jaebrysonblog

I'm going to go out on a limb and say the federal fix is in. All of us who are complaining about privacy rights are doing so while standing naked in a howling wind tunnel. It's gone, baby, gone. We are nude in the eyes of the bad guys. The phones are tapped; the internet is monitored; medical records are under surveillance; spy satelites can read the writing on your T-shirt and it has just come to fore that "thousands" of bank records were being secretly watched by the federal government.

It is a WHWLINE moment, people! (What Have We Learned, If Nothing Else?) What we've learned is that when this regime says there is nothing go on -- SOMETHING is going on. So, for them to admit to thousands of surveillances means there are millions of instances of the act. And, boy wasn't the Oliver Cromwell Bush PO'ed about being uncovered once again? To wit: "Bush today condemned as "disgraceful" the disclosure of the operation, which intended to help the government track overseas money movements of suspected terrorists. "For people to leak that program, and for a newspaper to publish it, does great harm to the United States of America,” Bush told reporters in Washington."

Strong words coming from the Head Leaker in Charge. But, then, Bush is great at saying one thing and doing another. A little known habit of his is to write presidential directives that allow him to circumvent or ignore any law Congress enacts. For example, he made a big fanfare about signing the anti-torture bill, but then wrote a directive that allows him to ignore it. Interesting times we live in.

By the way, KILL ANN COULTER! (fair is fair).

By Michael Isikoff
Newsweek
June 26, 2006 - Over the last four years, U.S. law enforcement agencies have gained access to over 28,000 financial records inside the United States under a little known provision of the USA Patriot Act that parallels the secret international bank data program disclosed by news organizations last week, Treasury Department records show.

The disclosure of the overseas program—under which Treasury Department officials have tapped into the records of a vast Belgian-based international financial database called Swift (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications)—has kicked up a storm of controversy. Some critics have decried the program as another example of the administration's invasion of privacy in the name of the war on terror. At the same time, President

But the international program is only one part of a much broader, if little publicized, Treasury Department effort to probe suspect financial records—including thousands of bank accounts, wire transfers and other transactions involving individuals, companies and nonprofit organizations inside the United States.

Under a section of the USA Patriot Act passed by Congress in the aftermath of the September 11 terror attacks, Treasury officials were given new powers to direct U.S. banks and other financial institutions to search their records for accounts or transactions involving any individuals or groups who come under scrutiny during investigations of terrorism and money laundering cases.

Although it has received little attention, the Patriot Act program has produced a wealth of previously unavailable financial data that has been shared with U.S. law enforcement agencies—without any notice to the account holders who are being investigated. Since the fall of 2002, when the program began, U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FINCEN)—an arm of the Treasury Department—has directed searches of 4,397 "subjects of interest" and received reports back on 28,463 accounts and financial transactions, according to recent Treasury records.

Once there is a positive "match" showing a suspect individual or company has conducted a financial transaction with a U.S. bank, FINCEN then notifies the law enforcement agencies, which can use the existence of a reported "match" as the basis for a grand jury or administrative subpoena. The Treasury records show that U.S. agencies have used the program to obtain 1,206 grand jury subpoenas and 328 administrative subpoenas. It has also led, according to the Treasury records, to 90 indictments, 79 arrests and 10 convictions.

