Rumsfeld bans camera phones

[floda]

Rumsfeld bans camera phones
From correspondents in London
May 23, 2004

MOBILE phones fitted with digital cameras have been banned in US army installations in Iraq on orders from Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, The Business newspaper reported today.

Quoting a Pentagon source, the paper said the US Defence Department believes that some of the damning photos of US soldiers abusing Iraqis at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad were taken with camera phones.

"Digital cameras, camcorders and cellphones with cameras have been prohibited in military compounds in Iraq," it said, adding that a "total ban throughout the US military" is in the works.

more...


http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,9643950%255E401,00.html

[jpgray]

1. We all knew this would be the major reform resulting from Abu Ghraib

:(

[xultar]

23. Wouldn't it be easier to ban CACI,Abu Ghraib and the other prisons?

I'm thinkin that would be easier than setting up an apparatus to search everyone for every little camera.

[truthisfreedom]

2. and if he had a time machine...

[Just Me]

57. But he doesn't,...HAH!!!!

He was so busy to doing "cover up" duties at the top that he never considered there would be cameras and videos busy/busy/busy at the proverbial "bottom" (at least, I don't think he did).

What does he do,...concentrate on some more "cover up" procedures.

Ugh!!! :grr:

[Cooley Hurd]

3. Thank god! It's about time!

This whole Abu Ghraib mess wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for those damn camera phones!!!

</Inhofe>

[sistersofmercy]

7. hahahaha!

"This whole Abu Ghraib mess wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for those damn camera phones!!!" what a great comic strip idea, in the thought cloud over Rummy's head, even collectively over the whole misadministration's heads.
PS I wish you would bring back the bush* and Jesus graphic you used to have in your sig line. While you had it it would always put a grin on my face.

[Cooley Hurd]

12. I forgot about that gif...

This one, right?

[sistersofmercy]

17. Oh yeaaaaaaaaa! hehe!

Thanks for making my morning brighter! I love that one, it's my all time favorite. :D :yourock:

[riverwalker]

37. love that picture lol

smack! what's wrong with you, boy?

[donco6]

46. That is awfully funny. eom

[Lou_C]

52. God, I love that gif

:thumbsup:

[Just Me]

56. One of my all-time favorites!!!! *hee hee hee* n/t

[frankly_fedup2]

69. Oh man, that . . .

makes the hair on my arms stand up. It's like Jesus Christ himself is telling us who the antichrist is and to beware of the "evil doer." (hearing twilight zone theme in my mind.)

[crossroads]

79. Jesuuuussss that is cute!!!

:kick:

[Don_G]

4. Just Can't Have That "Nasty" Truth Leaking Out

Can we?

[Fridays Child]

77. Mais, non! That would be très inconvenient.

[gmoney]

5. Has torture been banned yet?

Another link to the cameraphone ban story

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/iraq_britain_us_rumsfeld

[salin]

6. right - that was the root of the entire problem..

get rid of the cameras - and the abuse will just stop. :eyes:

[soup]

15. No doubt about it.

What terrifies me about this is they didn't even try. No 'for security reasons' or 'to protect the prisoners rights' mentioned. Of course people would see right through it, but an attempt wasn't even made.
nothing.
just nothing.

[LiberalFighter]

42. So logical

Must be the "If a tree falls in the forest and there is nobody around does it make a sound?"

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

60. No, just get rid of the evidence...he doesn't care if the abuse stops

[Mari333]

8. Michael worked his butt off to be able to buy a DVD camera

So that he could take pictures to bring home so we knew where he was and how he was doing there.
Now, they must have confiscated it, He could barely afford the camera before he left.
Now, we havent heard from him in 5 days by email, and who knows where they are sending him. No calls since he left, no camera now, nothing. I have a feeling , because his unit was at Abu Ghraib from January til now, he was one of the first to have his camera confiscated.
Someone fire Rumsfield, and try him at the Hague.
The families of the soldiers are being treated like shite, as are the soldiers.
I belong to an e group of mothers and fathers and loved ones who oppose the war, and have people over there.
One mother has a daughter who was sent over there with a broken arm that never healed.
Another mother just found out her son was injured in an IED attack and still isnt getting any info from the military, no updates.
Its beyond comprehension.
Michael's unit is being sent south, out of Abu Ghraib.
Rummy is covering up the truth, and screwing the families and the soldiers by not allowing them to keep in any contact with each other.
Michael says the soldiers are pissed, in his last email.

[hlthe2b]

10. I can't begin to express my outrage on this:

If we had a free press, the outrage worldwide on this announcement should be enough to have Rumsfeld tossed out over the Potomic to see if he sinks or floats!

How can they conviscate personal property? What have they told your son, in terms of reimbursing/returning his property?

[Mari333]

13. He is my stepson, he hasnt emailed me for 5 days

I would ask him if I could, but he sounded angry in the last email. He told me when Rummy arrived at Abu Ghraib, many of the soldiers silently protested by going to the Internet Room and sitting there.
They consider Rummy, as he put it, a "p*ssy". I guess thats the term for coward in army speak, Michael also told me that Rummy arrived in
1. a presidential helicopter, armour plated (your tax money)
2. 10 gunships pointed at the compound to protect Rummy (your tax money)
3. also was taken around in a heavily armoured vehicle (your tax money again)
In the meantime, our soldiers are in inadequately protected Humvees and being blown to bits by IEDs, not provided proper body armour, and treated like shite all around.

[daleo]

65. I am surprised they still allow soldiers email

I suppose it is still screened or censored, though. Does it seem like he is free to speak freely?

[Cooley Hurd]

14. I'll bet they heavily screened the soldiers pictured w/ Rummy...

...during his last visit to Iraq.

Hoo-ah, my ass!

(on edit - Thanks for answering my question before I even asked it, Mari! :))

[Media_Lies_Daily]

40. Just like they heavily screened the troops for Turkey-Boy's visit.

[frankly_fedup2]

53. Whether they like it or not . . .

no soldier would dare "boo" The Commander and Chief. I think that would fall under "treason."

That's why Bush seems to always have some troops behind him during a lot of his speeches. Those poor young men and women have to cheer this SOB on whether they agree with him or not.

It's a shame what they are putting these young people through. They should only be over there 3 months at a time, like they do in most war tours (or is it 6 months?).

Keeping them over there more than a year without any break for stress relief, it's a wonder they aren't taking their frustration out on some of the Iraqi people. It's hard to tell what all has happened over there.

When our troops left here and they had the embedded reporters, all they kept saying was, is that they knew once they got to Baghdad they would get to come home, and that was what kept them fighting so hard to get there. Well, once they got to Baghdad, they haven't been able to leave and/or were sent back to some of the worst areas they had to fight to get to Baghdad. So they are more than tired, constantly disappointed, pissed off, and were mad before they left because they feel they are after the ones that attacked us on 9/11. Problem is, our administration, as was done before, has all but forgotten Afghanistan, and the people there.

Bush has started a war that will never end. This June 30th handover . . . well . . . I dread that day for our troops.

[soup]

20. One of the first things I thought when reading this

was to wonder how many families use these devices to keep in touch. Have a feeling this banning is going to go over like a lead balloon.

*personal note: You, your husband and Michael are in my thoughts.

[Mari333]

22. That is the cruelest part of all

We arent in touch with our loved ones, we arent getting emails, and its making families at home insane.
When I was 21, and I marched against the Vietnam War, I had no idea how it affected the families, but now I know.
When Michael comes home, (and he will, I have to believe that), we can begin to heal.
We are both seeing a counselor now. Thank goodness for a Dem governor here, we have free counseling in our area , thanks to Gov Granholm.
In the meantime, I know what "One day at a time" means.
This civilian neocon group who is running the Pentagon are treating the soldiers like garbage, and the families of the soldiers like garbage.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

38. Think about the fact that there was no way to communicate instantly...

...during Vietnam. No email, no instant messaging. No cellphones...just long lines to use the phone for a few precious moments when on R&R. Additionally, rolls of film for still photos and movies took time to develop...no one-hour photo developing centers, either. Snail mail was exactly that...slow.

