration in its waning months. They include a recent executive order that guides the reorganization of federal spy agencies and a pending Justice Department overhaul of FBI procedures for gathering intelligence and investigating terrorism cases within US borders.

Taken together, critics in Congress and elsewhere say, the moves are intended to lock in policies for Bush's successor and to enshrine controversial post-Sept. 11 approaches that some say have fed the greatest expansion of executive authority since the Watergate era. Supporters say the measures simply codify existing counterterrorism practices and policies that are endorsed by lawmakers and independent specialists such as the 9/11 Commission. They say the measures preserve civil liberties and are subject to internal oversight.

White House spokesman Tony Fratto said the administration agrees it needs to do everything possible to prevent unwarranted encroachments on civil liberties, adding that it succeeds the overwhelming majority of the time.

Homeland security adviser Kenneth Wainstein said, "This is a continuum that started back on 9/11 to reform law enforcement and the intelligence community to focus on the terrorism threat."

Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2008/08/16/justice_department_may_ease_domestic_spying_regulations/

---

The home of the free? Hahahaha! Don't kid yourself!

[defendandprotect]

26. Wait a minute . . . why would they be doing this now . . . ? For the benefit of Democrats in '09?

[Newsjock]

27. Hardly

They know full well that the Democrats are far too "moral" to ever do to the Republicans what the Republicans have done to them for the past eight years.

Perhaps we should surprise them this time. Yeah, I'm sure we'll hop right on that.

[defendandprotect]

28. You do things like this when you don't expect to be vacating . . .

Maybe they're basing their final hopes on a steal -- but maybe it's hoping to find

something before the election to use for a steal ---

but I don't think that paranoids like the GOP would put a bigger net in the hands

of the Dems ---

[sattahipdeep]

32. Ring of Fire

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vgx_5hO2w8&feature=related