"IMPEACHMENT: Where we're headed" Collins/autorank at American Politics Journal

[autorank]

From American Politics Journal (Michael Collins/autorank):

The Democratic majority in both chambers of Congress can’t come to grips with this. They’ve offered up lame excuses like: impeachment will distract form the important work at hand; impeachment will bog us down until the presidential election; we don’t have the votes; etc. Fine, that’s terrific but they can’t repeat these lame excuses for much longer.

There are those in Congress who know impeachment needs to happen. They’ve taken three steps so far to develop a powerful case.

http://www.americanpolitics.com/

The Bush impeachment will emerge from a crime that allows massive, surveillance of millions of citizens for concerns about a very few, which involved taking advantage of a gravely ill man in order to obtain a meaningless signature that might just cover up that crime. And don’t forget that the White House occupant and operatives felt so guilty and exposed for this surveillance program, the FBI director had to instruct his agents on the scene to disobey anticipated orders of anyone (i.e., from the White House) instructing them to toss Comey out of the room.

If this carefully developed and powerful scenario isn’t what the Senators are planning (and I believe it is), then it should be. It’s outstanding on multiple levels and the public would both understand and accept it as grounds for removal.

http://www.americanpolitics.com/ or http://tinyurl.com/2a4bml

[Jeffersons Ghost]

1. K&R here's your first of many

If you have time and like my humble post for today, please return the favor.

[autorank]

5. Link me up Scottie!

I always have time for Jeffersons Ghost...

What a bunch of ghouls those WH guys are? Don't know anybody who would approve of such a thing, take advantage of a ill man to approve a crime, one he refused to approve before he went in the hospital... and all this to gain a signature that would have MEANT NOTHING since Ashcroft had formally stepped down as A.G. .... my lord, the machinations of mendacious minds;)

[Decruiter]

65. Thanks autorank. You are one of the best. Just wish we could have

met up with you in DC.

There is another investigative journalist in your area I believe you would like to meet up with.

He loves this maladministration just as much as you do, maybe even more.

[mod mom]

2. So this is what you did on your birthday!

;) Thanks Auto!

[autorank]

7. :)

Did it yesterday when my plans were upset due to a huge rain here in the DC area. I was actually going to write about the parallels between the DC metro drought (2 months or so) and the curse on Thebes in Oedipus Rex but the gods intervened to spare everybody that morsel.

[puebloknot]

34. I assume you were going to include the "truth"...

... that the drought can be laid at the feet of abortionists and gays, weren't you?

[autorank]

51. Well...

...actually I was going to say it was the curse of the boy king and his retinue, that they had to endure that accepted Greek custom of the time, banishment! Now that would get interesting, wouldn't it?

[Me.]

3. I Think The First Ripple Will Be A Pebble

Something small and seemingly unimportant, that will be the last straw. It will be the one thin mint too many for the American people and them everything will blow up on their faces.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

4. here's the start of a ripple effect....

It will become a tidal wave, as more troops return.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1472637

[Me.]

9. Yep

It will all add up, the anger is palpable.

[niceypoo]

71. "Impeachment will distract from the important work at hand?"

Such as? Being endlessly filibustered by the republicans and accomplishing near nothing as a result?

[RufusEarl]

6. I agree, with all the crimes out there it could be one of many.

For some reason, i think it will be the Tillman matter.

[autorank]

10. Tillman is utterly devastating...

...it wraps up the entirety of the * administrations vulgarity....

I like the hospital call/warrantless surveillance scenario because it combines both shocking personal behavior with one of the biggest crimes against the people.

Maybe Tillman is the one to many items that Me referred to and then they slam him with this scandal. But they're in huge trouble with Tillman, just huge, and I don't think that they anticipated it. Look how that Vick story took off - people just got it. Tillman is much more compelling - it's archetypal, a Greek tragedy.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

20. one problem.

the roots of nets, the intertubes, us here, WE GET IT. They lie about everything and have no standards at all. Most of America still refuses to believe that of their mein Leader, Bush.

[Usrename]

26. The Tillman story is getting out there.

I won't be surprised when Sports Illustrated does another full-length article about him.

They can express excutive privelege about Tillman all they want, but it only makes his story that much more tragic.

Tillman will bring them down, along with the Gonzo-gate scenario that Auto outlined in the OP.

[Silver Gaia]

85. Just had to comment here... bang on analysis, autorank!

Tillman represents the hero archetype, and not only that, but the sacrificed and/or murdered hero. It's classic, and goes deeeep.

[Me.]

