 |
Obama Admin Seeks to Legalize And Expand Government Spying
Disturbing arguments from DOJ betray intention to make government immune from any legal challenge over wiretapping
Steve Watson
Infowars.net
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Advocacy group Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has warned that the Obama administration is seeking to expand the government’s authority to carry out wiretapping under the auspices of national security.
The EFF points to the dismissal of its own litigation against the National Security Agency for the warrantless wiretapping, warning that arguments made in defense of wiretapping by Obama’s Department of Justice are worse than Bush’s.
EFF writer Tim Jones explains the arguments that were made by the DOJ in the Jewel v. NSA case:
First, they argued, exactly as the Bush Administration did on countless occasions, that the state secrets privilege requires the court to dismiss the issue out of hand. They argue that simply allowing the case to continue “would cause exceptionally grave harm to national security.” As in the past, this is a blatant ploy to dismiss the litigation without allowing the courts to consider the evidence.[...]
it’s the Department Of Justice’s second argument that is the most pernicious. The DOJ claims that the U.S. Government is completely immune from litigation for illegal spying — that the Government can never be sued for surveillance that violates federal privacy statutes. [...]
The Obama Administration goes two steps further than Bush did, and claims that the US PATRIOT Act also renders the U.S. immune from suit under the two remaining key federal surveillance laws: the Wiretap Act and the Stored Communications Act. Essentially, the Obama Administration has claimed that the government cannot be held accountable for illegal surveillance under any federal statutes.
The Obama Administration’s full motion to dismiss can be read here (PDF).
In short, not only is the Obama administration actively defending and protecting Bush officials over illegal wiretapping, they are arguing in favor of expanding the practice and already seeking to protect themselves and any other administration past or present from legal challenge.
(Article continues below)
Watch a Keith Olbermann report on this story:
When dovetailed with recent announcements by Obama’s Director of National Intelligence Admiral Dennis Blair, that the NSA is seeking to expand it’s power, a clear and disturbing picture emerges.
Blair’s intention to encompass all electronic communications within the NSA’s scope is a direct continuation of the policy under the Bush administration. Last year the former US National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell announced plans for cyberspace spying that would make the current debate on warrantless wiretaps look like a “walk in the park”.
The plan would mean giving the government the authority to examine the content of any e-mail, file transfer or Web search.
This is exactly the kind of thing we warned our readers of before Obama was elected. Instead of repealing the freedom stripping tools put into place by the Bush administration, Obama is continuing to use them and is even seeking to enhance them.
Prison
Planet.tv Members Can Watch
Fall Of The Republic
Right Now Online -
Don't Miss Out! Get
Your Subscription Today!
CANCER CONSPIRACY? Are
"they" suppressing the cure? Will YOU
be the next victim? Learn
the Secret Truth! - READ FULL STORY
-
- Social bookmarks
- Email this article
-
- Print this page
17 Responses to “Obama Admin Seeks to Legalize And Expand Government Spying”
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||
| By N2H | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
April 8th, 2009 at 11:14 am
I am so sick of the govt using the “national security” excuse to break the law.
Matt Reply:
April 8th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
adf? don’t you mean ADL?
PPCensorVictim Reply:
April 8th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
I think he has ADD.
April 8th, 2009 at 11:21 am
All of this just shows that there is no Constitution. Oh wait, they quote it when it suits them. Then disavow anything they do not like. Since both the state and federal governments have no respect for the Constitution or any law, except to suit their purpose, why should the citizens of the states have any respect for them. It seems that we have regressed into a nation not by rule of law but show of force.
global plantation serf Reply:
April 9th, 2009 at 11:16 am
Bingo!
Maybe that’s why the IRS has to pay postage. Real federal government agencies don’t have to pay postage.
April 8th, 2009 at 11:25 am
Someone please tell me Alex Jones isn’t a Zionist agent. What happened between Rense and Alex. GCN has changed, Rense Live has changed. If this isn’t real and Alex isn’t a double agent, then why is every link to the story/conflict being shut down and/or links terminated.