jaebrysonblog
Rant. Muse. Eat. Sleep. Recycle.
About Me Name: Jae Location: Minneapolis, MN View my complete profile Previous Posts Did you hear the one about the President who mocke... The parable of the bird, cat and cow The border It's petition-signing season! Poli-Mobs! The Hillary Effect Just hook me up to that idling bus... I am outraged... This is the difference: Sanity prevails Fellow Bloggers Assimilated Negro, The City Pages Blogs Ethnic Loft Grandiose Parlor Is That What You Thought? Renegade Eye Revenge of the Flying Monkeys Un Femme Liberee Zimbabwean Pundit, The Graeme Anfinson blog Unbrainwashed Thoughtstreaming Desert Peace Black Looks Mikael's Impeachment Blog Links diaphaneity dot com One Nation News PM Dawn Infinite Dedication Save the Internet! The Wire, the Best Show on TV" Dexter, 2nd Best Show on TV" Who links to me? My blog is worth $1,693.62. How much is your blog worth?	Tuesday, June 27, 2006 Naked in the Howling Wind I'm going to go out on a limb and say the federal fix is in. All of us who are complaining about privacy rights are doing so while standing naked in a howling wind tunnel. It's gone, baby, gone. We are nude in the eyes of the bad guys. The phones are tapped; the internet is monitored; medical records are under surveillance; spy satelites can read the writing on your T-shirt and it has just come to fore that "thousands" of bank records were being secretly watched by the federal government. It is a WHWLINE moment, people! (What Have We Learned, If Nothing Else?) What we've learned is that when this regime says there is nothing go on -- SOMETHING is going on. So, for them to admit to thousands of surveillances means there are millions of instances of the act. And, boy wasn't the Oliver Cromwell Bush PO'ed about being uncovered once again? To wit: "Bush today condemned as "disgraceful" the disclosure of the operation, which intended to help the government track overseas money movements of suspected terrorists. "For people to leak that program, and for a newspaper to publish it, does great harm to the United States of America,” Bush told reporters in Washington." Strong words coming from the Head Leaker in Charge. But, then, Bush is great at saying one thing and doing another. A little known habit of his is to write presidential directives that allow him to circumvent or ignore any law Congress enacts. For example, he made a big fanfare about signing the anti-torture bill, but then wrote a directive that allows him to ignore it. Interesting times we live in. By the way, KILL ANN COULTER! (fair is fair). By Michael Isikoff Newsweek June 26, 2006 - Over the last four years, U.S. law enforcement agencies have gained access to over 28,000 financial records inside the United States under a little known provision of the USA Patriot Act that parallels the secret international bank data program disclosed by news organizations last week, Treasury Department records show. The disclosure of the overseas program—under which Treasury Department officials have tapped into the records of a vast Belgian-based international financial database called Swift (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications)—has kicked up a storm of controversy. Some critics have decried the program as another example of the administration's invasion of privacy in the name of the war on terror. At the same time, President But the international program is only one part of a much broader, if little publicized, Treasury Department effort to probe suspect financial records—including thousands of bank accounts, wire transfers and other transactions involving individuals, companies and nonprofit organizations inside the United States. Under a section of the USA Patriot Act passed by Congress in the aftermath of the September 11 terror attacks, Treasury officials were given new powers to direct U.S. banks and other financial institutions to search their records for accounts or transactions involving any individuals or groups who come under scrutiny during investigations of terrorism and money laundering cases. Although it has received little attention, the Patriot Act program has produced a wealth of previously unavailable financial data that has been shared with U.S. law enforcement agencies—without any notice to the account holders who are being investigated. Since the fall of 2002, when the program began, U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FINCEN)—an arm of the Treasury Department—has directed searches of 4,397 "subjects of interest" and received reports back on 28,463 accounts and financial transactions, according to recent Treasury records. Once there is a positive "match" showing a suspect individual or company has conducted a financial transaction with a U.S. bank, FINCEN then notifies the law enforcement agencies, which can use the existence of a reported "match" as the basis for a grand jury or administrative subpoena. The Treasury records show that U.S. agencies have used the program to obtain 1,206 grand jury subpoenas and 328 administrative subpoenas. It has also led, according to the Treasury records, to 90 indictments, 79 arrests and 10 convictions. link \| posted by Jae at 8:12 AM \| 2 Comments: Anonymous commented at 10:27 AM~ Imagine if, in 2003, Bush had told reporters the following: "For me to leak the name of a covert CIA agent, and for a newspaper to publish it, does great harm to the United States of America.” Frank Partisan commented at 8:02 PM~ In the 1960s, when J. Edgar Hoover, kept files on political activists, is small potatoes, to what is going on now. Want to Post a Comment? back to main page
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