Justice Dept. sues to block Missouri from getting phone records

[struggle4progress]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government sued two members of the Missouri Public Service Commission on Tuesday to stop them from seeking information about customer records that telephone companies may have given to the National Security Agency.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in St. Louis, claims disclosure of any information the Missouri regulatory body wants to obtain could cause "exceptionally grave harm to national security."

Public Service Commission members Robert Clayton and Steve Gaw issued subpoenas last month to find out whether AT&T Inc. supplied Missouri customer information and calling records to the NSA in violation of Missouri privacy rules.

The Missouri subpoenas came after a USA TODAY story reported that AT&T and other phone companies handed over phone records of millions of Americans to the NSA after the Sept. 11 attacks ...

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-07-25-phone-records_x.htm

[Richard Steele]

1. My head hurts just trying to diagram those first few sentences.

So, is the MPSC requesting info on the public's behalf,
and being sued by the Federal JD in an attempt to BLOCK
the public from learning the details of BushCabal™s blatantly
illegal phone-spying program?

[struggle4progress]

2. I think this is the simplified version: the full story goes something like

"Of course we don't spy on Americans, but we have an opinion poll somewhere that says Americans support us spying on them, and we should hang traitors who reveal nonexistent programs like this, but we wouldn't spy on Americans without a warrant in any case, and anyway we don't need a warrant to spy because we're at war, and ..."

There's more but I'm starting to lose track myself ... :hi:

[Richard Steele]

3. Oooh, Ouch! BrainPain! You are such a magnificent BASTARD sometimes!

Shame on you for messing with a pitiful Autistic Alcoholic like me!

I swear to G*D: If I didn't like you so much, I wouldn't like you so much! :hug: