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Audit Finds FBI Abused Patriot Act
happyslayer writes to mention that according to Yahoo! News a recent audit shows that the FBI has improperly and in some cases illegally utilized the Patriot Act to obtain information. "The audit by Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine found that FBI agents sometimes demanded personal data on individuals without proper authorization. The 126-page audit also found the FBI improperly obtained telephone records in non-emergency circumstances. The audit blames agent error and shoddy record-keeping for the bulk of the problems and did not find any indication of criminal misconduct. Still, 'we believe the improper or illegal uses we found involve serious misuses of national security letter authorities,' the audit concludes."
In fact that's part of the PATRIOT act: You're not even allowed to find out if they've been abusing the act. Whistleblowing abuses of the PATRIOT act is a crime under the PATRIOT act.
I read the internet for the articles.
Depends on whether you are Democrat or Republican.
Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
Anybody who thinks the FBI adheres to ANY form of "rule of law" is living in a dream world. ... need to look back at the 1960's ...
Or even better, look back to the 1920's, and the founding of the FBI. A good start is to google for "Palmer raids", for an explanation of how and why the FBI came into existence.
The FBI started as a political agency, and it has remained one throughout its history. The idea that it's a law-enforcement investigative agency comes mostly from Hollywood.
The fun thing is that none of this is hidden. People who read actual history rather than watch TV and movies tend to be quite aware of this history. But there's no need to hide it from the general population, since most Americans don't read any history at all.
Those who do study history are doomed to stand helplessly by while everyone else repeats it.