Deletions in Army Manual Raise Wiretapping Concerns

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13 — Deep into an updated Army manual, the deletion of 10 words has left some national security experts wondering whether government lawyers are again asserting the executive branch’s right to wiretap Americans without a court warrant.

The manual, described by the Army as a “major revision” to intelligence-gathering guidelines, addresses policies and procedures for wiretapping Americans, among other issues.

The original guidelines, from 1984, said the Army could seek to wiretap people inside the United States on an emergency basis by going to the secret court set up by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, known as FISA, or by obtaining certification from the attorney general “issued under the authority of section 102(a) of the Act.”

That last phrase is missing from the latest manual, which says simply that the Army can seek emergency wiretapping authority pursuant to an order issued by the FISA court “or upon attorney general authorization.” It makes no mention of the attorney general doing so under FISA.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/14/washington/14spyside.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

[MadMaddie]

1. Another deliberate act of spying on American citizens..

[williesgirl]

2. Here we go again - these fuckers must be stopped - recommended

[w4rma]

3. What "right to wiretap Americans without a court warrant"? (nt)

[crickets]

4. Question: since when does the Army wiretap Americans?

Isn't that the job of civilian police or the FBI? Is the Army only wiretapping people in the Army (again, why not the FBI) or is there a Posse Comitatus issue here, or what?

[magellan]

5. That's a very good question

Why should the Army need to wiretap Americans? Perhaps since everyone else in the government is doing it they don't want to feel left out?

[Divine Discontent]

6. KICK

they're sinking and like the cowards they are they're behaving like they have the right to whatever they want when they want and to whomever they want - CONGRESS MUST PUSH HARD... goodness I hope politicians aren't as out of touch with reality as most people think they are and they will stand up and say something against these travesties that continue to leak out. they're out to shit on the constitution in broad daylight.



www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable <<-- antibush prodem stickers/shirts

[Dover]

7. Insideous aren't they?

A million cuts to slash our Constitution and Bill of Rights to little pieces.