12. Tillman Did Come To Mind

But I couldn't describe his death as a pebble. It would be something like the USA's being fired. When it began it didn't appear to be anything but look how it grew. Or it could be yet another callous, stupid statement by the Moran in Chief, himself that just finally ticks people off so badly that it becomes his Macaca moment.

[DemReadingDU]

33. Someone on The Today Show this morning

asked if Tillman could have been murdered. What a thought to leave in people's heads as they were getting ready for work and heading out the door, all the while thinking that Bush covered it up. Devastating.

I'd like to see Gonzales impeached, he is so inept, and a liar too. I'd hope the Congress has the goods on Gonzales, and get it done quickly so that the Republicans can't spin it around and drag it out until 2009.

edit to add: If this Gonzales fiasco leads to the impeachment of Bush/Cheney, that's even better.

[Me.]

40. Apparently, Even Most Dems Are Not There Yet

Impeachment is still off the table, and *lites like Tauscher is sending her constituents condescending letters telling them why she isn't for it. Can't imagine what it will take but I hope it starts raining pebbles soon.

[autorank]

8. Tnin mint followed by ready made case

I like thin mints ... but there is a limit.

[Me.]

18. I Was Thinking Of A Scene From A Monty Python Movie

Where a really huge guy ate a gargantuan meal and then got up to walk out and on his way saw the mints on the counter and took one. He ate it and exploded. Don't know which movie it was.

[autorank]

30. Perfect analogy...

A majority don't trust Bush, only 25% approve of him.

We're ready to pop.

[ProudDad]

44. Mr. Creosote

in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life..

"Part VI: The Autumn Years", is introduced with a Noel Cowardesque fop (Idle) performing the song "Isn't It Awfully Nice to Have a Penis?". Mr. Creosote, an impossibly fat man (Jones), waddles into a decorous restaurant, swears at the host (Cleese), and vomits copiously, into buckets if available. He eats an enormous meal, and finally, after delivering the immortal line "Fuck off, I'm full!", is persuaded to eat one last wafer-thin mint, whereupon he explodes, showering the restaurant with offal."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Python%27s_The_Meaning_of_Life

[Me.]

60. Thanks

I'd say we've been showered with offal for almost 7 years.

[ooglymoogly]

76. self delete...already said.

[MagickMuffin]

11. Have another K&R

On my way to finish reading the article. Looks like a good read.

:hi:

[autorank]

14. Muffin!

:hi:

What a gallery of rogues;) you paint...

[EXANTIREPUB]

13. Forget about impeachment. How about treason?

  If you consider that the first cabinet level meeting after *
came into office in 2001 was mainly dealing with Iraq and then
fast forward to 9-11 when
G.W. sat in a Florida classroom while we were supposedly being
attacked, impeachment would not begin to cover this situation.
 If you consider all the
crimes committed by this administration, prosecution for
treason would be the only logical course of action.  On 9-11
we had three skyscrapers in NYC
that were brought down with demoliton charges.  No, they did
not collapse!  They were blown up.  Watch any archive video
from 9-11 and you will realize 
immediately that these were demoliton jobs.  Well since the
crimes of that day, the crimes by these people have kept
piling up.  Illegal wars, war crimes, 
torture, illegal spying, where does the lawbreaking end?  I
call this treason.
  

[autorank]

15. No argument there. AND Welcome to DU!!!!!

The level of betrayal is beyond words, other than the one you used.

I'm focusing on what may well not what should happen but it all needs to come out or our history will
become meaningless:

My comment in the article:

"Sure, Bush should be impeached for the Iraq war and he certainly should be for election fraud from 2000 on. But that’s not going to happen any more than Nixon was going to be impeached for attacking Cambodia."

[truedelphi]

27. Welcome to DU!

Hope that you enjoy the ride!

[truedelphi]

28. Welcome to DU!

Hope that you enjoy the ride!

[thereismore]

74. You're not alone thinking that way! nt

[ooglymoogly]

78. yes and that is not even considering the robbing of the Treasury, Social Securty,

Medicare and the people of this country of their last dollar and putting every last person in this country into debt with a price tag of $80,000 on each and every income tax payer, and the little matter of the "lost" (yuh fer sher) trillions.

[Mme. Defarge]

16. This is good ...

"My extrapolation from the 25% figure is that the citizens of the country have developed their own sources of information and analysis."

I thought the Walter Reed scandal would be the tipping point.

[DeSwiss]

17. That sounds fine to me!

There is only one solution....

IMPEACH!!!


K&R!!!

