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TechnoratiNew, Controversial FBI Guidelines Go Into Effect
WASHINGTON - US Attorney General Michael Mukasey has signed new guidelines for FBI operations he said are designed to better protect the country from terrorist attacks, but that raise concern of some lawmakers and civil rights groups.
![[US Attorney General Michael Mukasey, seen here in July 2008, has signed new guidelines for FBI operations he said are designed to better protect the country from terrorist attacks, but that raise concern of some lawmakers and civil rights group
(AFP/Getty Images/File/Chip Somodevilla)]](http://www.commondreams.org/files/article_images/1004-2.jpg "1004-2.jpg")
"These guidelines provide more uniform, clearer and simpler rules for the FBI operations ... are designed to allow the FBI to become, among other things, a more flexible and adept collector of intelligence," Mukasey and FBI director Robert Mueller said in a statement Friday.
"Since the 9/11 attacks, the FBI and the Department of Justice more broadly have set priorities for and reorganized their activities to prevent future terrorist acts against the American people," the statement said.
The new, revised regulations -- the original version met strong criticism from congressional committees last month, comprise 50 pages dealing with five areas of FBI investigation, including criminal, national security and foreign intelligence.
Mukasey said most of the new, streamlined rules "will be available to the public ... As a result, the general public will have access in a single document to the basic body of operating rules for the FBI's activities."
But despite Mukasey's assurances that the new regulations "reflect consultation with Congress as well as privacy and civil liberties groups," not all concerns over their effect on privacy rights were dispelled.
Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, Democrat Patrick Leahy said the new guidelines expand the FBI's powers of surveillance.
"It appears that with these guidelines, the attorney general is once again giving the FBI broad new powers to conduct surveillance and use other intrusive investigative techniques on Americans without requiring any indication of wrongdoing or any approval even from FBI supervisors," Leahy said in a statement.
"The American people deserve a vigilant Justice Department that does not sacrifice or endanger their rights and privacy," he added.
The American Civil Liberties Union, who had called for an investigation into the first version of the FBI regulations, said the new rules "reduce standards for beginning 'assessments.'"
"More troubling still," it added, "the guidelines allow a person's race or ethnic background to be used as a factor in opening an investigation, a move that the ACLU believes may institute a racial profiling as a matter of policy."
39 Comments so far
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The FBI is full of patriotic, well-meaning people who will go after those who have wronged us, those who have used our flag to hide their crimes, those who have used our armed forces to enrich and aggrandize themselves. Our agents will face pressure, but they will stand strong. They will uphold the law and bring to justice those who lie, cheat and steal to the detriment of our nation. They will defend the Constitution. They will not be swayed by power, greed or fear.
The vision and courage of the founders made it possible. The sacrifices of our forebearers will give them clarity of thought and purpose. The strength of the people will support them.
We will prevail because what we, the FBI agents and many others have in our hearts is greater than greed, empire and fear.
Those who would drag you out of bed at night, take you to the landfill and shoot you would be criminal thugs. You and I are damn lucky that the FBI is there to stop them.
Remember, in most dictatorships, it is the thugs in whatever the national synonym is for the Gestapo who take you out to the landfill, or perhaps to the burning trench, and shoot you.
Each day, in every way, we are getting closer and closer.
Joe--PLEASE understand that I was NOT saying anything negative about eh PEOPLE of Spain! I want to clear that up right here, because they were some of the kindest of all. I stayed in a rural hosue for a few days, and I didnt even knwo them at all.
The Spanish Riveiera is a fine alternative to the much too costly French one, and the people are friendlier. If I could afford to, I would go back.
Now that the American People have peacefully suffered the abuse of the Wall Street bailout, we are sitting ducks for any and all other efforts to take away our rights and wealth. One piece at a time the future is being defined in ways that are antithetical to democracy. The new FBI guidelines are just the latest effort to close the coffin. Absent respect for the people, ever greater abuses will be employed against us. If we are to turn the tide, the time is now. It's time to teach the powerful to respect and fear the people. While the Washington politicians are at home campaigning, it's time to put some fear back into them. The Shock Doctrine works both ways.
