FrankRep
01-11-2008, 12:26 PM
Wiretaps Ended Due to Unpaid Bills
The John Birch Society (http://www.jbs.org/) Newsfeed
Jan 11, 2008
ARTICLE SYNOPSIS:
Telecoms to the FBI: Pay your bills or no wiretaps for you!
Follow this link to the original source: "FBI wiretaps Dropped Due to Unpaid bills (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/10/AR2008011001879.html?)"
COMMENTARY:
In a time when the current administration continues to step on the Constitutional rights of American citizens, who knew that the free market would help to end FBI wiretapping? According to this Washington Post article (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/10/AR2008011001879.html?hpid=topnews), telecommunications carriers cut service to covert lines being used by the FBI to eavesdrop on American communications because the agency could not pay their bills on time. This was revealed in a report (http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/reports/FBI/a0803/index.htm) issued by the Justice Department.
The Washington Post reports, "Telephone companies have repeatedly cut off FBI wiretaps of alleged terrorists and criminal suspects because of failures to pay telecommunication bills, including one invoice for $66,000 at one unidentified field office, the audit found." It also finds that "more than half of the nearly 1,000 telecommunications bills reviewed by investigators were not paid on time."
The loose financial management of the agency has made headlines over the past few years, including not being able to account for hundreds of guns and laptops (http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=%5CNation%5Carchive%5C200307%5 CNAT20030702c.html) and creating an environment that allowed an agent to steal $25,000 meant as telecommunications payments.
Yet President Bush is still pressing Congress for immunity for the telecommunications carriers helping government agencies conduct warrantless secret surveillance. And where does Congress stand? It appears to be divided; however, it needs to be dead set against it. Congress is supposed to protect Constitutional rights, not trample them in the name of security. If we can't count on Congress, will the telecommunication companies quickly recognize what kind of damage they are doing to the Constitutional rights of their fellow Americans and end their cooperation? We'll keep you informed. Sign up for our e-alerts (http://capwiz.com/jbs/mlm/signup/?ignore_cookie=1), which will help you take decisive action, quickly.
SOURCE:
http://www.jbs.org/node/6814
The John Birch Society (http://www.jbs.org/) Newsfeed
Jan 11, 2008
ARTICLE SYNOPSIS:
Telecoms to the FBI: Pay your bills or no wiretaps for you!
Follow this link to the original source: "FBI wiretaps Dropped Due to Unpaid bills (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/10/AR2008011001879.html?)"
COMMENTARY:
In a time when the current administration continues to step on the Constitutional rights of American citizens, who knew that the free market would help to end FBI wiretapping? According to this Washington Post article (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/10/AR2008011001879.html?hpid=topnews), telecommunications carriers cut service to covert lines being used by the FBI to eavesdrop on American communications because the agency could not pay their bills on time. This was revealed in a report (http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/reports/FBI/a0803/index.htm) issued by the Justice Department.
The Washington Post reports, "Telephone companies have repeatedly cut off FBI wiretaps of alleged terrorists and criminal suspects because of failures to pay telecommunication bills, including one invoice for $66,000 at one unidentified field office, the audit found." It also finds that "more than half of the nearly 1,000 telecommunications bills reviewed by investigators were not paid on time."
The loose financial management of the agency has made headlines over the past few years, including not being able to account for hundreds of guns and laptops (http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=%5CNation%5Carchive%5C200307%5 CNAT20030702c.html) and creating an environment that allowed an agent to steal $25,000 meant as telecommunications payments.
Yet President Bush is still pressing Congress for immunity for the telecommunications carriers helping government agencies conduct warrantless secret surveillance. And where does Congress stand? It appears to be divided; however, it needs to be dead set against it. Congress is supposed to protect Constitutional rights, not trample them in the name of security. If we can't count on Congress, will the telecommunication companies quickly recognize what kind of damage they are doing to the Constitutional rights of their fellow Americans and end their cooperation? We'll keep you informed. Sign up for our e-alerts (http://capwiz.com/jbs/mlm/signup/?ignore_cookie=1), which will help you take decisive action, quickly.
SOURCE:
http://www.jbs.org/node/6814