bradl
Aug 22, 2008, 06:43 PM
And we thought FISA was bad...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/21/washington/21fbi.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/22/opinion/22fri2.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g07mkwmsp4l_Q5H-YBiHq6phbimgD92M9AP00
A Justice Department plan would loosen restrictions on the Federal Bureau of Investigation to allow agents to open a national security or criminal investigation against someone without any clear basis for suspicion, Democratic lawmakers briefed on the details said Wednesday.
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Congressional staff members got a glimpse of some of the details in closed briefings this month, and four Democratic senators told Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey in a letter on Wednesday that they were troubled by what they heard.
The senators said the new guidelines would allow the F.B.I. to open an investigation of an American, conduct surveillance, pry into private records and take other investigative steps “without any basis for suspicion.” The plan “might permit an innocent American to be subjected to such intrusive surveillance based in part on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, or on protected First Amendment activities,” the letter said.
In another article, the Blues had some other big concerns:
Among their fears: Americans could be targeted in part based on their race, ethnicity or religion — or free speech activities protected by the Constitution.
"As you know, attorney general guidelines were first implemented in the wake of the FBI abuses of the 1960s and 1970s, and serve as one of the most important bulwarks against future abuses," the senators said in a letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey.
Play nice with trying to be the 'first' to announce a time to get out of iraq, while secretly sliding this through, which doesn't need congressional approval anyway. Bait and switch, and Bush still doesn't get it right.
BL.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/21/washington/21fbi.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/22/opinion/22fri2.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g07mkwmsp4l_Q5H-YBiHq6phbimgD92M9AP00
A Justice Department plan would loosen restrictions on the Federal Bureau of Investigation to allow agents to open a national security or criminal investigation against someone without any clear basis for suspicion, Democratic lawmakers briefed on the details said Wednesday.
.
.
Congressional staff members got a glimpse of some of the details in closed briefings this month, and four Democratic senators told Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey in a letter on Wednesday that they were troubled by what they heard.
The senators said the new guidelines would allow the F.B.I. to open an investigation of an American, conduct surveillance, pry into private records and take other investigative steps “without any basis for suspicion.” The plan “might permit an innocent American to be subjected to such intrusive surveillance based in part on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, or on protected First Amendment activities,” the letter said.
In another article, the Blues had some other big concerns:
Among their fears: Americans could be targeted in part based on their race, ethnicity or religion — or free speech activities protected by the Constitution.
"As you know, attorney general guidelines were first implemented in the wake of the FBI abuses of the 1960s and 1970s, and serve as one of the most important bulwarks against future abuses," the senators said in a letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey.
Play nice with trying to be the 'first' to announce a time to get out of iraq, while secretly sliding this through, which doesn't need congressional approval anyway. Bait and switch, and Bush still doesn't get it right.
BL.