[autorank]

24. Me too! n/t

[Hubert Flottz]

19. I feel pretty good right now...

I just read the riot act to an NRA slick who called bumming me for cash to fight the old mean democratic congress, who is trying to take his assault weapons. I made the guy stay on the phone until I was ready to say Bye Bye, but I think he would have liked to have ended that conversation much sooner. My parting remarks were about impeaching Bush and Cheney! It felt good to talk to one of the sleazy culprits that helped put Bush in the White House.

I let off some serious steam I'd built up for a long time...Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...felt real good...I just wish he'd been at my front door!

[autorank]

25. He's lucky he wasn't at your front door...

...and he's real luck that he'll never be interrogated by f'ing Schumer. Damn, he's brutal and
precise at the same time. Yeeehaaaaa.... Let the lid off... America wants to speak...

[derby378]

79. What's an "assault weapon?"

Personally, I'd rather we Democrats take over the NRA than try to kill it. Is that so wrong?

[understandinglife]

21. Recommend.

[mod mom]

23. wow -a guest appearance

:hi:

sure do miss your sage insight. hope all is well.

[autorank]

22. Pics =

Sen. Sam Ervin (D-NC) (center right) convened hearings that developed
a case for the impeachment of Richard Nixon that the House used to
develop charges.


And here's our Sen. Charles
Schumer (D-NY) who intense
interrogations make the case.

[truedelphi]

29. K & R'ed

[autorank]

31. I think they've bought a vowel...

...Vanna gave them a good one;)

[MagickMuffin]

32. Just finished reading, very well thought out

:thumbsup:

One thing that has certainly pissed me off about impeachment hearings is this little known fact.

And that is this:

Right around the Iran Contra hearings there was talk about possible impeachment. Rep. Lee Hamilton was the ranking member of the committee in charge of over-sight. Slick Dick Cheney was also on the committee. He convinced Hamilton NOT to impeach because "WE don't want to put the country through another impeachment hearing. Only thing WRONG with that is Nixon was never impeached. They came close to it, but Nixon resigned before they really got anything started. The NeoCons knew they could get Hamilton to cower in a corner because HE was ALL about bi-partisanship.

Fast forward to the 90's and we get AN IMPEACHMENT for none other than a BJ. So what if Clinton lied about a private matter. The GOP were determined to disgrace Clinton and to remove him from office AT all costs. Never mind it wouldn't be good for the country. I believe it was just another example of pursuing a mundane charge so when the GOP stole the office they could commit REAL CRIMES and get away with it because "WE don't want to put the country through another impeachment.

These people had eight years to plan their coup, and EVERYTHING THEY HAVE DONE HAS BEEN AT THE HANDS OF THE CALCULATING HANDS OF SLICK DICK!


PS: I sent you a PM, earlier :pals:

[autorank]

37. Thanks !!!! and that's fascinating info aboug Cheney.

He's the Forest Gump of fascism!

What a piece of work. He better hope that there's no final judgment.

:hi:

[ProudDad]

45. That's Brilliant

cheney's the Forrest Gump of Fascism...


More people would know what that means than would know "cheney's the Zelig of Fascism"

[autorank]

46. Thanks! Who said he's the Zelig of Fascism?

We need a Tee Shirt;) What could Dick have in the box..."Life is just a box of __________"

How about:

"Life is just a suitcase full of cash."
Dick Cheney, the Forest Gump of Fascism

[ProudDad]

57. I just did

Obscure reference to a rather good Woody Allen movie:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086637/plotsummary


Forest Gump just stole the premise and the special effects ideas from Allen...and probably spent a hell of a lot more for promotion...

I was a little miffed. Gump was cute but "Best Picture" in the same year as "Pulp Fiction"? Not hardly.

[autorank]

69. You know, I never saw Forest Gump. But Pulp Fiction, that was a great film.

The last scene in the diner was perfect from start to finish. That alone deserved the Oscar.

So it is...Dick Cheney, the Forest Gump of Fascism.

[Mnemosyne]

49. Karma will prevail, someday.

It's the nature of the universal balance.


on edit:

Gump of Fascism :rofl:

[autorank]

55. Thats it. "Dick Cheney, the Forest Gump of Fascism" - you heard it here first;)

:evilgrin:

[Mnemosyne]

86. It's perfect! I will credit you everywhere! But,

it could apply to the drunken coke-head frat-boy too! :evilgrin::rofl:

[Fly by night]

35. Is there a succinct summary of the catalogue of impeachable offenses ...

Is there a succinct summary somewhere of the catalogue of impeachable offenses that can be brought against Bush, Cheney, Gonzalez, the SCOTUS and any other Rethug officials? I am serious about this request. Here in Tennessee, I am getting more requests from my Republican friends for that information and I must say that having my own succinct list of impeachment "talking points" would be very useful these days. Thanks if you can direct me to any SUCCINCT sources that don't just focus on one impeachable offense but which catalogues the litany from which we can choose. Thanks kindly.