I can't imagine what it was like to be a parent of a soldier back then. And I can't imagine what it's like to be a parent of a soldier now. But, if the military draft becomes a reality, I'm afraid quite a few of us are going to have to learn what it's like.

Hang in there, Mari333. Redemption is coming...just not as quickly as we would all like to see.

[PaDUer]

50. Not surprised...

Mari, how's he handling the extremely high temperatures? I read an article somewhere that said a lot of the military are dying from the heat..
Are they damaging those cameras when they're confiscating them? They're PO'd that they got caught and have warned those coming back to say they did NOT see any of those goings-on in Iraq.
Rummy heavily guarded, not surprised. Isn't he one of them that Osama has the bounty on, gold to whoever captures any of those in highup positions?

[Mari333]

58. Id ask him if I could contact him

We keep sending emails, but hear nothing back from him. Every morning we wait for an email, but none occurs.
We dont even know where he is. ILast time he wrote, he said "our unit is going south ".
He could be anywhere.

[Barkley]

67. I'm glad to hear from you Mari333!

But I wish the news was better.

This ban shows that their is serious internal resistance to the occupation. The military people that are exposing the abuses will find other ways of getting the truth out.

Does the ban on photo cell phones apply to ALL military personnel or just the 'grunts'?

Dissing the troops, ignoring their suffering and attempting to silence them will only lower morale and increase their opposition.

[burrowowl]

83. Damn!

I just hope Michael gets out of there OK.
Hope they don't try to brainwash him to forget what he saw.
DAMN BU$H AND CO TO HELL!

[Massacure]

9. Haha, so he wants to cover his ass now eh?

[Disturbed]

11. A little late.

The truth got out and more is on the way.

[Buns_of_Fire]

16. Next up: No email, no Paper and Pencils of Mass Destruction

Right down the memory hole. After all, if it's not documented, it never happened.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

39. I guess they'll have to take Bunnypants' crayons, too.

[burrowowl]

84. During the sanctions

they didn't let lead pencils into Iraq lest they use umpteen zillion of them to construct a reactor. No pencils for the troops in case they want to build a bomb.
(sarcasm off)
Or is it sarcasm, how does the Onion stay in business?

[playahata1]

18. Someone needs to contact "Defense Watch" and "Soldiers for the Truth."

Supposedly Col. Hackworth and crew were looking into the alleged e-mail ban. This has gone TOO far. :wtf:

[lanparty]

19. Tacit approval

This is tacit approval of the abuse. He's saying that the REAL problem is cameras.

The pattern with this administration is clear. Hide EVERYTHING!!! Make EVERYTHING secret. Nothing to see here. Trust us.

People worthy of trust make EVERYTHING public. Remember Richard Clarke. He said they should make ALL his communications public.

[ikojo]

36. Proves the need for a real opposition party. I know I say

time and time again...IF CLINTON HAD DONE SUCH AND SUCH the pugs would be up in arms....where are the Democrats screaming about this ban on camera phones?

Wow, again a campaign of victory is handed to the Dems (bad economy, war in Iraq not going well, torture, etc.) and the Dems do very little to challenge this administration. Heck Frist is ACTIVELY working for Daschle's defeat in N Dakota and when I saw NBC news interview Daschle he was all smiles and laughing!

Where is the OUTRAGE?

[enough]

21. Lockdown

Now the soldiers are in prison with the inmates. The US -- the world's jailer, and we'll step inside and throw away the key.


Rumsfeld must go.

[Dover]

24. But I thought Rummy's HIGH TECH toys were going to WIN the war?

No more of the "old" military war games for him.

Funny how those silly assumptions can backfire...and will be his undoing.

