Pentagon Expanding Its Domestic Surveillance Activity

[merkins]

Welcome to Germany, 1933

Holy Crap. This is some serious shit, and it's not being talked about much...


The Defense Department has expanded its programs aimed at gathering and analyzing intelligence within the United States, creating new agencies, adding personnel and seeking additional legal authority for domestic security activities in the post-9/11 world.

The moves have taken place on several fronts. The White House is considering expanding the power of a little-known Pentagon agency called the Counterintelligence Field Activity, or CIFA, which was created three years ago. The proposal, made by a presidential commission, would transform CIFA from an office that coordinates Pentagon security efforts -- including protecting military facilities from attack -- to one that also has authority to investigate crimes within the United States such as treason, foreign or terrorist sabotage or even economic espionage.

The Pentagon has pushed legislation on Capitol Hill that would create an intelligence exception to the Privacy Act, allowing the FBI and others to share information gathered about U.S. citizens with the Pentagon, CIA and other intelligence agencies, as long as the data is deemed to be related to foreign intelligence. Backers say the measure is needed to strengthen investigations into terrorism or weapons of mass destruction.

Kate Martin, director of the Center for National Security Studies, said the data-sharing amendment would still give the Pentagon much greater access to the FBI's massive collection of data, including information on citizens not connected to terrorism or espionage.
The measure, she said, "removes one of the few existing privacy protections against the creation of secret dossiers on Americans by government intelligence agencies." She said the Pentagon's "intelligence agencies are quietly expanding their domestic presence without any public debate."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/26/AR2005112600857.html

via http://www.usndemvet.com/blog/archives/002974.html

[MelissaB]

1. I don't like the sound of this at all, and neither does Wyden.

"We are deputizing the military to spy on law-abiding Americans in America. This is a huge leap without even a hearing," Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said in a recent interview.

[wookie294]

3. James Madison

"If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy." -- James Madison

http://antiwar.com/quotes.php

[henslee]

25. Wow, thats great. I'm going to google and find the context of his remark.

[Clara T]

2. They're Here

Nominated

[Rex]

4. Just in time for the WH to take extraordinary powers over US citizens.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1949263

We don't live in a Republic anymore. Who ya gonna call when they come and blackbag you in the night? Your senator? Ha!

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. Hey FBI guys!

:hi:

Can I get you all a cup of coffee?

[mzmolly]

6. This must be an example of that "small Government" we keep hearing so much

about? :eyes:

[MountainLaurel]

27. SG only applies to functions

That actually help regular citizens as opposed to TPTB who own shares in defense contractors.

[Poet Lariat]

7. "As long as the data is deemed to be related to foreign intelligence"

All this apparently without the benefit of a congressional hearing.

Sure glad they've all been trained to know where the line is between "local" and "foreign" intelligence gathering. Otherwise...uhh.

Thanks merkins for this disturbing piece.

[lvx35]

9. Foreign intelligence as in...

you worked at that company once where that other guy worked, who once worked at that place with that guy from russia whose cousin once sent a letter to a guy who once worked at the Russian consulate...You are under investigation!

[EFerrari]

10. Or, maybe you buy French ground coffee. n/t

[Poet Lariat]

15. Just remember that this is "investigation" and wouldn't have to

pass muster for what's "provable" in a court of law. Basically, anything goes.

...Yes your honor, during our initial investigation, we had good reason to believe that Ms. Sheehan may have had connections with possible terrorist cells in an around Crawford, Texas through her association with one "Ramek Bhatia", owner of the local Kwick Stopp. Ms. Sheehan was observed on 64 different occasions over a period of three months having contact with this individual.

...And this relates to "foreign intelligence" in what way?

...As I stated earlier, your Honor, this is an ongoing investigation and we are not at liberty to discuss this any further due to National Security concerns.

The handwriting is on the wall...

[EFerrari]

23. It was after that first round up after /11. People, they just came

for US.

[lvx35]

32. MAn, I hope the history of that round-up comes out some day.

You're talking about the huge intelligence sweep of the whole country after 9/11? What a circus...I can only imagine some of the insanity that went on at the large scale, based on the bits I myself was personally witness to. I do mean insanity.

[EFerrari]

34. Sorry, just saw this. Amy Goodman has done a LOT

of reporting on this horror on Democracy Now!

[Julius Civitatus]

36. They are monitoring lefty bloggers

See my post below. I'm not sure how crucial for our national security it may be that these people monitor sites like Jesus General and his sarcastic jabs at Xtian fundies and their hypocrisy.

It's frightening to think why they are doing this, and where this may be leading.

[TheModernTerrorist]

8. I suppose

I should stop saying things like "The White House is DA BOMB!!!" into my cell phone now... :shrug:

[EFerrari]

11. This is frightening. We know Dick Cheney uses the Pentagon

for all kinds of illegal activity. It's his toy chest. And besides him, Rumsfeld is the misAdministration's next biggest scofflaw.

It always come home. Here it is.

I fully expect Nora O'Donnell to report this as proof we are safer with Bush in office.



