Govt obtains wide AP phone records in probe

Do you have the right to look into my brain to see what thoughts I'm having?

If not, why then does anyone think they have the right to read my emails, which are my thoughts, and the thoughts of my correspondent?

If I wanted my private thoughts to be public, I'd just publish them myself.

Private communications must remain private property, invoilate, and not subject to inspection by those who merely want to know what I'm thinking.

You can't subpoena my thoughts.

Of course, there will be mind reading machines in the future, where this issue will become much clearer.

But, even today, people should understand that there must be limits to the powers of government to inspect and intrude into the private thoughts of the population.

reply to post by SQUEALER


I've been re-reading 1984. It's scary how close to a prosecution of "thought crimes" we are getting.

Originally posted by flobot
From everything I have read, doesn't seem like anything illegal is going on here.

They got subpeonas to get these phone records, they only got phone records of the numbers of ingoing/outgoing calls, not the actual conversation. And there was no phone tapping, they got these records from the phone company. And they did all this for a specific investigation looking for an information leak within the CIA...which is a national security issue.

I just don't see the illegal activity that everyone is talking about.

Subopena??

Do you mean WARRANT?

Where is this warrant? No one has claimed they acquired a warrant.

Eric Holder On AP Phone Records Subpoena: Trust Us

www.huffingtonpost.com...

Originally posted by FlyersFan
I'm VERY sure that this will be used as intimidation by the Obama administration and by his minion Holder. With Benghazi-gate getting into full swing ... Obama and his ilk will be wanting to step on the back of APs neck with their jackboots.

Used as intimidation? But but the media is already owned by the left, right? Why the need to intimidate? Soemthing is not adding up. Are you missing the 400 pound mockingbird in the room?

Hmmmm, just read this article
washingtonexaminer.com...
Looks like there is a big donation scandal set to break Monday by the Washington Post. Makes perfect sense now, Obamam is trying to block campaign fraud. Apparently many of his donations came via prepaid cards and monies traced to Vietnam and China. This could be as big as watergate if he's pissed off the press now.

reply to post by lakenheath24


That article is from last year. I'm not saying that it's not possible that something breaks, but it would be about 7 months late according to the article.

Originally posted by esdad71

snip...

The NSA was nailed in 2007 in the previous administration for this but there was also NO terror attacks during that time. It was used, I feel, for what it was intended. However, the current admin is growing to strong and bold. The Republican party was created to stop the Progressives otherwise known as the Democrats. The Republicans opposed WW1 and WW2 but TV tells you different. Paints them as war mongers and people cry arrest them for war crimes. George BUsh ran on a platform against foriegn involvement and did not want to go into Iraq, the UN did. The US went into Afghanistan after 9/11. But people listen more to Jon Stewart than picking up a book.

The NSA was called to task for intercepting calls from overseas to somebody here on the mainland USA.

That's not only NOT close to your example, it's not the same sport.

Snooping the AP's emails and phone records is a direct attack on the First Amendment

reply to post by lakenheath24


This was well known I thought but suppressed by the controlled media like MSNBC. They campaigned for Obama as well as took stimulus money.

As was all of the people who voted 3,4 or 6 times. It is time for him to go. He has not control and his minions are running wild.

Pre paid cards...just look at Citizens United..that case made it easy for SuperPAC's to raise unlimited amounts of cash, thus ensuring a second term. Throw in voter fraud and it is a done deal.

reply to post by DCPatriot


I was trying to draw comparison on how it should be used and how the current admin is tainting that and using it as an abuse of power. We do see that eye to eye, right? I know what the current admin did, is, as you say, a direct attack.

Then there is this little gem...

Link

Lois Lerner, the senior IRS official at the center of the decision to target tea party groups for burdensome tax scrutiny, signed paperwork granting tax-exempt status to the Barack H. Obama Foundation, a shady charity headed by the president’s half-brother that operated illegally for years. According to the organization’s filings, Lerner approved the foundation’s tax status within a month of filing, an unprecedented timeline that stands in stark contrast to conservative organizations that have been waiting for more than three years, in some cases, for approval. Lerner also appears to have broken with the norms of tax-exemption approval by granting retroactive tax-exempt status to Malik Obama’s organization.

While we pay more taxes and health care sure as hell as not gone down in price and the care is #tier, all of those close to the king get knighted. Put down the Starbucks, turn off the KArdashians and wake up.

reply to post by DCPatriot


The funny thing is that there are agencies that have a mirrored port at every major pop so they do not have to subpoena anthing from anyone, much less out themselves for snooping.

So what is this story really about?

Ya'll should check out the new thread...

ATS thread

Originally posted by nobeattles
reply to post by DCPatriot

 

The funny thing is that there are agencies that have a mirrored port at every major pop so they do not have to subpoena anthing from anyone, much less out themselves for snooping.

