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Pentagon Seeks A Loophole In The Privacy Act
CygnusXII writes "As reported over @ wired.com. It seems that Homeland Security isn't the only govermental body wanting to keep a database on the good old U.S. population. 'The bill would allow Pentagon intelligence agents to work undercover and question American citizens and legal residents without having to reveal that they are government agents. That exemption currently applies only to law enforcement officials working on criminal cases and to the CIA, which is prohibited from operating in the United States.' Kinda adds a whole new meaning to 'We want you!', or should it be 'We want all your secrets'?"
If some years ago, winning your green card at the yearly lottery was a divine grace, today it seems closer to the first step toward the seventh circle of Hell.
I thought my country was a little bit too regulated, that, thanks to terrorists, we had too much policemen around the corners, but when I look at the USian's situation, I really feel safe and confortable here at the other side of the pond (the Atlantic one, that is).
Come over here, guys and gals: we surely smell cheese and wine, but at least we respect you as people. One thing the US government doesn't seem to do.
Seems so. This part of the text sounds as if they can exempt a lot of actions on the part of an agent designated as working undercover. (See other parts of the text for how said agents would be allowed to doctor their income tax returns to hide their status as well):
To-do List: Receive telemarketing call during a tornado warning. Check.
Plenty of human-rights abusing reigemes have had secret police for years, it keeps the population in check, because you never know who you're talking to! Start a conversation with that guy sitting in the park? better be careful what you say about your glorious leader or you might find yourself locked up and the key literally thrown away! Don't forget who started bribing locals to grass-up the whereabouts of all the jews - the nazis thats who, and guess which regieme also had an army of secret police ready to get freaky on anyone who said the wrong thing, heres a clue - we invaded them last year and now were using their former prision of injustice to make cheap BDSM porn. Hey maybe the pentagon could go the full way like Israel and send their secret police abroad to kidnap people!
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I agree that it's fine to be shooting spies. Put a fucking bullet right in them. It's even better to be shooting terrorists. However, the military should not be running around harassing civilians. Protecting people trying to bring about desegregation and spying on U.S. citizens are very different things. Besides, there's already an organization designed to spy on U.S. citizens, it's called the FBI, and the solution is to form closer ties with them, not to send military spies out to interrogate the populace.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
From your country's laws.
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/commentary/20020731_c arter.html
Unfortunately, gp is right. Bill Clinton signed legislation proposed by Bob Dole to effectively kill Posse Comitatus. This was done in the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing of the Murrah Federal Building.
At the behest of the US Attorney General, the army can be used against those deemed domestic enemies.
> I agree that it's fine to be shooting spies. Put a fucking bullet right in
> them. It's even better to be shooting terrorists.
How does one determine they are spies or terrorists? I am a bit relieved to hear that the more common practice is a military tribunal and not summary execution. How about giving a leg up to all those who might be summarily shot in error and making an arrest and tribunal mandatory (unless the officer is in mortal danger, of course...)
In 1981, then President Reagan signed Executive Order 12333, which reverses a number of the controls that were put in place in 1973.
Here is a link to the text of the executive order:
http://www.tscm.com/EO12333.html
- AC
... I'll be the first to admit I don't have all the answers. I managed to aquire *some* of the answers, which lead me to start questioning more. The more I question and learn, the more answers I get, but they lead to a doubling of the questions.
In a nutshell, these are a few of my beliefs at this time:
Not a hell of a lot of differences in the top levels of the two major political parties. They are both run by international big money interests more than any other demographic. As such, it's silly to think one group or the other "in power" in the public sphere will be much different than the other, when the real power is above them, and they are just the script readers. At lower levels-county and precinct, you have normal true believers, who are more or less just regular joes and janes who believe in the "system" and want their point of view extended and they sincerely think it will make a difference. This is normal, but to my view, borderline naieve, if you really watch what is SAID all the time as opposed to what actually HAPPENS all the time, and it's historically researchable, so again, just my POV, but there's not much excuse to keep up the charade of the "system" working beyond inertia and a lot of wishful thinking.
I am convinced there have been several mini coups which have taken place since I have been politically aware, and that there are overlapping and struggling power groups all fighting for supremecy in running the nation (world too). I don't think there's any one over all master plan/conspiracy, just a lot of gigantic crime cartels who's interest and alliances with each other wax and wane. It's just the sheer scale of some of them that makes those cartels significant. An analogy I like to use is that there are a lot of big wolf packs, all fighting for supremecy over the herds, and they only thing they agree on is that they are all wolves, and the rest of the planet is where the prey herds live that they use, so they fight over them, but stay united as "wolves", or predators.
I'm afraid that the premier all-powers intelligence service we have, the cia, is mostly corrupt at the top and in the entrenched bureaucracy, and has been since it's inception. Other intel agencies I am still evaluating, I think they have some corruption, but not nearly as much. Perhaps inside the dod are a few groups that are really nothing more than organized muscle for some power blocs and get used more for economic and political profit than for any sort of legit "national protection" service.. NSA I think by and large is not all evil. ONI is split down the middle. I really can't comment beyond there, my contacts aren't as good. The civilian agencies, like the fbi, have been long compromised,this is more or less public info, it goes way back, they have consistently persecuted any whistleblowers, exactly like they are doing to 9-11 whistleblowers now. The DEA are just nuts,whacko,and the BATF are trigger happy by design now. All the other I think 40 different federal copshops-ehh, who knows. WHY we need 40 odd something federal police agencies is beyond me, other than someone seems to think that civvies need a lot of "herding" to keep them "in line".
It's obvious that really big money calls all the shots-mostly- so that means banks and the market, including commodities, so that's wehere the true corruption starts. For them to continue to be corrupt takes the connivance of judges, and the big media, and I think that should be apparent. You don't get to be a big time judge without being in someones pocket. It just won't happen. You don't get to be a big time reporter if you rock all the boats. A small raft once in awhile, sure, they'll let a few get rocked. big ones? Nope, they tippy toe and ignore the real important stuff when they can. the internet is blowing them out of the water now, and they can't control it, one of the few nice things lately.
I think there's something to the "secret societies conspiracies" angle, but I am REALLY confused on that because there's so many of them and t