[autorank]

38. Thanks!

Here are two places to start. They're both excellent.

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/

http://www.impeachthem.com/

Good for TN... get them on board and it's the end for * and company.

[truedelphi]

89. And fly - it would be fine with me if we could somehow get the

Drug War situation outed as well.

We tend to fight wars where the drug supply is nurtured - Afghanistan where the poppies bloom, and the unmentioned war in Columbia.

I'd love to topple this regime through impeachment and have the drug wars eliminated - bad for the Bush Crime Family but good for the rest of us

[L. Coyote]

90. A bill of particulars against the vice president has been sketched

The Vices of Cheney: The Burden is Upon the House Judiciary Committee
William E. Jackson Jr. - July 11, 2007
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-e-jackson-jr/the-vices-of-cheney-the-_b_55708.html

................

A bill of particulars against the vice president has been sketched by constitutional law expert and former Justice Department official in the Reagan years, Bruce Fein, in Slate of June 27: "Impeach Cheney: The Vice President has Run Utterly Amok and Must Be Stopped." (http://slate.com/id/2169292)
.....

- The vice president "asserted presidential power to create military commissions, which combine the functions of judge, jury, and prosecutor in the trial of war crimes."

- Cheney "claimed authority to detain American citizens as enemy combatants indefinitely at Guantanamo Bay on the President's say-so alone....

- The vice president "initiated kidnappings, secret detentions, and torture in Eastern European prisons .....

- The vice president "has maintained that the entire world is a battlefield. ....

- Cheney "has championed a presidential power to torture in contravention of federal statutes and treaties."

- Cheney "has advocated and authored signing statements that declare the president's intent to disregard provisions of bills he has signed into law....

- The vice president "engineered the National Security Agency's warrantless domestic surveillance program targeting American citizens ....

- The vice president "has orchestrated the invocation of executive privilege to conceal from Congress secret spying programs ....

- Cheney "urges application of the Espionage Act to prosecute journalists ....

- He "retaliated against Ambassador Joseph Wilson and his wife, Valerie Plame ....

- Fein puts forward a provocative argument questioning what could be termed a sanctioned coup d'etat: "The Constitution does not expressly forbid the president from abandoning his chief powers to the vice president. But President Bush's tacit delegation to Cheney .....

[puebloknot]

36. K&R Great piece of work!

[autorank]

39. Gracias...when will these usurpers just leave, take a hike n/t

[earth mom]

41. K & R & Bookmarked! nt

[mzmolly]

42. Exactly.

Never underestimate Mr. John Conyers.

This is what I and others have attempted to communicate:

I contend that there is real action on impeachment and that it’s occurring right now, before our very eyes. The actors are not singling out my favorite charges – a war based on lies and election fraud. But they’ve laid the basis for some serious damage to the administration through impeachment charges against the president.

"Abuse of power" my friends.

[autorank]

43. I agree on Conyers.

He's the one who had Mueller testify after Gonzo last week. What a "coincidence!" Mueller implicated
Gonzales in a lie before Conyers, and zeroed in on the hospital visit as one of the points where that
lie applied. That's it. Bingo.

[mzmolly]

58. Your piece is marvelous Michael.

Another point you made that I feel some have to come to grips with:

Sure, Bush should be impeached for the Iraq war and he certainly should be for election fraud from 2000 on. But that's not going to happen any more than Nixon was going to be impeached for attacking Cambodia.

So true.

[EVDebs]

47. Begin with Ben H. Bell's company in the Bahamas. All outsourced, privatized, and no oversight

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=3411805&mesg_id=3415351

[autorank]

52. Debs, Excellent!

Bahamas Firm Screens Personal Data To Assess Risk
Operation Avoids U.S. Privacy Rules
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A36853-2004Oct15?language=printer

By Robert O'Harrow Jr.
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, October 16, 2004; Page A01

It began as one of the Bush administration's most ambitious homeland security efforts, a passenger screening program designed to use commercial records, terrorist watch lists and computer software to assess millions of travelers and target those who might pose a threat.

The system has cost almost $100 million. But it has not been turned on because it sparked protests from lawmakers and civil liberties advocates, who said it intruded too deeply into the lives of ordinary Americans. The Bush administration put off testing until after the election.