[hlthe2b]

25. Military Families and all others outraged by this should contact

the Senate Armed Services Committee members (including the more "rational" Repugs on it: McCain, Warner (?), Graham (?), and perhaps some of the more vocal Repug "non-members" we've been hearing from lately (e.g., from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: Lugar, Hagel). Committee membership for both below: (hold their feet to the fire)


U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee:

Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va). Chairman
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)
Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.)
Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.)
Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.)
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.)
Sen. Susan M. Collins (R-Maine)
Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.)
Sen. Jim Talent (R-Mo.)
Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.)
Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.)
Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.)
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas)
Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) Ranking Member
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.)
Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.)
Sen. Josheph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.)
Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.)
Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii)
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.)
Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.)
Sen. Mark Dayton (D-Minn.)
Sen. Evan Bayn (D-Ind.)
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.)
Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.)
Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), Senate Majority Leader


Members Senate Committee on Foreign Relations:
Richard Lugar of Indiana Chairman of the Committee
Joseph Biden of Delaware the ranking Democrat.
Chuck Hagel
Lincoln Chafee
George Allen
Sam Brownback
Michael Enzi
George V. Voinovich
Lamar Alexander
Norm Coleman
John E. Sununu
Christopher J. Dodd
John F. Kerry
Russell D. Feingold
Barbara Boxer
Bill Nelson
John D. Rockefeller IV
Jon S. Corzine

[Alpharetta]

26. Hold your horses. This story has to be bogus.

There is no way they will ban digital cameras from military installations.

You think those thousands of cameras are now going to be turned in, like some kind of get-guns-off-the-streets program?

Relatives in Iraq have already sent hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of digital cam shots back home. Lots of poses w/ their comrades, pics of the mess hall, pics of where they're bunking. The families back home want to see what it's like there and to get cheered up.

There is no way the Army would stop them from doing this.

[hlthe2b]

27. Truth is stranger than fiction when it comes to this administration....

We already know that they have been restricting email access, so what makes you think they would not have the audacity to conviscate digital cameras?

re: the email issue from Col. David Hackworth's website:
http://www.hackworth.com/

Shutting Down Troops' Private Email
DefenseWatch magazine has received several tips that the Defense Department is preparing to shut down private email service for troops deployed in Southwest Asia by ordering Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown, & Root to pull the plug on private electronic communications for at least 90 days. Anyone with knowledge of this alleged plan is urged to contact DefenseWatch Editor Ed Offley.

[Alpharetta]

28. I got pics from Iraq 2 days ago.

so what makes you think they would not have the audacity to conviscate digital cameras?

A datapoint: I got pics 2 days ago from a buddy in an Iraq base.

Just a datapoint. Yes the email has been slow from his base lately. He said it is because of the contractor but doesn't know the details.

If others have gotten any pics from Iraq this week, I'd hope they'd chime in on this thread.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

41. They're already screening the pics before they get sent...I bet some are..

...getting deleted.

[hlthe2b]

47. and that proves what, exactly? (glad you are getting pics, btw)

There are nearly nearly 200,000 troops and civilian contractors over there. One would imagine that a crackdown would focus first on those troops/contractors engaged in more "sensitive" matters after all....

[Alpharetta]

55. it is, as I said, a datapoint

I was hoping, as I said, for other datapoints.

[papau]

30. Col. David Hackworth's a hero of mine!

:-)

[soup]

29. *sigh*

Just who is this 'Business newspaper' that is cited in the news articles? Found various articles. They all read the same. All cite 'The Business' newspaper

Is this true? I wouldn't put it past them- but would expect at least a lame and clearly bogus 'for security reasons' excuse.

or
Is this some sick hoax? If this is someone's twisted idea of a 'joke', nobody is laughing.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

35. We ARE talking about Rummy and his puppet senior command, right?

[hlthe2b]

70. AP wire has confirmed this story: see below

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Cellphones fitted with digital cameras have been banned in US army installations in Iraq (news - web sites) on orders from Rumsfeld, a business newspaper reported.(AFP-Pool/File /Jason Reed)

[Alpharetta]

31. Another reason I think this story is bogus: troops EQUIPPED w/ cams

Don't some of the troops have the cams on their headgear?

You know. the kind of "headphone, cam, microphone" combos for intra-squad communication so their squad leaders can see what they see?

Are they going to ban those too?

[soup]

34. From an unnamed Pentagon source?

There may be good reasons to question the validity of this.

Has anyone been able to find the cited 'The Business newspaper' online?

