Senators quiz FBI director on Patriot Act

[dogday]

WASHINGTON--The FBI's use of a Patriot Act provision that lets it make secret requests for subscriber information from Internet service providers drew scrutiny from U.S. senators on Tuesday.

At a wide-ranging oversight hearing convened here by the Senate Judiciary Committee, FBI Director Robert Mueller faced a number of questions from Democrats voicing concern over the scope of the controversial investigative tactic, known as a National Security Letter, or NSL.

Federal law requires communication service providers to provide records about individuals in response to such letters, which do not require the use of a court warrant. Legal challenges to that measure's constitutionality are still pending.

Until recently, recipients of such letters were also not allowed to disclose the FBI's request to anyone. The final Patriot Act reauthorization approved earlier this year loosened those requirements somewhat, allowing recipients to appeal the requests to a court and to seek legal advice


http://news.com.com/Senators+quiz+FBI+director+on+Patriot+Act/2100-1028_3-6067604.html

[elehhhhna]

1. On eof Bush's "Signing statements" blows off the requirement

to audit the use of these letters & report their effectiveness to Congress. These letters are being used in lieu of legal warrants.

[peacetheonlyway]

2. STUPID FRIGGING SENATORS

why did they revote with massive majority voting to re-up the Patriot Act
and now , surprise surprise, they have problems with the Patriot Act implementation.

THERE IS NO ONE TO BLAME BUT THE FRIGGIN SENATORS THEMSELVES FOR EVER SUPPORTING THE FIRST PATRIOT ACT.

everyone blames bush, I blame congress except for a handfull of courageous ones, John Conyers, Barbera Boxer, etc.
for the demise of this country... the let Bushitler rise to power they are as blameworthy as bush himself....

[peacetheonlyway]

3. One man is an oppressor

because many are slaves...

let us despise the slaves!!

[dogday]

6. Don't forget Feingold

He never voted for it... One man stands alone.....

[peacetheonlyway]

7. You are correct....

Feingold is on my list of

people to vote for president..
he's a definite hero in my book for both the censure and the not voting both times for patriot act...

what's sickening are all the democrats who DID vote for it.... sickening...
time to flush the entire crew and usher in a new era of progressive democrats...

[kestrel91316]

4. Mueller to Senate: Fuck you.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

5. Remember this speech by Mueller on the hijackers?....

Robert S. Mueller, III, Director, FBI
Commonwealth Club of California
San Francisco, CA
April 19, 2002

<http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/speeches/speech041902.htm>

QUOTES AND COMMENTS:

"The plans were hatched and financed overseas, beginning as long as five years ago. Each of the hijackers came from abroad: fifteen from Saudi Arabia, two from the United Arab Emirates, and one each from Lebanon and Egypt. All 19 entered our country legally, and only three had overstayed the legal limits of their visas on the day of the attacks."

No Afghan and no Iraqi hijackers, but seventeen from countries with close ties to the U. S., Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

"While here, the hijackers did all they could to stay below our radar. They contacted no known terrorist sympathizers. They committed no egregious crimes. They dressed and acted like Americans, shopping and eating at places like Wal-Mart and Pizza Hut, blending into the woodwork all the while. When four got speeding tickets in the days leading up to September 11th, they remained calm and aroused no suspicion. Since none were known terrorists, law enforcement had no reason to question or detain them."

"Since none were known terrorists". Really. That's an interesting comment. How were they trained? Where did they train?

"The hijackers also left no paper trail. In our investigation, we have not uncovered a single piece of paper – either here in the U.S. or in the treasure trove of information that has turned up in Afghanistan and elsewhere – that mentioned any aspect of the September 11th plot. The hijackers had no computers, no laptops, no storage media of any kind. They used hundreds of different pay phones and cell phones, often with prepaid calling cards that are extremely difficult to trace. And they made sure that all the money sent to them to fund their attacks was wired in small amounts to avoid detection."

Smart enough not to leave a paper trail, but stupid enough to leave a wide range of items behind in luggage that supposedly didn't get put aboard one of the aircraft. And what about that passport that survived the explosion and fire of one of the planes that hit the WTC, and the subsequent collapse of the WTC towers?

Things that make you go "hmmmm".