The Telecoms aren't turning over anything, the NSA is intercepting...

[mikelewis]

"AT&T Corp., Verizon Communications Inc. and BellSouth Corp. telephone companies began turning over records of their customers' phone calls shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, USA TODAY reported, citing anonymous sources it said had direct knowledge of the arrangement."
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-12-hayden-support_x.htm

After reading the USAToday article, I got the impression that the Telecoms were simply copying huge databases and turning that over to the NSA. Nope...

"The case is based largely on the technician's documents, which the technician and EFF assert show that the NSA is capable of monitoring all communications on AT&T's network after the NSA installed equipment at AT&T offices in San Francisco and elsewhere.
The case is Hepting v. AT&T Inc., 06-0672.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/northern_california/14565956.htm

Hepting v. AT&T Inc.
Case Line #41 - "On information and belief, AT&T Corp. has opened its key telecommunications facilities and databases to direct access by the NSA and/or other government agencies, intercepting and disclosing to the government the contents of its customers’ communications as well as detailed communications records about millions of its customers, including Plaintiffs and class members."
http://www.eff.org/legal/cases/att/att-complaint.pdf

By placing a bridge on the Telecom networks they are rerouting the information to the NSA. What this means is that the NSA has intercept capability on every call that goes through that system. The telecoms have essentially opened the door to the NSA and allowed them total access to America's communications and have left it to up to the Government to decide what to do with the information. If the government says it's only looking at the call duration turned over by the telecoms, it's being disingenuous. They're actually intercepting (rerouting) the calls and choosing to record only those they claim deal with terrorism. All other calls are reportedly being recorded for time, date and duration details but the only guarantee we have of this is coming from Bush.

But this doesn't just limit them to telephone conversations. All DSL and Internet node communications would also be compromised by this type of monitoring. All the pages you've visited, all the links you've clicked on, all the correspondence you've written is going through the NSA computers through gateways. All of this information can be collected and compiled to give a them a damn good idea about your political, spiritual or sexual affiliations.

Now, why is this a bad thing? Let's say for instance, you own a company and haven't been as honest as you should be about your income. Let's say you claimed $100,000 in revenue but you're getting thousands of calls a week which would indicate that your business is doing considerably better than you stated on your taxes. Well, because that "Wall" between Intelligence agencies and Law Enforcement has been torn down, the NSA can legally share this information with the IRS which can, in turn, begin an investigation on your business practices. If the government asserts that it has the ability to issue search warrants based off the information gleaned in these data sweeps, why would they limit that to terrorism? Is there any incentive to not share this information with the IRS?

What if you're a Hillbilly Heroine addict and are getting prescriptions filled by multiple doctors at multiple pharmacies? While your patient records are covered by legal protection, your phone records enjoy no such safeguard. The NSA could, in fact, legally turn over your call records regarding the doctors and pharmacies involved to the FBI. (But I wouldn't be in a Rush to stop this one. ;-))

What if one of your friends turns out to be a drug dealer? Say he's only a casual friend and someone you talk to occasionally. Say he should get nabbed by the DEA and they now have the ability to issue warrants based on his phone calls; would you like to be the target of an investigation even if you've done nothing wrong? Would you enjoy the stigma of guilt by association?

What if your a Liberal poster and you write daily about how much you despise this administration for the crimes it commits and the lies it tells? Would that be enough to warrant a search of my computer, a tap on my phone, an audit by the IRS or an investigation by the FBI? Whose to stop them if there's no limit on what information they can get about me and my personal beliefs?

Man, I don't know about you guys but these Intolerable Acts must stop. The Fourth Amendment was written to safeguard Americans against such practices. I keep hearing that if I've done nothing wrong, what do I have to worry about? Obviously, now I have to not only worry about what I may be doing wrong but what the people I talk to do wrong. This is fucking ridiculous. I've done nothing wrong so quit spying on me, you fuckers! This Fascist ideology must be obliterated.

[bigbrother05]

1. AT&T must be getting a hell of a Tax break

or they know where the bodies are buried. and who said it was females?

[mikelewis]

2. I don't understand your question...

"who said it was females?"

I'm not sure of what you're referring to in the post.

[bigbrother05]

3. The new Watergate scandal

[mikelewis]

4. This post wasn't really about Watergate Redeux...

Actually, I hadn't mentioned Watergate at all and I don't know if it was only females. What concerns me more than the gender of the hookers is what the politicos gave a way to get a free piece of ass.