[hlthe2b]

59. send it to Snopes..... I hope for all our sakes it is invalid....

eom

[soup]

72. Thanks for the suggestion. I just did.

Another oddity - notice the byline

'From correspondents in London'

Don't know if they'll respond to my question or not, but at least they have it now.

Is there a paper called 'The Business'? I'd be more inclined to believe this if it could be found.

IF this is a hoax, that's gotta be one sick SOB.

[hlthe2b]

71. AP is now reporting this story too.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Cellphones fitted with digital cameras have been banned in US army installations in Iraq (news - web sites) on orders from Rumsfeld, a business newspaper reported.(AFP-Pool/File /Jason Reed)

[soup]

75. There's that 'a business newspaper' as a source.

'a business newspaper' WHAT business newspaper? The Business newspaper? Has anyone heard of this The Business newspaper?
WHICH 'correspondents in London'?

When I first saw it, my initial reaction was those sorry SOBs and how much this would hurt the military families. Mari333's post was enough to make me weep. Can't imagine that anguish compounded throughout all the families involved.

But there's just something about this that's off (well, besides Rumsfeld).

I could be wrong. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if they were to try to pull something like this. Outrage is a very familiar emotion with this maladministration and I'm ready to write letters and make calls based on that outrage (again). But I think this needs some sort of verification.

Every article, every one I've seen - even the AP blip you provided - is running on this one very sketchy article citing The Business newspaper or a business newspaper. It's like a feeding frenzy.

I'm in the process of sending a feedback to news.com.au.

Do you have a link to the AP story? Is there more info there than in the original article? Is there an e-mail address for the AP reporter? Am I in denial? ARGH...

[hlthe2b]

78. Seems like everyone is citing the same secondary source or

"unnamed" pentagon sources (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/iraq_britain_us_rumsfeld). I agree "the Business" newspaper is bizarre sourcing. Usually, AP does check primary sources, which makes me wonder about the "unnamed pentagon source."

I think tomorrow may be revealing, as other news outlets pick up on this...

[soup]

86. Any Answers Yet?

Got an auto-responder from Snopes - thanks for your interest - blah blah blah - can't respond to every inquiry - (the usual).

And another auto-response from news.com.au - reading pretty much the same.

Checked out listings of newspapers for the UK. No luck whatsoever finding The Business newspaper or anything that even comes close.

Just searched Google news for 'rumsfeld camera phones':
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&tab=wn&newsclusterurl=http://iafrica.com/news/worldnews/324682.htm&scoring=d

Quite a few returns, but all the same as the initial report.

I don't see anything in the 'major' papers. Going to pick up the phone and start making some calls.

If this is true, we need to get the word out and make some kind of enormous ruckus. If not, I want a few minutes alone with the person who perpetrated this. Either way, there's a *many expletives deleted* who needs to answer for this.

[hlthe2b]

88. "The Business" is a legit British Newspaper, apparently:

from a history of the British Newspaper society, it reflects a 2001 name change from SUNDAY BUSINESS:
http://www.newspapersoc.org.uk/facts-figures/history.html

the website for that newspaper appears to be http://www.sundaybusiness.co.uk/ (from an old story referencing the paper on the Miami Herald website), but I have not been able to access it. Apparently the paper is a Sunday and Monday only publication?

Very strange, indeed.

[nolabels]

32. It will be words next

They say the first thing that gets lost in a war is the truth. I contend that one only needs to be honest with their selves first, the rest will show it's self eventually. The truth is always obvious, the place it gets led astray is in the confusion. This is the place where clueless operators like Rumsfeld shoe horn their way into others thinking.

It is patently obvious they are these folks don't even have a prayer left, but many in the general public are much more clueless than them.

This must be excitement, I don't feel worried or scared, but I don't feel joy, this fool and his cohorts have just lost the war.

Goliath has just banned slings, but there are legions on the march with them.

Someone give this man his sign already



http://www.funny-city.com/photos/stupid_sign.shtml

On Edit: I made a misteak

[1monster]

33. Sorry, Rummy. The horse has already bolted. It's too late to close the

barn door. Banning any kind of camera will not stop the allegations, and having banned the means of proving the allegations will make you look even more guilty of a coverup...

