National Intelligence Director Wants More Power

National Intelligence Director Wants More Power

news.yahoo.com

President Bush's spy chief is pushing to expand the government's surveillance authority at the same time the administration is under attack for stretching its domestic eavesdropping powers.

National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell has circulated a draft bill that would expand the government's powers under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, liberalizing how that law can be used.

The court-approved surveillance could include planting listening devices, hidden cameras, and more

(visit the link for the full news article)


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Powers desired include the right to search luggage, plant hidden cameras and listening devices, and break into homes to copy computer hard drives. The Feds also want to be able to spy on any foreigner without previous FISA approval.

Of course this won't "mistakenly" be (ab)used on United States Citizens.

And the ability to spy on ANY foreigner certainly wont help the tourist industry in the United States.

news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

I warned more than a year ago that this was coming. It's only a matter of time before we see the creation of a full-blow agency. Department of National Intelligence, which I have warned you guys about here on ATS. It's an obvious and 'logical' extrapolation of what's already been done to us. As Federal power increases, our leaders will become more willing to decide in their own favor when it comes to spying on the rest of us.

You've mentioned that all along Justin, I just didn't really believe to tell you the truth this all seems like a slow motion nightmare that we just can't wake up out of. To tell you the truth justin I think the country is kinda headed into a communist state where the elite regulate, and dictate everything and everybody.

Originally posted by bartholomeo
You've mentioned that all along Justin, I just didn't really believe to tell you the truth this all seems like a slow motion nightmare that we just can't wake up out of. To tell you the truth justin I think the country is kinda headed into a communist state where the elite regulate, and dictate everything and everybody.

Thanks for the kind words, mojo. Those of us can see this trend for what it is really do feel like its happening in slow motion. This is the most real of real conspiracies.

I do think we are heading for a period of pervasive authoritarianism. I feel duty bound as a good citizen to speak up on these topics while I still can. this matter of the White House e-mails can be thought of as just one more symptom of the larger problem. Doing something that break foressional code is one thing, while breaking an actual law is something else. Our politicians know this, and they're quite happy to flaunt it.

We're pas the point when somebody "good" could step forward to do something about it. Now, we are faced with rallying support for the cleanup which will have to be done in the aftermath of the meltdown which is roughly one decade in to our future.

Asthe Department of National Intelligence comes in to being, we should all take note of what it is and what it does. We will be amongthe last generations who will remember life BEFORE "national intelligence." If we can't convince future generations that we're right about the increased authority of the "new" Federal government, there will be no revolt..until it breaks. That also means no real reforms...until...it breaks. When that happens, the people of the future will look to their past to see what we said, in hopes that they might find inspiration and guidance.

[edit on 13-4-2007 by Justin Oldham]

I know also Justin, sometimes people like you or me or many others that has been warning about the intentions of our governments, any government toward the rights of the citizens and the agendas that they have already working against our rights . . . has been taken lightly and many call it paranoia.

The truth is that is an agenda, and as long that it comes tagged as for the good of the people many will bite into it.

This is nothing compare to what the end result will be.

It will all come to pass due to our apathy. We're conditioned just right now so we just throw up our arms in the air and say "I give up" "Do what you want"

As long as we (all of us Americans) keep letting things slide, that is, just letting it happen, IT ;WILL CONTINUE HAPPENING.

So what do we do? Express our dissatisfaction and demonstrate until we're blue in the face.
But what do we do? Well, for relief i watch American Idol ( such a nice family show) it takes me away from the bad things in life.

I AM AT FAULT HERE. I should be a good American and get out there and form groups and demonstrate. Why dont i? Why oh why dont i do something?
As an American, i have failed also. :shk:

We all failing Dg, because our own government has induced into the population to be afraid from been too vocal because it comes with repercussions.

Our freedom of speech and the rights to disagree with our government has been challenged by the so call patriots of our nation.

Those out there that still dream of a government that can be fully trusted.

Originally posted by Justin Oldham
It's only a matter of time before we see the creation of a full-blow agency. Department of National Intelligence, which I have warned you guys about here on ATS.

Um at the risk of sounding stupid...I already thought that there was a Dept. of National Intelligence? I guess not...

I heard something about a "WAR CZAR" being created.....

