Posted on 06/06/2013 1:03:39 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Those crazy American conspiracy theorists who live up trees with guns and drink their own pee don’t seem quite so crazy anymore. It turns out that a “secret court order” has empowered the US government to collect the phone records of millions of users of Verizon, one of the most popular telephone providers – a massive domestic surveillance programme and a shocking intrusion into the lives of others. For the first time in history, being an AT&T customer doesn’t seem such a bad thing after all.
Of course, it isn't the first time that a US administration has spied on its own people. The origins of this particular order lie first in the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and then in Section 215 of the Patriot Act, backed by George W Bush and passed by Congress after 9/11. Normally, domestic surveillance only targets suspicious individuals, not the entire population, but in 2006 it was discovered that a similarly wide database of cellular records was being collected from customers of Verizon, AT&T and BellSouth. There was plenty of outrage and plenty of lawsuits, but the National Security Agency never confirmed that the programme had been shut down. It would appear that it’s still in rude health: the latest court order for collecting data runs from April 25 to July 19.
A few observations. First, America is so conscious and proud of its history as a beacon of liberty that it often overlooks the tyranny that occurs on its own shores in the name of safeguarding democracy. The national security state has expanded to the point whereby it now functions outside of democratic control and with clear disregard for the Constitution.....
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.telegraph.co.uk ...
So are we all just going to talk about it or are we going to do something about the new american police state?
I’m really shocked. Not surprised though. I didn’t even love it when GWB did it but I think his scope was narrower too.
From what I gathered today this has been going on for seven years. My question is. .has this SPECIFIC program been that long? Have they had Verizon (and/or Sprint, AT&T) records that long?
“Comments?”
Maybe this is why Obama wants a war with Syria so as to keep us distracted from what he’s doing at home.
‘Wag the Dog’.
Obama doesn’t need much more in his plan than a mustache and some shiny jackboots.
The founding fathers understood that an intelligent, informed and moral populace was needed for our Republic to succeed. And succeed it did for well over 200 years. But success comes at a price. Success breeds immorality, laziness and selfishness. World War 2 was the last event in our nation's history that required moral backbone, sacrifice and bravery in the face of hardship. Hurricane Katrina exposed the soft underbelly of America. We have lost our way.
The average American has no idea what has happened and what lies ahead. All we can do at this point is do our best to prepare our children and grandchildren to survive the horrors the future will bring.
I miss my freedom and pray I will have the strength of my convictions when duty calls.
I would guess we are all waiting for the same thing.
This one - where they get millions of AMERICANS phone records? I knew we could go after foreigners ..and some specific #’s of Americans ..but I don’t think it was this sweeping.
“‘Wag the Dog’.”
When the MSM runs with it you know it was planted by the administration.
They want everything off the front pages except for this. Then they can say Bush did it too so no big deal.
They are also pulling an Alinsky on congress. They are overloading them with scandals that will go absolutely no where.
Wake up Issa. All you have to do tomorrow morning is go on national television and announce that some of the phone records match up with Tea Party groups and Republican donors. Tell them it was given to him by someone in the administration.
Whether true or not, it’s time to play by liberal rules.
I suppose we are, lol
Where is a leader who will consolidate us like minded folks. Does one exist?
I think it is more likely that they want all the folks who have the goods on this admin that they know who they are and where they are and know all about who they love and who they would not want dead. It is a threat. Just like all the things this admin does. They are evil to the core. And paranoid to the core.
Verizon provides phone service to government. Therefore both cell and land phones of Congress, SCOTUS , Pentagon , CIA were included in the blanket surveillance !
The Founders formed Committees of Correspondence to spread the word without alerting the Redcoats.
Do we have anything similar today — secure communications? If not, we’re going to have one hell of a tough time opposing Tyranny in the years ahead.
Verizon was subject to a subpoena. Likely some of the other carriers gave this up even without the subpoena.
With a touch of Brave New World as well. Everybody’s on their Soma. Pills for depression, anxiety, sleeping, ADHD, etc.
“1984 was published 64 years ago today.”
We are so in that book now. Add no privacy on the phone now - calls are monitored by Holder and fellow devils.
Revolt is coming.
Now it’s land of the free stuff and home of the depraved.
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