Government Abruptly Ends Domestic Spying Probe

[kpete]

Security Issue Kills Domestic Spying Probe By DEVLIN BARRETT, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The government has abruptly ended an inquiry into the warrantless eavesdropping program because the National Security Agency refused to grant Justice Department lawyers the necessary security clearance to probe the matter.

The Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility, or OPR, sent a fax to Rep. Maurice Hinchey (news, bio, voting record), D-N.Y., on Wednesday saying they were closing their inquiry because without clearance their lawyers cannot examine Justice lawyers' role in the program.

"We have been unable to make any meaningful progress in our investigation because OPR has been denied security clearances for access to information about the NSA program," OPR counsel H. Marshall Jarrett wrote to Hinchey. Hinchey's office shared the letter with The Associated Press.

Jarrett wrote that beginning in January, his office has made a series of requests for the necessary clearances. Those requests were denied Tuesday.

more at:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060511/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/domestic_spying_4

[DBoon]

1. like a dog

"But the hands of one of the gentleman were laid on K.'s throat,
while the other pushed the knife deep into his heart and twisted it
there, twice. As his eyesight failed, K. saw the two gentlemen cheek by
cheek, close in front of his face, watching the result. "Like a dog!" he
said, it was as if the shame of it should outlive him."

- F Kafka

[kpete]

2. I adore Kafka!

[DBoon]

3. We live in a Kafka world

nt

[slay]

4. So they can spy on us - but THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT can't know details?!?!

Feeling like 1984 in here to anyone? :scared:

[WiseButAngrySara]

5. Very much so. Or a Kafkaesque one, or some combination thereof. ....n/t

[Polemicist]

6. Republican tyranny at it's finest...

Breaking the law, violating our Nation's Constitution, and the Republican Congress and Republican President block every attempt to investigate these tyrannies.

I read threads here blaming Democratic leaders for failing us on this issue. But I ask, outside of standing and screaming at a brick wall, what can they do? Absent a majority in Congress, they do not have the power to compel testimony by subpoena.

The Republicans refuse to give any details on who they have spied upon without warrants. The Republicans refuse to give any details of how the spying program operates. They refuse to tell us why they felt it necessary to violate existing laws on electronic surveillance on American citizens. So we can't even evaluate if there is actually a need to modify the law to allow for changes in technology since 1978, when the FISA laws were created.

Our only chance is to scream, yell, and point fingers at the wrong-doers to support our elected Democrats who are fighting with us to regain a legislative majority. We have to keep the issue in the publics eye. We have to move public opinion from placidly accepting this outrage and abuse of authority and recognize the opportunity for abuse and tyranny this allows the party in power.

And when we regain control of Congress, as we eventually will, we must investigate and indict all those who acted criminally and put them in prison. In order to protect our democracy.

[mom cat]

7. NSA is therefore above the law! Hello dictatorship!