Newsweek: Intelligence: The Pentagon—Spying in America?

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5197014/site/newsweek/

Last February, two Army counterintelligence agents showed up at the University of Texas law school and demanded to see the roster from a conference on Islamic law held a few days earlier. Their reason: they were trying to track down students who the agents claimed had been asking "suspicious" questions. "I felt like I was in 'Law & Order'," said one student after being grilled by one of the agents. The incident provoked a brief campus uproar, and the Army later admitted the agents had exceeded their authority. But if the Pentagon has its way, the Army may not have to make such amends in the future. Without any public hearing or debate, NEWSWEEK has learned, Defense officials recently slipped a provision into a bill before Congress that could vastly expand the Pentagon's ability to gather intelligence inside the United States, including recruiting citizens as informants.

<snip>

...new provision, approved in closed session last month by the Senate Intelligence Committee, would eliminate one big restriction: that they comply with the Privacy Act, a Watergate-era law that requires government officials seeking information from a resident to disclose who they are and what they want the information for.

<snip>

But watchdog groups see a potentially alarming "mission creep." "This... is giving them the authority to spy on Americans," said Kate Martin, director of the Center for National Security Studies, a group frequently critical of the war on terror. "And it's all been done with no public discussion, in the dark of night."

[LittleApple81]

1. Oh, shit.... oh shit .... oh shit.... n/t

[goforit]

7. Don't let them scare YOU!!!...........Stand tall and stare them down!

Their nothing but bully putzes.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

2. Thanks for watching out for us!

John D. Rockefeller, IV
D-West Virginia
Vice Chairman, USSSCI

[RC]

3. We need to be making loud noises about

putting these criminals in prison now! Starting with bu$h, chenney, rummy, etc.

[punpirate]

4. One more nail....

Rather than depending upon the FBI to investigate within the US (and expecting them to share that intelligence with relevant agencies), it seems now that every intelligence agency under the sun is to be given expanded mandate to operate within the US.

With the relaxations in the USA PATRIOT Act for the CIA to operate alongside the FBI within the US, and now including the DIA, what agencies are left that don't have investigative powers over civilians?

And what the hell are "suspicious questions?"

[salin]

5. Wasn't there a similar story about a conference in Iowa

in which case this seems to have happened multiple times? Sounds like more than a "potential" problem if it is cropping up as have occurred events.

[Eloriel]

6. This is unbelievable

I'm speechless. Shouldn't be, but I am.

[struggle4progress]

8. Important!

:kick: :kick: :kick:

[struggle4progress]

9. kick kick kick

:kick: :kick: :kick:

[benfranklin1776]

11. Quite important.

The bill needs to be identified and this provision stripped out before it slides through. Congresspeople need to be made fully aware of the ramifications of this before they vote. Most never read the entire legislation they vote on.

:kick:

[kayell]

10. OMG!

KICK

[74dodgedart]

12. I thought conservatives stood for "less" gov't intrusiveness

What does it take to wake conservatives up to the fact that these guys are out of control.

[ItsThePeopleStupid]

13. whatever happened to posse comitatus?

Is it so full of holes now that the Army can spy in the US?
kick

[BeHereNow]

17. Welcome to DU

:hi:
BHN

[NashVegas]

14. kicking

seems it's coming back up again

[struggle4progress]

15. back to the front page one last time

:kick:

[seafan]

16. Kick. Contact your Senators/Representatives and expose this stealth.

n/t

[saigon68]

18. SUPPORT THE TROOPS

Yah right---Idiots in uniform

[BeHereNow]

19. Homeland Security

and the Patriot AXE to our constitutional rights
are ALL about protecting themselves from us.
It's looking more and more like Hitler's Germany folks.
Time to get the fuck out cause the writing is on the wall.
BHN