Does that mean this new lord would take the hit for Bush and if there's a lynching at some point the patsy gets lynched? (sp)

If this isnt the most ridiculous assenine thing i ever heard i dont know what is. But it wouldnt be "right" if it wasnt moronic, now , would it?
God help us.

What the hell is going on here? Sorry for deviating from the subject but this "director" could be alluding to gettin the job of CZAR. It sounds so important it may just be what he wants. Too bad power doesnt come in suppository form- a super giant form.

I heard that noone wants to be the czar though. I believe he asked 3 or 4 generals already and everyone turned it down.

I see. Well, then. Let me introduce you to the Director of National Intelligence. Please feel free to look at this web site, with special emphasis on mission and vision statements. See als othe one hundred day plan. All of this can be found in the tool bar located on the left hand side of he page.



[edit on 13-4-2007 by Justin Oldham]

Setting aside how I personally feel about these important issues, something just occurred to me for the first time while reading this. I have a timeline of news articles that I've been keeping since 2000 or so, tracking developments with respect to new surveillance laws, homeland security, data mining, etc. While reading this latest article, it occurred to me that although I could be completely wrong, I seem to remember a lot of these acts/bills being retroactive in their reach.

If that's true, and if this act would be similarly retroactive, does anyone think it's possible that many of these laws might be for the purpose of covering the collective rear ends of certain people or agencies who may have, for decades now, been secretly carrying out the very sorts of domestic surveillance activities that these laws seek to grant legal authority for? This never occurred to me before.

I don't believe or disbelieve the conspiracy theories regarding domestic surveillance and all that goes along with it but, hypothetically speaking, if the power to monitor anyone at any time that many believe exists has already been a reality for decades (or longer,) then wouldn't these laws be redundant? So why then - again, hypothetically - would they be necessary? It never dawned on me before that it might be to legally protect those responsible for previous and already ongoing domestic surveillance by making the legality of such activities retroactive. The growing number of technologically capable people with an interest in such matters might make it important for them to protect themselves legally in the event that past breaches were somehow discovered and/or leaked.

Does this make any sense?

Oh sorry I looked it up and apparently I was talking about the 'war czar'that they are trying to find, (with regards to the position that noone wants)source

There is a school of thought that says active intelligence monitoring has been going on in the United States since 1968. I have been told by a source who is long snce dead that there were atleast two systems online prior to Echelon. Based on my own experience, I know that there is much more in-house monitoring of comms inside Federal agencies that you might think.

It is sad to see the media portray nations like China and Venezuela as authoritative / "the bad guy".
Have lived in both, am living in CHina at the time, its a great nation for ExPats, retired or on pensions, watching the USA slowly spiral into what it once stood against.

It's hard for me to live in America and watch what's happening around me. I suppose that's why I dared to grab my pen. If the pen really is mightier than the sword, I hope to atleast hold my own. I'd stop talking and writing if I thought it was a lost cause. It's not, so I won't.

I don't know if you've guys ever played Metal Gear Solid. But As you play at towards the end of hte game your character becomes naked all of a sudden. And it mentions Big Brother hinting at it throughout the game. And while your naked at the end that is when society is caught blindly of what is going on. And therefore the nakedness represents sheeple, like sheep naked. So I think our japanese friends are hinting at this to show how real it really is. History does repeat itself.

It will take nothing short of a revolution in our political system to fix America, and it must be done very soon. Sounds to me like the attacks by media celebrities to expose this and people finding out is leading us to anotehr atack

Originally posted by dgtempe
As long as we (all of us Americans) keep letting things slide, that is, just letting it happen, IT ;WILL CONTINUE HAPPENING.

This is the absolute most important issue that faces America on any given day. No matter how bad the Federal Government tries to bastardize the Constitution or strip any right away... if we don't stand up, speak up, and back up.... we've already lost.

Look at the justification for taking away our rights... "it's to protect you".

By the means taken by the Federal Government... the entity birthed by the Constitution to protect it's people with the formation of a military force... the "terrorists" or "bogeyman" have but already won, because we've began already the process of selling our souls to the devil to achieve a false sense of security.

Apathy is a bitch.


[edit on 4/15/2007 by Infoholic]

Ther are still a few of us out here who are willing to fight the good fight.