Friday, February 29, 2008

It's All About the Telecoms, Stupid!

It's all about Liability protection
By: John Amato on Monday, February 18th, 2008 at 9:00 AM - PST Yep, it's not that we're in danger if the PAA isn't extended, it's that the Telecoms would be mad, 'mkay? BUSH: Failure to act would harm our ability to monitor new terrorist activities, and could re-open dangerous gaps in our intelligence. NPR: Mr. McConnell, the Bush administration says that if the Protect America Act isn't made permanent, it will tie your hands, intelligence hands, especially when it comes to new threats. But isn't it true that any surveillance underway does not expire, even if this law isn't renewed by tomorrow? MCCONNELL: Well, Renee it's a very complex issue. It's true that some of the authorities would carry over to the period they were established for one year. That would put us into the August, September time-frame. However, that's not the real issue. The issue is liability protection for the private sector. The fearmongers of the GOP base have been saying we'll all die if the PAA isn't extended and now you have McConnell saying it's all about the poor Telecoms. I think we have our answer.

Crooks and Liars

3 comments:

Rogue said...

Hmmm...so can we detect NEW intelligence...or don't we need to?

Oh I forgot, according to liberals all of the terrorists are in Afghanistan.
There were never any in
Bali, India, Turkey, Georgia, Beslan, Spanish train stations, or Moscow

wacmagnet said...

NICE TRY ROGUE...
This is my point though....
(...and dude, this still won't allow me to use "a" tags for links in comments!!)

MYTH: The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) has not kept up with the technology revolution we have experienced over the past 30 years.
FACT: There is absolutely no new technology that evades the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Besides, the FISA has been updated more than 50 times since being enacted in the '70s; it was updated as recently as last year.

http://www.aclu.org/safefree/nsaspying/34147res20080218.html

FISA Court approval of warrant facts”
>>The FISA court almost never turns down a warrant request. Data for 2006 show that it signed off on 2,176 warrants, the Associated Press reported yesterday. One application for a warrant was denied in part, and 73 required changes before being approved.<<

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/01/AR2007050101357.html

HOMELAND SECURITY WEBSITE!!!!
>>>With the enactment of the USA PATRIOT Act FISA has been expanded and broadened to make it a useful tool in exposing and combating foreign terrorist groups’ efforts to target the United States. In recognition that such acts cannot be neatly or easily separated into intelligence versus criminal cases, the FISA Court of Review has clarified the threshold that must be met in order for FISA to be used. The Court eliminated the “primary purpose” doctrine, under which no FISA-related operational undertaking could occur unless it was primarily intended to obtain foreign intelligence. Rather, the Court, relying on its understanding of the Congressional intent behind the enactment of FISA and the wording of FISA itself, held that a FISA-related operation is justified where “a significant purpose” of such operation is to obtain foreign intelligence. This has cleared away much of the detritus that developed around FISA that had historically impeded the use of FISA in criminal investigations and the use of FISA information in criminal prosecutions.<<<

http://www.fletc.gov/training/programs/legal-division/downloads-articles-and-faqs/articles/foreign-intelligence-surveillance-act.html"

wacmagnet said...

Here are all 3 links to the above comment:

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act: Myths and Facts

Intelligence Chief Decries Constraint

Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA): An Overview