Here come the FBI

Just when you thought the world has enough problems and our constitution stood up to the recent attack on our right to own a handgun. FBI agency is pledging to subdue civil liberties for some of fellow American Citizens. We are definitely approaching the "police state" environment.

WASHINGTON - The Justice Department is considering letting the FBI investigate Americans without any evidence of wrongdoing, relying instead on a terrorist profile that could single out Muslims, Arabs or other racial and ethnic groups.

MSNBC News Article Link

FBI taking over our civil liberties

Disturbing, but not at all surprising.

What else is new? They've been doing this for a long time.

wow... what suprises me more than that tid bit of information is the apathy dripping from the replies.

as if *yawn* ... and?

This makes me furious also and once these guidelines are established who knows how they will expanded to fit all of us other Americans they deem terrorist. This is very disturbing.

Originally posted by justamomma
wow... what suprises me more than that tid bit of information is the apathy dripping from the replies.

as if *yawn* ... and?

Well I mean, really though. It's terrible, but it's nothing new.
News Flash. Racial profiling didn't just start happening. And erosion of rights started to take public notice at the introduction of the Patriot Act.

What do you propose to do about then, since it angers you so much? And what do you want us to say? Do you want us all to line up and say, "Man, this angers me so much. The End..?"

[edit on 7/3/2008 by Mad_Hatter]

Originally posted by justamomma
wow... what suprises me more than that tid bit of information is the apathy dripping from the replies.

as if *yawn* ... and?

Well, of course I'm angered by it, dude. But I'm not going to pretend that I'm surprised about it. This has been going on for a long time. We all know it. We all see it. I denounce it every opportunity I get. What else would have me do?

Yes the Patriot Act is an infringement of our civil rights and liberties. What these new guidelines allow the FBI to do goes beyond the patriot act, it allows for them to data mine through years years of records. Through data mining they can open a formal investigation even if the individual being investigated has never committed a crime.

I suspect these guidelines will serve as a model for other law agencies both fed and local with targets being more than those who resemble terrorist phenotypically but anyone who hates the US government and their constant disregard of our Constitution.

"It's necessary to put in place regulations that will allow the FBI to transform itself ... into an intelligence gathering organization in addition to just a crime solving organization," Mukasey told reporters.

That the Attorney General makes such a statement is breathtakingly stunning. Has he never heard of the Church Commission report? Historically, the FBI has never been "just a crime solving organization".

The article continues:

The guidelines focus on the FBI's domestic operations and run about 40 pages long, several officials said. They do not specifically spell out what traits the FBI should use in building profiles.

Oh, I see, so the focus of the article on 'racial profiling' of Muslim and Arab Americans is justified why, exactly? Oh yes, we're fighting 'extremism' and 'terrorism'.

What tools might the FBI use to try and answer these 'open-ended questions' they're now pursuing? The article tangentially mentions:

[Congressional efforts] could limit the FBI's use of profiles, or "predictive models and patterns of behavior" as the government prefers to describe the data-mining results, but would not change the guidelines authorizing them. The guidelines would remain in effect until a new attorney general decided to change them.

Hmm, predictive models and data-mining. I wonder if that has anything to do with this DHS project:

Projects Involving Analysis of Large, Dynamic Multigraphs:

1. Analysis of Large, Dynamic Multigraphs Arising from Blogs
2. Universal Information Graphs
3. Statistical and Graph-Theoretical Approaches to Time-Varying Multigraphs
4. Adding Semantics to and Interconnecting Semantic Graphs
5. Algorithms for Identifying Hidden Social Structures in Virtual Communities

So I think the AP is a little off-base with their focus on 'racial profiling'. Hey, but whatever sells newspapers, right? Besides, the President has made his position quite clear:

President Bush has disavowed targeting suspects based on their race or ethnicity

So there we have it.

A lil' off topic but the point is there...the president also made it clear that we were going into war with IRAQ because of WMDs and Saddam is the financial backing for Al-Queda, none of his justifications for the Iraq were true.

So on point, if the president made clear of where he stands on this issue what makes you want to believe him? It is just smoke and mirrors on his part.

reply to post by prionace glauca


You are absolutely right. I for one have lost faith in anything that comes out of his mouth. Apparently, according to this article, alot of us aren't the only one in utter disbelief at the lengths that the Bush Administration will go through to cover its ass. Seriously, its reached the point to where his excuses for everything are glaringly obvious as just that...excuses. Apparently he's the only one that believes what he is talking about....as if he lives in his own little Bush world where the public are idiots.

Congress stunned by Bush officials disdain on torture

Democrats in Congress are still reeling over the lip they got yesterday from the Bush administration's key experts on torture. Vice President Dick Cheney chief of staff David Addington was so disdainful that some are wondering if he can be prosecuted for lying to Congress.

[edit on 7/4/2008 by Mad_Hatter]

reply to post by Mad_Hatter

I for one have lost faith in anything that comes out of his mouth.

You just have to know how to interpret him. For example, from his 2000 election campaign (via the Internet Archive Wayback Machine):

Governor Bush's Foreign Policy Priorities

 

As President, George W. Bush will:

Work with our strong democratic allies in Europe and Asia to extend the peace and deal with the challenges of China and Russia - two great powers in transition.

Promote a fully democratic Western Hemisphere, bound together by free trade.

Defend America's interests in the Persian Gulf and advance peace in the Middle East, based upon a secure Israel.

Check the contagious spread of weapons of mass destruction, and the means to deliver them.

Lead toward a world that trades in freedom.

See? He's obviously led us towards a world that 'trades in freedom'. He just wasn't specific about what he was planning on trading in the freedom for.

Profiling by law enforcement agencies has been going on for a long time.

In 1971 I flew from Jacksonville, Fla. to Atlanta, Ga and was stopped as soon as I entered the airport after getting off the plane.

Everything I had was searched. I was taken to a small room and asked to strip. I was very indignant and refused to undress.

Two very large female officers of some sort said I would undress or they would do it for me. I complied eventually.

After finding nothing illegal they did apologize and told me I fit the profile of a drug runner. That was what they were profiling for way back then.

I can understand profiling citizens from other countries coming into the USA. I do not understand citizens of the USA with no criminal background being hasseled by the authorities.

Our civil liberties are being eroded. My question is , is there anything we can do to stop it?