---------------

Thanks a gem, thanks! Oh sure, all for national security. You know that ChoicePoint purchased the
Mexican voter registration data, quite extensive, in 2001 or 2002. Just bought it. They got it from
a third party so when the Mexican government complained, it was really not pursued since, hey, wasn't
us that took it, honest;) Palast speculated about that data's use by the winning right wing
party through special voter "targeting" but MSM here didn't think it was worth the resource to
look into it. I guess they think Palast has to do everything! What a crock. That was a story,
this IS a story. Let's keep going MSM!

[EVDebs]

81. Your queries re who authorized the program is the key.

These NSA and offshore 'TIA' projects had to have funding (#2) and proper authorization from WH and DOJ (#1). Following the money trails will take you to the point where Gonzo goes to Ashcroft's bedside !

[Mnemosyne]

48. Have you seen this Michael?

I hope you are so right in your excellent assessment. You are great at getting to the heart of it! :hi:


I wonder how many of the "thefts" listed below have received 'letters' from DHS and so remain silent on the actions of the gov? Could the gov force them to give the info to it under the guise of 'national/homeland security'? Probably am just blowing smoke out my ears.

I was indexing these data thefts when my computer crashed. Very interesting. Could this "stolen" data be tied to your basic crime?

It listed 93,000,000 when I checked it last, a couple of months ago; now it's up to 158,937,228 as of July 27th,2007.

snip>

What does the Chronology of Data Breaches contain?

The data breaches noted below have been reported because the personal information compromised includes data elements useful to identity thieves, such as Social Security numbers, account numbers, and driver's license numbers. Some breaches that do NOT expose such sensitive information have been included in order to underscore the variety and frequency of data breaches. However, we have not included the number of records involved in such breaches in the total because we want this compilation to reflect breaches that expose individuals to identity theft as well as breaches that qualify for disclosure under state laws. The breaches posted below include only those reported in the United States and does not include incidents in other countries.

What does the Total Number indicate?

The running total we maintain at the end of the Chronology represents the approximate number of *records* that have been compromised due to security breaches, not necessarily the number of *individuals* affected. Breaches for specific years are noted below -- 2005, 2006, and 2007. Some individuals may be the victims of more than one breach, which would affect the totals.

In reality, the number given below should be much larger. For many of the breaches listed, the number of records is unknown.

Scroll away! Seriously long list:

http://www.privacyrights.org/ar/ChronDataBreaches.htm

Pretty astounding isn't it? And many of the "thefts" originated in health care facilities, colleges, government agencies, on and on and on. Seems to me that any company with gov contracts or businesses involving highly personal info should have much better security and more financial responsibility when we get screwed due to their "errors".

The first major reported "theft" was from the extraordinarily 'adept' collector of OUR personal data:

ChoicePoint

Introduction and Background

ChoicePoint is an Alpharetta, Georgia-based company that sells information in three markets--insurance, business and government, and marketing. According to a recent quarterly statement filed at the Security and Exchange Commission, ChoicePoint sells: "claims history data, motor vehicle records, police records, credit information and modeling services...employment background screenings and drug testing administration services, public record searches, vital record services, credential verification, due diligence information, Uniform Commercial Code searches and filings, DNA identification services, authentication services and people and shareholder locator information searches...print fulfillment, teleservices, database and campaign management services..."

ChoicePoint has managed to attain a large share of the commercial data broker (CDB) market with strategic purchases of other businesses. Since its spinoff from Equifax in 1997, ChoicePoint has acquired a number of information collection and processing companies. These include:

National Data Retrieval, Inc., a provider of public records information; List Source, Inc., d/b/a Kramer Lead Marketing Group, a marketing company in the life and health insurance and financial services markets; Mortgage Asset Research Institute, Inc., a mortgage fraud monitoring company; Identico Systems, LLC, a customer identity verification company; Templar Corporation; insuranceDecisions, Inc., an insurance industry claims administration company; Bridger Systems, Inc., a USA PATRIOT Act compliance company; CITI NETWORK, Inc. d/b/a Applicant Screening and Processing, a tenant screening company; TML Information Services, Inc., a provider of motor vehicle reports; Drug Free, Inc., a drug testing company; National Drug Testing, Inc., a drug testing company; Application Profiles, Inc., a background check company; Informus Corporation; a company enabling ChoicePoint to offer products online; Tyler-McLennon, Inc., a background screening company; ChoicePoint Direct Inc., formerly known as Customer Development Corporation, a database marketing company; EquiSearch Services, Inc.; DATEQ Information Network, Inc., an insurance underwriting services company; Washington Document Service, Inc., a court record retrieval service; DataTracks Technology, Inc., a public record information company; DataMart, Inc., a database software company; Statewide Data Services, Inc; NSA Resources, Inc., a drug testing company; DBT Online, Inc., a public record services provider; RRS Police Records Management, Inc., a provider of police reports and related services; VIS'N Service Corporation; Cat Data Group, LLC; Drug Free Consortium, a drug testing company; BTi Employee Screening Services, Inc., an employee pre-screening services company; ABI Consulting Inc., a drug screening company; Insurity Solutions, Inc., an insurance rating company; National Medical Review Offices, Inc.; Bode Technology Group, Inc., a DNA identification company; Marketing Information & Technology, Inc., a direct marketing company; Pinkerton's, Inc., a preemployment screening company; Total eData Corporation, an e-mail database company; L&S Report Service, Inc., a provider of police records; Resident Data, Inc., a residential screening services provider; Vital Chek Network, Inc., a provider of vital records; Accident Report Services, Inc., a provider of police records; Programming Resources Company, insurance software company; Professional Test Administrators, Inc., a drug testing company; CDB Infotek, a seller of public records; Medical Information Network, LLC, an online physician verification service; and Rapsheets.com, an online provider of criminal records data.

