"A giant step toward fascism"-Warrantless Wiretaps Silenced Navy Whistleblower

[kpete]

Wiretap suspicion silenced whistle-blower on alleged Iran showdown

Hedges, who now writes books and currently contributes to The Nation and other publications, recalled receiving a tip about an alleged confrontation between a US Navy warship and an Iranian military vessel in Iranian waters that nearly escalated into an act of war. Hedges said he was given the name of a US Navy source who supposedly had witnessed the event. When he reached out to the official, Hedges was asked to provide assurances that he wasn't being monitored, which he couldn't provide, he said, because of his frequent contact with sources overseas. The source immediately cut off communication, the reporter was never able to confirm the story.

Hedges didn't know for sure that he was being monitored, but he couldn't say for sure that he wasn't. The chilling effect of surveillance he had become so familiar with while reporting in foreign countries had now scuttled his work at home.

"With that gone we take a giant step toward fascism," Hedges said during the call.

more at:
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/ACLU_lawsuit_seeks_to_scuttle_justsigned_0710.html

[shrdlu]

1. Giant step toward fascism...

...but O? voted for it, so it must be okay...

[smoogatz]

2. A step further into fascism, I think.

silencing whistle-blowers and critics and intimidating the political opposition are clearly part of the intent of the whole FISA/wiretapping thing. Otherwise, why ws it going on before 9/11?

[FiveGoodMen]

3. Oh, don't be silly. Merh has debunked all of this

...he claims...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3589081

[windoe]

4. Surveillance is much bigger than people realize

Surveillance puts a limit on communications, which is an extension of free speech and free press.
Surveillance will have all the tools of control over information, which is a very powerful thing.
Surveillance will have the ability to use private information to bribe or blackmail people
Surveillance will create an atmosphere of distrust and suspicion and paranoia amongst completely innocent people who simply do not like being watched.
Data mining can be molded to whatever purpose happens to be the priority at the time, be it travel plans of people, country of origin, in order to scan large populations for information.

Remember: Whoever controls information has complete control over a population. -(not sure of this quote source)

I actually sadly believe these methods are already in place and we are simply being told the bad news now. But what we can do is make sure it is made illegal so nothing can be used in court against us, one can hope.

[mod mom]

7. and is being used for more devious motives than what folks think as well.

[Octafish]

5. Same thing for my friend's kid, an active-duty officer now in Iraq...

She said that when they talked in-person before shipping out, they had free-ranging discussions. On the phone, however, the "kid" indicated a reluctance to say anything negative about the chimp, mission or future. The kid knew the phone lines were monitored.

Now this kid is a loyal, decorated, combat veteran. And Monkey and company spy on them and use the ill-gotten information gathering ability to keep the troops in line. That doesn't sound like America, it sounds totalitarian.

[kenny blankenship]

6. "that's one small step for a chimp; one giant leap for Chimpenfuhrer-kind"

[T.Ruth2power]

8. Batten the hatches citizen

Do-gooders need not worry.

It's a feel-good empire right kids?

K&R

[burythehatchet]

9. That is precisely how the Shock Doctrine is supposed to work