New Spy Law Allows For Physical Searches & Collection Of Busines Records Of American Citizens

[kpete]

Concern Over Wider Spying Under New Law

By JAMES RISEN and ERIC LICHTBLAU
Published: August 19, 2007
WASHINGTON, Aug. 18 — Broad new surveillance powers approved by Congress this month could allow the Bush administration to conduct spy operations that go well beyond wiretapping to include — without court approval — certain types of physical searches of American citizens and the collection of their business records, Democratic Congressional officials and other experts said.

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

These new powers include the collection of business records, physical searches and so-called “trap and trace” operations, analyzing specific calling patterns.

For instance, the legislation would allow the government, under certain circumstances, to demand the business records of an American in Chicago without a warrant if it asserts that the search concerns its surveillance of a person who is in Paris, experts said.

It is possible that some of the changes were the unintended consequences of the rushed legislative process just before this month’s Congressional recess, rather than a purposeful effort by the administration to enhance its ability to spy on Americans.

more at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/19/washington/19fisa.html?_r=1&hp=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1187468817-REI9NvW+lL0Q/sVJzyuZxg

[sakabatou]

1. .

[MissWaverly]

2. I told everybody several times how they are already are

examining all business accounts at my friend's bank in Northern Virginia, Homeland Security looks at them all every month.

[krispos42]

3. Well, of course. There is no difference, legally....

between warrantless wiretapping and warrantless searches.

[AndyTiedye]

4. To Be Made Available to Any Repiglican Competitors

Of course the administration wouldn't even think of abusing all this valuable information for the profit of the companies their friends own, would they?

and then there are the INSIDER TRADING possibilities!
They know about every merger before anyone else does.
They know the quarterly financials of every corporation before anybody else does.
They can rack up as much profit on the markets as they want with that information and the SEC can't do a thing about it.

[sarcasmo]

5. Waiting for the knock at my door asking to see my Papers.

We are under a Dictatorship.

[trashcanistanista]

6. How would one know if you

are being stopped and physically searched say for a broken headlight or for being a terrorist? Is their a reasonable belief clause to this? Or is it open season on everyone.

[MissWaverly]

7. that is why our law reads innocent until proven guilty

and you must be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, but the vast resources of the government are being abused, they are
jumping into a sea of trivia which takes them away from what Homeland security is all about. I would rather have them
opening and inspecting cargo than spend hundreds of hours on paper trivia.

[Disturbed]

8. Home Land Security is like the Gestapo except

the Gestapo didn't have Spy Satellites.

[MissWaverly]

9. We had police back home that used to camp out in

the Parking Lot of the local Eat In Park, well that was on the main drag so if anything was going on, they would be
"on the spot" to deal with it. And the local Eat In Park was always full so it was hard to spot them. I would much
rather have them do real surveillance on bona fide security threats than to be looking at the financial records
of the local hot wings place.