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Pentagon Seeks A Loophole In The Privacy Act

Posted by timothy on from the war-with-oceania-continues dept.

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'?"

6 of 304 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Has anything changed for him? by whovian · · Score: 4, Informative
    Is that next to fall?

    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):

    ``(g) Exemption From Certain Requirements.--The Director may exempt
    a designated employee from mandatory compliance with any Federal
    regulation, rule, standardized administrative policy, process, or
    procedure that the Director determines--
    ``(1) would be inconsistent with the nonofficial cover of
    that employee; and
    ``(2) could expose that employee to detection as a Federal
    employee.


    --
    To-do List: Receive telemarketing call during a tornado warning. Check.
  2. How close can you legally get to the nazis? by t_allardyce · · Score: 2, Informative

    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!

    --
    This comment does not represent the views or opinions of the user.
  3. Re:A soldier isn't a police officer... by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Informative
    I'm against Janet Reno, period, and especially against sending in bradleys to help with burning down the branch davidians. That was a massacre of U.S. citizens who didn't deserve it, plain and simple. If they REALLY had to close down the compound they should have dropped a bunch of rangers in there under cover of darkness. However, as far as I can tell, there was no good reason for doing it in the first place.

    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.'"
  4. Re:A soldier isn't a police officer... by antiMStroll · · Score: 2, Informative
    " I don't know where people get the idea that the only activity the military can conduct within our borders is training.

    From your country's laws.

    http://writ.news.findlaw.com/commentary/20020731_c arter.html

  5. Re:A soldier isn't a police officer... by wwest4 · · Score: 2, Informative

    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.

  6. Incorrect; CIA is permitted to operate in US by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    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