So what is this story really about?

I think it's an attempt to rein in the mainstream media.

By telling them that there's a ghost looking over their shoulder and reading your private emails.

It comes on the heels of a 'private' meeting for the WH press on Monday, where they selected certain news people behind closed doors...and probably threatened them in not so veiled terms.

But that's just one conspiracy possibility.

Originally posted by NOTurTypical

Originally posted by flobot
From everything I have read, doesn't seem like anything illegal is going on here.

They got subpeonas to get these phone records, they only got phone records of the numbers of ingoing/outgoing calls, not the actual conversation. And there was no phone tapping, they got these records from the phone company. And they did all this for a specific investigation looking for an information leak within the CIA...which is a national security issue.

I just don't see the illegal activity that everyone is talking about.

Subopena??

Do you mean WARRANT?

Where is this warrant? No one has claimed they acquired a warrant.

No, I meant subpoena.

What would they need a warrant for? They issued a subpoena to the phone company for certain phone records, and the phone company complied. They weren't tapping phones or looking at the phone calls in real time...they were just requesting historical data from the phone company.

No warrant was needed, just a subpoena...which was granted to them.

reply to post by thesungod


You may be right about the media turning on him, but I have my doubts inasmuch as the media is wrapped up and under the control of very few heads--there is little if any free press left. A journalist today who bucks the system does so at his own peril. Even then, the chances of his story being told in the mainstream media is pretty slim to none.

Besides the news today is seriously flawed--if not criminally so. I can't handle watching any of it--pretty faces, svelte, well dressed bodies spewing forth inanities dotted with "appropriate" gestures, grimaces and smiles. Each is a theatrical production with scripts containing generous stage directions.

Moreover, "news" is heavily editorialized. No longer is the viewer given just "the facts." Instead it comes to us as a story dressed up with colorful adjectives and adverbs strategically placed in the text. This together with the visuals is all designed to guide us to the conclusions "they" want us to draw. For the most part, we as a society rarely fail to disappoint them.

In the Western world, the news is nothing but a propaganda machine--to date an exceedingly effective one producing as it does the desired effect for the "in crowd."

Of course, forums such as this one make one hopeful that not all of society is that easily fooled. Most here observe, read, experience and extrapolate. Of course, in the process, we may journey down a good many false avenues in pursuit of truth. That, however, is to be expected. I don't get too upset when we get it wrong. After all, when government and its "advisers" put up all manner of barriers to prevent the stalwart truth seeker from penetrating the inner sanctum to get at the facts, it's inevitable that we will miss the mark many times over. It's a daunting maze to navigate. But getting it wrong is nothing to be ashamed about. We do the best with what we have to work with.........................very little.

I posted this on another thread...from wiki

Only need a subpoena - where do they get one?

An administrative subpoena under U.S. law is a subpoena issued by a federal agency without prior judicial oversight. Critics claim that administrative subpoena authority is a violation of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution while proponents state that it provides a valuable investigative tool.

Administrative subpoenas have most commonly been issued by the Offices of the Inspector General of various federal agencies.

In 1996 Congress expanded the authority to issue the subpoenas to the Federal Bureau of Investigation when investigating health care fraud cases under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

More recently, the Department of Justice has attempted to expand administrative subpoena authority to terrorism investigations through amendments to the Patriot Act.

How else are they going to make a list of people for the IRS to audit?

You know, nothing the Feds do anymore surprises me. What surprises me more was my reaction to seeing news footage of the IRS hearings in the Senate today. My immediate reaction was "we need to run those corrupt bastards out of government".

When I reach that point it worries me, I'm a lot more patient and laid back than most of the public...

reply to post by NOTurTypical


Good point, and I think that should be one of the central questions regarding this incident.

My guess is that the judiciary was not involved in this, in the nasty spirit of the Unpatriot Act. NSL, not subpoena.

Which raises the question of which telecom provided the govt this information? Verizon? AT&Treason? Google?

Originally posted by nobeattles
reply to post by DCPatriot

 

The funny thing is that there are agencies that have a mirrored port at every major pop so they do not have to subpoena anthing from anyone, much less out themselves for snooping.

So what is this story really about?

Personally, I think the CIA and the Obama administration are at war with each other right now and the Associated Press just got caught in the crosshairs.

The Obama administration is extracting revenge on the CIA for failing to cover Obama and Hillary on Benghazi, so the administration tries to go after a CIA leak and the only way to do it was to use the Associated Press. Surely, the administration had to know that this might backfire on them, but they were willing to take the chance. It looks like another botched attempt to get even by the administration to me.

Now that reports are surfacing on the State Department being the ones to supply Stingers to Libyan extremists (which was probably information supplied by the CIA to the media), we'll probably see more backlash from the Obama administration in the near future.