I believe that FBI stands for Freedom Brings Instability. Who says? Big Brother says so!
Perhaps it's time for the peasants to begin revolting. We don't want to wait until martial law is imposed, do we? Remember Ingsoc.
www.dangerouscreation.com
The Bush administration has absorbed both KGB and Stasi former officials into it's "intelligence" and "security" organizations. We have been and are continuing to see their influence.
More hypocrisy, of course, from the republicans...the big "anti communist" blah blahs hiring former enforcement officials of two of the most brutal "communist" regimes of the 20th century.
More likely they are Mossad Agents but still, it's like living in Myanmar,
I never leave home without my passport, not even for a loaf of bread or a quart of milk.
US Attorney General Michael Mukasey is a little man in a big job. Little men are the core people in this Bush Administration. Even now we can only laugh as we watch them as they try so very hard yet fail at everything.
“With the benefit of the lessons of our history we are destined to repeat many otherwise preventable policy mistakes because we believe ourselves to be exceptional.” – Dr. Zimmerman Robert
This is disturbing in the extreme. History has shown that surveillance societies such as East Germany, Ceaceuscu's Romania, & Salazar's Portugal failed in their primary task: keeping the state going. What did occur was widespread persecution of opponents and innocents alike. Considering the fairly dubious record of the FBI (COINTELPRO comes to mind), not a lot of good can come of this.
"Sed quis custodiet ipsos custodes." Juvenal
The question no one seems to be asking is: what's the point of the ever-increasing covert surveillance on We The People?
Crime rates have been dropping steadily - to the point where more and more non-violent drug offenders have to be locked up just to keep the private prison industrial complex in the black.
Clearly, there are no "terrorist sleeper cells," or even any one-off "Islamofascist" bombers in our midst, apparently. There are no "homegrown" terrorists - so much so, the FBI still considers environmental "terrorists" domestic threat Number One (and what have they been doing lately - a fire in some half-finished sprawl development every three years?) Oh so scary.
And it's obvious "the people" no longer have the time nor desire for any kind of revolt or uprising - seriously, the Army could swarm into any major city right now and they would meet absolutely no resistance whatsoever.
Political enemies aren't being targeted - mostly because both Dems and Reds take bribes from the same boys and agree on nearly everything.
Plus, they got all our money and most of our hopes for any sort of "better future."
So - what's the point of all the secret spying?
The point? To overwhelm domestic intelligence and law-enforcement agencies with data in order to prove the efficiency of a 'free' market solution. (The ever-expanding private security industry needs no-bid contracts goddamnit!)
frank1569 says it's obvious "the people" no longer have the time nor desire for any kind of revolt or uprising.
I think "the people" showed they can be roused, and put the fear in our elected "representatives" in this latest massive theft by our government. Should McCain be selected in November, we just may see that uprising we've dreamt of. Many people have worked out different ways of getting around because of the high gas prices, but putting a roof over their heads and food on their tables is another matter. There's no way a republican government is ever going to care about these things. And cold, hungry people become angry, fearless animals.
wilmor, you are absolutely right, when people have nothing to lose they become dangerous.
Why did this article have to come from Agence France Presse? No U.S. coverage?
-30-
Exactly. This continual watering down by 'interpretation' with no Congressional leadership to turn the valve off is ridiculous. How can these people just continue and continue day in and day out to bag this shit on the American people? Why isn't there a goddamn strong voice addressing these daily 'sodomizings.'
WTF is wrong with this fucking country?
We are not talking shepp here, people.
We are looking at the complete and most vagrant abuse of political power this fucking world has seen in 200+ years.
Sen.Leahy: "It appears once again....the FBI given broad new powers to use intrusive investigative techniques without requiring any indication of wrong doing."
Do we have a right to assemble or not. Is there some doubt about this? If so please have Mukasey explain in detail why the 4th Amendment is no longer needed.