[dArKeR]

43. Rumsfeld bans phone cameras - News24

London - Cellphones fitted with digital cameras have been banned in US army installations in Iraq on orders from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, The Business newspaper reported on Sunday.

Quoting a Pentagon source, the paper said the US defence department believes that some of the damning photos of US soldiers abusing Iraqis at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad were taken with camera phones.

"Digital cameras, camcorders and cellphones with cameras have been prohibited in military compounds in Iraq," it said, adding that a "total ban throughout the US military" is in the works.

http://www.news24.com/News24/World/Iraq/0,,2-10-1460_1531277,00.html

[crossroads]

80. Censorship

:kick:

[trapper914]

44. And...

...for good measure, they're banning cameras at Iraqi weddings too.

[crossroads]

81. Ban the truth!

:eyes:

[Lorien]

45. Obviously, they have no intention of BANNING TORTURE! n/t

[IndianaGreen]

48. Rummy is more interested in cover-up of wrong doing

than he is in pursuing justice. Let's not forget that it was Rumsfeld who started the policy of ignoring the Geneva Convention.

[saigon68]

74. HE IS A WAR CRIMINAL

[Algorem]

49. bet they'll be searching through the soldiers belongings now and how

are the soldiers going to feel about that?

[AP]

51. To be replaced with SKETCH ARTISTS, I hope.

[leesa]

54. Good. Problem solved.

[Cocoa]

61. they claimed to be grateful to the whistleblower

In fact, if they could get away with it, that whistleblower would be dead.

If they were sincere, they would be doing the opposite of this move, they would be making cameras mandatory, like some police departments require cameras in police cars.

Of course, they want us to be totally dependent on their stupid spokesman's word, so that they can bomb weddings and their stupid spokesman can get the last word on the stupid news shows.

[abracadabra]

62. The Army should BAN RUMSFELD**and Ban Cheney-Ban BUSH

****that's the only way to ever help the torture photo problem***

[Mace]

63. This is just like...

Closing your eyes and the bad man won't get you. After all, if you can't see it, it must not exist at all!

This is the saddest piece of reform I have ever seen. I can see cameras as a distraction, but this is redicioulus.

It doesn't give the US Army to abuse prisoners in the fasion that we have seen in the pictures.

[Sentath]

64. A link to the locked duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x576857#576959

[hlthe2b]

66. Drudge just picked up this story: it could get interesting!!!!

Sometimes slimeball Drudge can be useful-- at least more people will see this and perhaps mainstream media will look into it.

[Tight_rope]

68. "Hear no evil, speak no evil and SEE NO EVIL!...

I predicted this would happen. Does this make me a psychic or the Devil like Rummy. Please pray for me!

:evilgrin:

[2Design]

73. no cameras....no torture......NOT

[number6]

76. too late

..

[JCMach1]

82. This is Rumsfeld's first POLICY response to Abu Ghraib

everything else has been investigations....

It wasn't NO MORE TORTURE GUYS...

So now, we hide any possible evidence...

:grr:

[Kool Kitty]

85. Ah, yes. Rummy decides it is in everyone's best

interests to shoot the messenger. Don't stop the torture, heaven forbid.

[soup]

87. 99.5% Probability This Is BOGUS NEWS

Spoke with a newsdesk person at the St Petersburg Times. She did some research and has called me back twice. (Really nice woman, by the way)

The first callback was to let me know she hadn't found anything to support the story, but was going to check out a couple of other resources.

Second callback was to say that she could find nothing that would support it, nothing has come over the wire and this appears dubious at best.

Gave me another number to call for a woman who works the National desk, if I felt I needed further verification -a second opinion- that it's not true.

If anyone thinks I need to, I will. Otherwise, I'm going to PM Mari333 and let her know it's not true - at least for now - But who knows with these people?

She did mention that there's a bill in Congress to ban the covert use of camera phones.
link to article confirming that:
http://www.computerworld.com/governmenttopics/government/legislation/story/0,10801,93101,00.html

Anyway, that's what I've gathered. Anyone else have any other info?

[JoFerret]

89. Steve Bell