Take a look at this
It appears that in their efforts to investigate leaks, the federal government has been tracking calls made by ABCNews as well as the NYTimes and WaPo. (From ABCNews blog, The Blotter.)
Are they breaking into Ellsberg's phsychiatrist's office, yet?
(Brian Ross, ABC's lead investigative reporter whose name is on the byline for this is scheduled to be on Ed Schultz's show this afternoon.)
Are they breaking into Ellsberg's phsychiatrist's office, yet?
(Brian Ross, ABC's lead investigative reporter whose name is on the byline for this is scheduled to be on Ed Schultz's show this afternoon.)
posted by mikevotes at
10:02 AM
16 Comments:
"It's time for you to get some new cell phones, quick," Or bring in an army of teens and give them the phones for a while.
The communications revolution has been about as efficacious as fast food, and from the same mind set.
Even so, their must be so much irrelevant drivel on the wires to make pinning down the targets something akin to mission impossible.
By
Cartledge, at 10:48 AM
Any chance they are using the NSA database for these purposes?
By
left-over, at 10:52 AM
Yup. The enemies of Freedom and Liberty are Freedom and Liberty.
Is it official now: we've killed the very nation the Greatest Generation fought and died to preserve? Is America now no more than a police state with an un-checked government answerable to no one? With each passing day the answer continues to be a resounding "YES." And there's Frist and Hastert and the entire flying monkey Republican Congress sucking at the teat of corruption as they continue in their treasonous dereliction of duty. "Party and Power, above all else."
I wonder if the comforts of our past prosperity and good fortune have made the majority of Americans apathetic to their own Liberty... as long as they are given their bread and circuses, and cowed by a heavy dose of fear-mongering.
By
-epm, at 10:58 AM
The communications revolution has been about as efficacious as fast food
Hear, hear!
The faster the pace, the lower the value... whether it's a nutritionally vacant "value" meal, or the exchange and broadcast of pap.
By
-epm, at 11:04 AM
So it begins.
By
Bravo 2-1, at 11:14 AM
Do they have untraceable "pay as you go" phones in the states? You can buy them here without connecting yourself to the number (so long as you pay cash for the phone and the minutes).
I wonder how long it will be until they make those illegal because "terrorists use them."
By
Praguetwin, at 11:26 AM
Bush administration snooping on the media... jeez, his poll numbers will go back up.
"We're tracking the evildoers; the terrorists and those pesky liberal media elitists. It's God's will."
-George 'Pipeline to the Almighty' Bush
That is a thought-bubble quote - I have an active imagination.
By
Anonymous, at 1:16 PM
I'm just going to answer in bulk. If this was done, it was done seemingly in relation to the probes of the leaks of classified information, although I would wonder whether a court would issue ongoing warrants on past dated crimes.
That brings up warrants. There's no description of the mechanism used here, whther it was traditional investigation warrants offered from a court. (I don't know enough about counterspying law to know how much power resides in the counterspying efforts. I would assume alot.)
And there's no way to tell from this whether it accessed the NSA database, although I would bet not. From what we've seen so far, the NSA database was "need to know."(perhaps to hide its illegality?) So, probably the government agencies involved went to the phone companies through a seperate process.
And, I'm not sure Prague Twin. We do have "disposible" cell phones that aare pay in advance, cash okay. They would be picked up because they do have phone #'s, but the identity of the owner could be hidden through a cash purchase. (There was a big scare awhile back when a "middle eastern man" bough a bunch of these at Kmart. He was giving them out as Christmas gifts to employees.)
Really, this comes down to the leak investigations on the Secret Prisons story, for instance. The government has now power to abridge what the press says or prints, but they can attempt to stifle sources, and I would guess that's what this is.
Not so much an effort to stop ABC, but an effort to get an article published telling potential sources that class to and from them are monitored.
And, just what were you using that NSA database for again?
Mike
By
mikevotes, at 2:11 PM
If the Bush administration is tracking calls made by reporters at the Post, the Times and ABC News, it won't be long now before somebody leaks the "Enemies List" they're keeping.
It really is like the Nixon administration all over again.
Will General Hayden be asked about this story at his hearing on Thursday? And more importantly, when Hayden refuses to answer, will committee Republicans pass him through anyway?
By
Reality-Based Educator, at 2:12 PM
Maybe and yes. I think he will get questions, but he will pass through. I don't think the dems want to rock the boat right now, I think they're better off letting it sink than getting blamed for "rocking."
Mike
By
mikevotes, at 2:23 PM
Wow, the Chinese must be giving us domestic soying tips in exchange for low tarrifs.
By
Yukkione, at 2:42 PM
I assume you meant spying, although soying does have a nice cultural touch to it.
And, yes, we're that far down the road.
I think we're exporting too much democracy because there seems to be a shortage of it here at home.
Mike
By
mikevotes, at 2:50 PM
Rule number one in the march to totalinarianism: Neutralize a vigorous press.
By
Anonymous, at 3:06 PM
The press is always the first casualty as totalitarianism takes hold. They are alwys labeled as "enemies of the state" or even "enemies of the people."
But I'm sure we have nothing to worry about. This is all just coincidence. Just because ALL the signs are there, it doesn't mean what appears to be happening is actually happening.
I've heard of the disposable phones. Here we have phones that can be "recharged" using a scratch card that you buy in the store. I know people who have had the same number for 7 years, but their name is still not attached to the phone. I'm guessing there is nothing like that in the states.
By
Praguetwin, at 3:42 PM
I don't think so. The whole prepaid phone thing has come on here very slowly.
Mike
By
mikevotes, at 4:10 PM
I think they're better off letting it sink than getting blamed for "rocking." Hope you are right with that assessment. The Dems should concentrate on their own numbers now and let the Reps sink themselves. The strategy also saves them a pasting later on.
By
Cartledge, at 4:16 PM
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