I know Alex claims he is being attacked by this or that and all these groups are now against him because he is getting close, but it seems now he is just lashing out and trying to save face. I knew something was up. Too bad, Alex woke me up – but to what exactly now I am not sure.
Alex needs to address that Brother Nathanial situation instead of just going crazy, getting angry and talking about lawsuits against everyone or blaming other groups for what he isn’t addressing.
Zionist shill or not? We want answers!
jahtom Reply:
April 8th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Spying is a good business but dis-info even better.. check this out
http://commendatori.wordpress......-millions/
April 8th, 2009 at 11:54 am
Maybe the millions of morons that flocked to vote and to look at Obama as a saviour and being any different to Bush will finally wake up and see the truth.
The Republican and Democrat party is nothing more than a one party system playing good cop bad cop.
April 8th, 2009 at 11:57 am
all media personal are bone head’s,that’s why you can research a lead,or check info many way’s.oracle radio,prison planet,all the real fake channels,the history library in ny,there are about 500 web sites to check facts,and history.history is very important in any information,remember human are a creature of habit.that’s why most crimes are solved,when they want to be.
April 8th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
1st FISA, and now this ~
April 8th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
They expand their secrecy powers, and expand their survelliance powers of the public. And there is no conspiracy? This is classic Orwellian. How long will the sheeple be decieved by the bogus left/right smoke screens?
April 8th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Journalist Philip Weiss on the Neoconservative agenda:
“In terms of their politics, they were almost all Democrats and then as soon as the Democratic party suggested that it wasn’t going to have a strong military, Norman Podhoretz and Irving Kristol, the grandfathers of this movement, they went Republican. Why? Because they said, back in the 70’s, a strong American military is needed to protect Israel.”
Download an mp3 of Phil saying the above here (9:45 minutes in)
http://antiwar.com/radio/2008/07/12/philip-weiss/
Watch the BBC documentary “The War Party”, part 1 of 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vWZTTrceV8
Read Phil’s blog on the Neocons, AIPAC, Zionism @ http://www.philipweiss.org
April 8th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
Change we can believe in!
April 8th, 2009 at 10:50 pm
HA HA !
April 8th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
All Popular Softwares For PC and MAC
English, Deutsch, French, Italy, Spanish Version
The financial crisis? SAVE YOUR MONEY!
Discount Code – D33W-3333 – and you will get a DISCOUNT of up to 30% for our all software !
Discount Code – ADBE-3333 – and you will get a DISCOUNT of up to 50% for our Adobe software !
educational software sales
————————————————————————————-
Windows XP Professional With SP2 Full Version $59.95
Adobe Creative Suite 4 Master Collection $329.95
Office Enterprise 2007 $79.95
Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit $79.95
Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended $119.95
Adobe Creative Suite 4 Master Collection for MAC $329.95
Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Extended $99.95
Office 2003 Professional (including Publisher 2003) $59.95
AutoCAD 2009 32 and 64 bit $169.95
Microsoft Office 2008 Standart Edition for Mac $99.95
Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Premium $259.95
Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended for MAC $119.95
————————————————————————————-
The financial crisis? SAVE YOUR MONEY!
Discount Code – D33W-3333 – and you will get a DISCOUNT of up to 30% for our all software !
Discount Code – ADBE-3333 – and you will get a DISCOUNT of up to 50% for our Adobe software !
office 2003 oem
No torrents – no claim. Read our Testimonials.
April 9th, 2009 at 6:39 am
Mr ADF is right. We should let fear make all of our decisions for us. Thank you oh enlightened one…
April 11th, 2009 at 9:15 pm
our government is making all of these bs comments on this website;you know the ones putting down alex and this website and also some of the retarted sh-t that is said just to discredit this site and continue their web of deceit and illusions to keep you focused on bs instead of the truth…wake up america!! the work he has done is worth more than he makes…it is priceless..if your not saying arrest these mf then your probably one of them.the time is now what are we going to do …the courts are a worthless waste or time…ha ha right in your face is what they are doing…