An April 13, 2001 article in the Wall Street Journal reported that profiling company ChoicePoint provided personal information to at least thirty-five government agencies. EPIC has filed a series of Freedom of Information Act requests to determine the nature and amount of information sold to government. To date, EPIC has determined that ChoicePoint has several multi-million dollar contracts with law enforcement agencies to sell personal data.

snip>

ChoicePoint sells a wide array of information to the government, including:

* Credit headers, a list of identifying information that appears at the top of a credit report. This information includes name, spouse's name, address, previous address, phone number, Social Security number, and employer.
* "Workplace Solutions Pre-Employment Screening," which includes financial reports, education verification, reference verification, felony check, motor vehicle record, SSN verification, and professional credential verification.
* Asset Location Services.
* The ability to engage in "wildcard searches," which allows law enforcement to "obtain a comprehensive personal profile in a matter of minutes" with only a first name or partial address.
* The use of "Soundex" queries, which allow searches on personal information based on how names sound, rather than how they are spelled.
* Information on neighbors and family members of a suspect.

Much, much more @ link:

http://www.epic.org/privacy/choicepoint/default.html

Aren't there laws against monopolies?

April 13, 2001 was before 9/11 changed everything. Hmm...


And this is just lovely, too:

Spotlight on Surveillance

June 2007:
“National Network” of Fusion Centers Raises Specter of COINTELPRO

EPIC’s “Spotlight on Surveillance” project scrutinizes federal government programs that affect individual privacy. For more information, see previous Spotlights on Surveillance. This month, Spotlight shines on fusion centers, which have received $380 million in federal grants and millions more from state governments.<1> There are 43 current and planned fusion centers in the U.S., and some states have more than one.<2>

A “fusion center,” according to the Department of Justice, is a “mechanism to exchange information and intelligence, maximize resources, streamline operations, and improve the ability to fight crime and terrorism by analyzing data from a variety of sources,” which includes private sector firms and anonymous tipsters.<3> When local and state fusion centers were first created, they were purely oriented toward counterterrorism, but, over time and with the escalating involvement of federal officials, fusion centers “have increasingly gravitated toward an all-crimes and even broader all-hazards approach.”<4>

The expansion of fusion center goals and increasing interaction with federal and private sector entities leads to a massive accumulation of data, raising questions of possible misuse or abuse. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) seeks to create a “national network” of local and state fusion centers, tied into DHS’s “day-to-day activities.” This national network combined with the Department of Homeland Security’s plan to condition grant funding based on fusion center “compliance” with the federal agency’s priorities inculcates DHS with enormous domestic surveillance powers and evokes comparisons the publicly condemned domestic surveillance program COINTELPRO.

http://www.epic.org/privacy/surveillance/spotlight/0607/

I certainly hope this case didn't set very bad precedent. I've been considering something like PGP as my debit card was hacked last year. Now we could become criminals for protecting ourselves?! Well, since we already are criminals for 'news gathering', as per the PAII, in for a penny, in for a pound, I guess! :smoke::evilgrin:

Minnesota court takes dim view of encryption
By Declan McCullagh
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Published: May 24, 2005, 3:02 PM PDT

A Minnesota appeals court has ruled that the presence of encryption software on a computer may be viewed as evidence of criminal intent.

Ari David Levie, who was convicted of taking illegal photographs of a nude 9-year-old girl, argued on appeal that the PGP encryption utility on his computer was irrelevant and should not have been admitted as evidence during his trial. PGP stands for Pretty Good Privacy and is sold by PGP Inc. of Palo Alto, Calif.

http://news.com.com/Minnesota+court+takes+dim+view+of+encryption/2100-1030_3-5718978.html

It seems as if I recall ChoicePoint involvement in something else. Tip of tongue.