I feel so much safer now. :sarcasm:

[ClintonTyree]

12. Does this man the DOD will be investigating Bush?

"The proposal, made by a presidential commission, would transform CIFA from an office that coordinates Pentagon security efforts -- including protecting military facilities from attack -- to one that also has authority to investigate crimes within the United States such as treason, foreign or terrorist sabotage or even economic espionage".

Using that reasoning I think the DOD's FIRST investigation should be into the workings of the Bush administration. If they're going to investigate "treason" and "economic espionage" the Bush administration would be a terrific place to start. The Valerie Plame affair would be a great place to start on the "treason" aspect. How many of the Bushies were involved in THAT clusterfuck? Let's get to the bottom of that, OK, DOD?

Bush's economic policies should be under heavy scrutiny for "economic espionage". His policies have lead to record number of people living below the poverty level, record profits for the Oil Industry, needless tax cuts for the richest 1% of the population, the disappearance of our industrial base and myriad other "economic espionage" cases that are undermining the safety and security of our nation.

Yep, I see no need for the CIFA to look any further than 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in their quest for Domestic terrorism. The residents at that address would provide years of work for their crack team if investigators, there's no need to investigate regular citizens, the ones on top are the one that make policy, start with them.

[xchrom]

13. kick

[Robeson]

14. I always knew Big Brother would come from the Right, not the Left....

...and now we see it.

[annabanana]

16. .. and he sees us.... .. . ... .eom

[converted_democrat]

17. Goodbye America, hello Germany! n/t

[suegeo]

18. Sieg heil !

News like this gives me terrible gas.

[dkofos]

19. This is what happens with a $450B budget.

I for one don't feel safer.

Let's give a big FUCK YOU to the Fascists in the Pentagon.

[Judi Lynn]

20. IF we've done nothing wrong, we shouldn't mind Bush's admin. peeking

in our windows, reading our mail, tapping our phones, hacking our computers, and following us on the street! In fact, we should be proud to show what good citizens we are!

Maybe we'll get awards when they find out how exemplary we are! Maybe they'll erect statues of us!

Let us all become models of admirable behavior, just like John Bolton, and that guy who was running against Barak Obama, and Newt Gingrich! Hey! Jack Abramoff!

[gaspee]

21. I think I'm going to be sick.

I literally felt sick as I read this. The more I read, the more I felt like I was going to lose my lunch.

[madmark]

22. Well finding OBL and Al quada is too hard; let's watch our own

citizens, its much easier.

[WhiteTara]

24. wow. This is the kick in the stomach

that I have been expecting and didn't see the direction from which it was coming. Time to spread the news of this nightmare far and wide. Kicking this to the top now and every time I see it on the thread. Thanks for the post and welcome to DU merkins :hi: :kick:

[lutefisk]

26. Don't worry. Negroponte needs to approve intel sharing.

They've built in checks and balances in the form of Negroponte. Now that's funny! From the article:

Modifications also were made in the provision allowing the FBI to share information with the Pentagon and CIA, requiring the approval of the director of national intelligence, John D. Negroponte, for that to occur... Wyden said the legislation "now strikes a much fairer balance by protecting critical rights for our country's citizens and advancing intelligence operations to meet our security needs."

This is just more evidence they don't intend to give up control of the government anytime soon. Give this kind of power to the Executive Branch and then just turn it over to Democrats? I don't think so.

[EuroObserver]

31. Any rights for the rest of the world's non-US citizens?

Sure doesn't look like it. There are the 'supermen', and then there are all those inferior people and/or nonpersons...

[rucky]

28. They're really trying, but they can never get all of us. n/t

[slay]

29. Why don't they just go ahead and tattoo us with bar-codes

and get it over with. I've never seen an American administration so intent on spying on it's own people. I hope this kind of shit scares people, because it should. "Big brother" is not just knocking on the door these days, he's kicking it down. :( :scared:

[MountainLaurel]

33. Probably because the fundies

Think that barcodes are the sign of the devil. (Was an issue in a school I know several years ago because one of the teachers refused to wear his ID badge because it had a barcode on it.) Although research continues on the use of microchips implanted into humans.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

30. Actually, I posted this yesterday.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2276223

Mods must not have been paying attention. Might have been nice if y'all would have noticed my post last night. Thanks a lot, guys...and I've been here a lot longer. WTF?

[Julius Civitatus]

35. Liberal bloggers report they are being watched by CIFA

In an interesting and terrifying expansion on this article, several left-of-center bloggers are reporting they have started to receive web visits from CIFA on a regular basis. These include Talk Left, Uncommon Thoughts, and even the sardonic Jesus General. They even posted a screenshot of their web counter:



Scary. What the hell are the Bushies preparing? What are we to expect from these activites?

[Jara sang]

37. It's never been about "them" it's always been about "us"

They realize that the American citizenry is far more powerful in changing government policy than some "Aye-Rab" with a bomb.

[Julius Civitatus]

38. JC Christian, Jesus General, emails CIFA about their visits to his blog

http://patriotboy.blogspot.com/2005_11_27_patriotboy_archive.html#113323967622950614

[Julius Civitatus]

39. Kick -- n/t