If he can't then why in the hell is Leahy lamenting the rules changes and yet doing nothing about it. The same question for the ACLU. If it is illegal for the government to act in this manner then Leahy as the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee should tell Mukasey to STOP AND DESIST or BE CHARGED WITH A FELONY!!!
What is the point of being the Chairman of a committee if you do not have autonomy from the party leadership? Leahy is weak. So is Obama. Talks a good game but folds like a cheap lawn chair at the slightest bit of political pressure, as seen several times in the last few weeks, concerning major issues.
This is the New and Improved FBI!
This is the Fascist Bureau of (Enhanced) Interrogation
and they work for George W. Bush's Department Of (In)Justice, remember?
Big Brother is everywhere - look for the all seeing F.B. Eye on the brokeback dollar.
Mukasey is a lying Bitch, this is all contained within the text of H.R.6043, if you did not read it all reread it. The redaction of theFourth Amendment in its entireity did this and more, read it and read it well.
Of course CD has trapped why do you think they changed their format? Why the objections to photos and HTML?
Retroactive immunity solvedthose wee problems, they can piss off, Mordachai what about Amsterdam or Duesseldorf?
BillofRights
Who know why CD changed their format, but it was probably to avoid SQL injection attacks (malicious JavaScript typed in fields that corrupts the Web site's database).
I think you can still add hypertext links, like this one, to Carnivore http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnivore_(FBI). Carnivore was an earlier FBI Internet filter approved by the Clinton administration to do domestic spying.
The big question is this: If the U.S. government taps what we say, why do they continue their crimes of plundering our tax dollars to bail out corrupt Wall Street financiers and conduct illegal wars of aggression? Is there anyone out there listening?
There's a guy, see. No. 1 terrorist - name of George Bush, and we know where he lives. Get him before he moves to Paraguay.
-TIA
Why on earth do they keep coming up with myriad regulations about terrorists when all they have to do to capture the world’s Number One terrorist is to go to Pennsylvania Avenue and arrest him?
Anyone knows the answer?
Amen; Doubled in spades!
visionquest October 4th, 2008 3:30 pm
Anyone have any suggestions as to the best country to move to?
Try Scandanavia . . . Norway in particular. The problem is they stopped immigration back in the 1970's. But if you have money (ha ha) you can buy property there and get in through the back door. Or so the staff at the San Francisco Norwegian consulate told me.
You have to be rich.
I have family there,(Denmark and Norway) and, even they say that I could probably not work there anymore, unless my degree was in Business or Computers.
If I COULD afford a property there (remember, the dollar is not worth near what a Euro is)I would have to sell this dump. Fat chance.
Spain is (was) nice. Mexico too. But, hell, everyone hates us so much, I dont know if it would be the same.
A friend of ours went around Spain wearing an "Arrest Bush" button. She always wears it. Everywhere she went people rushed up to her to talk and try to buy the button. I have a (US born) relative who works as an educator in an Arabic speaking country. Just say something like "Bush is the worst president the United States has ever had" and it's instant friends and come on over to dinner. Most ordinary people don't hate us. They hate our murderous, ruinous policies and invasions.
In most places, you will be officially welcomed by the government if you have enough money to support yourself or skills the country needs. People are warm, but governments are usually practical and protective.
I think we should stay here as long as possible. It is our home. It is where our loved ones are. It has the landscapes of our childhood. It has always had the promise of something better. We should fight for it, both for our own self-respect and for the good of the rest of the world.
Joe
I wasnt saying anything negative about the PEOPLE of Spain. Actually, I met a guy on a train (once I was on my own), and I stayed up in the mountains with his family for about 3 days. His mom didnt speak English, and I didnt speak Spanish--but the warmth was obvious. My sister spent a year at the Sorbonne in Paris in college. (sp?)
I was more referring to the governements, as you said.