We really, really need an exploding head smilie. :)

Oh, not to forget, hope you had a wonderful birthday!:hug:

[autorank]

53. Thank you for that. Those crimes, the sequence, etc. , was too "coincidental"

I hope some of your data, all of it, was saved somehow. That's so important.

I don't really know where things will go once they pull the lid off of the Gonzales can of worms.

But it will probably go everywhere Dick's been, which is a lot of places. And you can be sure that
the means of control are the top priority.

However these folks are exited, a top priority is solving these crimes and stopmining. Keep up the great work!

:hi:

[EVDebs]

59. And ChoicePoint's data isn't hackable or ever incorrect, right ?

ChoicePoint: More ID theft warnings
ID company says criminals able to obtain almost 140,000 names, addresses and other information.

http://money.cnn.com/2005/02/17/technology/personaltech/choicepoint/index.htm

Cough, gag, choke.

Folks, even the NSA's computer system was downed after Y2K,

"The entire system had crashed, he (Gen Michael Hayden) was told. It was January 24, 2000...

After three days, NSA awoke from its electronic coma, its memory still intact."

pages 452-454 Body of Secrets, by James Bamford.

They might think they're invincible but when it comes to screw ups, nothing beats electronics ! GIGO.

Indian call center id thefts
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1293310.cms

Bill Would Force Companies to Disclose Thefts of Personal Data
http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/privacy/story/0,10801,76768,00.html

"...Alan Paller, director of research at the Bethesda, Md.-based SANS Institute, said the California law is probably necessary because the kinds of crimes that are being committed. For example, a group in Russia and Ukraine has been acquiring customer data, extorting money to prevent its release and selling it anyway. Paller said he believes some companies are paying off the extortionists in an attempt to contain the damage. "You have to make the price of paying off the extortionists higher than the price of not paying them off, and this bill is the first thing that does that," he said."

The bill got watered down and is milk toast at the federal level. Go figure ! And these corporations and intell agencies are who are "protecting" our data ? Not quite. They're obtaining it under false pretenses of security and then turning around and selling you 'insurance' on the data they've left open to theft. Good con.

So just give up and remember, resistance is futile,

Sun on Privacy: 'Get Over It'
http://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/1999/01/17538

ID theft is inescapable
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2005/03/23/id_theft_cannot_be_escaped/

[autorank]

61. I followed their resopnse to the incursions, improperly distributed data, etc.

They'd show up at a hearing or regulatory board and just apologize to beat the band, say they'd do a better job. It seems like a pretty clever strategy. Who are the other data miners. They're the ones
flying under the radar. It's all a mess.

Of course, data mining was at the core of the program Comey, Ashcroft, and most of DoJ objected to - how about that. John Ashcroft is about as fierce a Republican as you get but he wouldn't go over
the line, nor would any of them. Next step: we find out what they wanted to do and who was going
to do it for them.

Great info Debs!!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/29/washington/29nsa.html?pagewanted=1&hp

[EVDebs]

77. The mere fact that this datamining is taking place outside of the US

and probably with corrupted/corruptable information on US citizens should be enough to give Congress pause in and of itself. The additional fact that the system ended up targetting liberals and liberal groups, like the Quakers for example, shows that the system that was eventually set up was being abused:

The website that got the Quakers spied upon by the NSA

If the U.S. is ultimately leaving Iraq, why is the military building 'permanent' bases?
http://www.fcnl.org/iraq/bases.htm

which contradicts the President's statement that 'when Iraqis stand up, the US will stand down'. And also the vast spy network
behind the domestic spying on dissenters (liberals, political "enemies" of Bush)

FBI, DoD, NSA: All Spying on You
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/2474/

"Over the last several months, it has been revealed that the FBI, the Pentagon and the National Security Agency have each set up apparently independent covert operations to monitor the constitutionally protected political activities of citizens opposed to the Bush administration’s war in Iraq."

No mention of the 'success' in monitoring OBL, whom Bush now says he gives very little thought to. Hmmm, por que, amigos ?

This just in, a related DU post on Congressional investigation of the datamining is at:


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2936169

[EVDebs]

80. Kpete's related datamining thread on DU Attention Autorank !

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1477921

[EVDebs]

82. Rove is at the end of that trail of cookie crumbs. nt

[autorank]

50. Sharing with our friends at DNC. There's some hot stuff on this blog, btw.

DNC Blog

[Vidar]

54. Thank you & recommended.

[Name removed]

56. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Major Hogwash]

62. It's a step in the right direction.

At this point in time, I wouldn't care what excuse they use to impeach Bush.

Whatever it takes.

I think we would still be able to try him for treason once he's out of office, in any case.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

63. K & R. Great post. nt.

[autorank]

67. Morning....thanks!

[Kurovski]

64. K&R. (nt)

[autorank]

68. Morning candidat!

Hit the bricks, you have fund raising to do!

[Senator]

66. K&R

[WillyT]

70. K & R Baby !!!

:bounce::kick::bounce:

[autorank]

72. WillyT...

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

to you!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ghost in the Machine]

73. Double excellent article! Thank you for your dedication!

I took the liberty of reposting it on a few of my sites. I don't know how it will affect the article itself, but it will help the website in general with link popularity and incoming links...

http://www.myfoxnewsonline.com/?q=node/5

http://www.cindy08.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=101

http://www.impeachmentunderground.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=100&topic_id=3&mesg_id=3&page=

http://www.congressunderfire.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=109

:hi:

[autorank]

83. Ghost in the Machine...Great Impeachment Links...

Thank you for you clear dedication

I'm coming back to check this out later this evening but I wanted to respond now.

Great blog. We need something like that where information and exchange can take place.

It's either impeach or continue suffering.

:hi:

[panzerfaust]

75. Naïve: Martial Law, Not Impeachment

Please do recall that Mr Bush was not elected to the Presidency.

He, rather those whose voice he is, neither respect democracy, nor owe anything to it.

Recall the trial-balloon of “postponing” the election for NYC Mayor after 9/11 ™

Recall Mr Bush’s repeated statement that there was nothing wrong with a dictatorship “as long as I’m dictator”

Recall that, before he was convicted of trading with the enemy – NAZI Germany in WWII – Mr Bush’s grandfather was involved in a fascist plot to seize, by force of arms, the US Government (General Smedley Butler's book is a good place to start if you need to research this)

Mr Bush is comfortable with the concept of dictatorship; he is just working on the title: “Leader”, “Decider”, “Commander-Guy”

Don’t worry, the right designation will appear when needed.

The democrats are looking to 2008, but 2007 is the last summer of democracy in America.

"Never in these long years have we offered any other prayer but this: Lord, grant to our people peace at home, and grant and preserve to them peace from the Foreign Foe!", Adolf Hitler, Nuremberg Sept. 13, 1936.

Believe the one, Believe the other.

[autorank]

84. These are all good reminders. The Bushes are not a solo operation.

Even when the Bush the very elder participated in that plot, there were forces behind him and the others who were found out who pulled the strings.

Martial law is a long shot but I don't discount it and impeachment seems a long shot to you.

My belief is that the people for whom Bush-Cheney front are having serious thoughts about the level
of their greed and recklessness; but are having difficulty getting this guy to take a hike.

We're in unchartered waters now given the extreme nature of the antagonist.

We'll see how it works out and keep working to get him out.

Thanks for those reminders :thumbsup::thumbsup:

[Major Hogwash]

87. I think Specter may even agree with this article after what he said today.

I don't think Gonzales is making any new friends in Congress.

Hell, I don't think he has any left.

[autorank]

88. He's got just one...W...but that won't do nowadays.

Nothing like messing with a guy, Gonzo thinks he's cute, too cute by half.

They'll do themselves in.

[L. Coyote]

91. WRONGO! Bush will not be impeached because Gonzales lied! IF HE LIED.

Bush will not be impeached because Gonzales lied! PERIOD.

Bush will be impeached for his own crimes! Likewise for Cheney.

The Gonzo Show is a big distraction from the War on Iraq and all the Bush/Cheney crimes, perhaps purposefully.

HELLO! Bush admitted authorizing illegal espionage.

What all this commotion does serve is informing the public of the issues. Impeachment will go forward when the public demands same. That requires an educational process. Day in and day out coverage of events like Gonzo lies will bring that about. That's what is really happening as oversight continues apace, as it should and must.

The inevitability of an unraveling of the USA going to war premised on lies and deception, of illegal espionage on its own citizens, of the injustice of the politization of Justice, of fixing elections, of massive fraud of the Treasury, and of the Republican culture of corruption does not depend on proving the AG told a lie, especially if he did not lie. Gonzo knows how to parse the truth with the best of Harvard attorneys, and probably did just that. In the end, it may be said that, well, technically that was no lie, but....

Not exactly the sort of thing you can impeach a President on, now is it? Not that we lack a good list already!

[althecat]

92. Way to go Mr Collins!!!!

:bounce:

Woulda reced but arrived far too late... :)