I found average peoepl in all of western Europe to be decidedly ready to listen and friendly. Alot of peoel said things like "Please tell your govt to...". I had to explain that I would send a letter or call, but that the uS Govt gives not a damn what i want. And, this was before Bush. Alot of Europeans do not realize how "big" the US is. My aunt came here and landed in Cincinnati--she wanted to "go directly to see the stateue of liberty"
If I could afford to go --I'd go back. I would recomend anyone with the money , and education to work (mine is liberal arts--they dont have alot of need of that now), go to Scanadanavia, Spain Italy (northern, especially), Germany (it looks like Canada), France (they are actually very nice), but not so much Austria or Switzerland. They are very rich and seem think you are an idiot if uou are not. That is what I found. They are very much focused on money.(So, an American capitalist should feel right at home, right? LOL)
Anyone have any suggestions as to the best country to move to?
I'll take the south of France. Good enough for R. Crumb...:)
If anyone who posts on CD believes unquestionably that their posts don't get "filed"... wellll... talk to Sara about the bridge she put up for sale.
Be strong. Speak out. Do NOT be intimidated.
toast,
We agree on something.
Damn.
I recall listening to a Pacifica radio program from the 1980's about the collapse of the Soviet Union. The USSR had warehouses full of taped phone conversations, but no money to pay anyone to listen to or transcribe them.
Perhaps a similar scenario will play out here.
It'll happen here too. They aren't going to waste money they can put in their own pockets.
Too true. It's a lot of data. And I betcha most of it goes like this: "like I told him where are you and like he said why you want to know and I said...".
This is another project whose value ranges between "total waste of time and money" to "has potential for targeting political enemies and rivals". Very little likelihood of identifying a terrorist plot before it happens.
Joe
Last week there were big problems here at CD. I have no clue just what was occurring. The observation on my end was extremely slow or not loading of articles and the crashing of my cable modem. It happened at least two times. While I was here. I do not do multiple browsers, blogs etc. Just one at a time. I had to unplug the modem both data and power more than once on each crash.
But I haven't seen any unmarked helicopters yet.:)
That could just be a windows thing. Try Linux.
could be cyber attack, but only CD could say for certain. Denial of Service attacks are growing more common as they are easy to launch and can be effective if a site has not prepared for the possibility. From Wikipedia:
"One common method of attack involves saturating the target (victim) machine with external communications requests, such that it cannot respond to legitimate traffic, or responds so slowly as to be rendered effectively unavailable. In general terms, DoS attacks are implemented by either forcing the targeted computer(s) to reset, or consume its resources so that it can no longer provide its intended service or obstructing the communication media between the intended users and the victim so that they can no longer communicate adequately."
That CD reader posts were almost entirely critical of passing legislation for the "dividend payout", we can be certain that fact didn't go unnoticed. That it went unchallenged would be to ignore the obvious... but only CD can say with certainty, and it might not be to their best interest to disclose that info.
It could just as easily have been the increase in page hits due to the bailout.
I don't give a sheat who's filing, neither should anyone else.
The executive now largely controls the fate of many financial institutions.
What if your ability to get a loan was determined to any degree by your political affiliation? ... just one example
How about getting a job? Being targeted for IRS tax audit? Having health care claims or social security turned down? Busting into your home in the middle of the night using a "mistaken" warrant. Seizing your property on trumped charges... just a few examples of things that do occur in this country and could occur for political reasons (in the future).
America has a long history of blacklisting individuals based upon their stated or presumed political membership. The most overt occurred about 50 years ago, but also during the Vietnam war against protestors and as leverage against political enemies for decades. You can be certain that it's a full-tilt operation right now.
This legislation just legitimizes it.
If they can fire US Attorneys with impunity, something as easy as intercepting and interfering with your communications would be a piece of cake. Don't believe that those practices are behind us. This might be paranoia if there were not so many historical examples from which to draw.
Anyhow, I am guessing that you mean we should be strong and stand up to them no matter what the consequences... that's not the same thing as turning a blind eye to the practices and speaking out against them. It's best to stay informed on the issue.
Mukasey said most of the new, streamlined rules "will be available to the public ... As a result, the general public will have access in a single document to the basic body of operating rules for the FBI's activities."
Most?
-- ekaton --