In 1928 the Supreme Court finally set a precedent when it ruled that telephone eavesdropping for law enforcement purposes was legal because there was no physical invasion of privacy. In 1963, U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy authorized the FBI to tap the phone lines of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. In 1969 President Richard Nixon approved dozens of legal wiretaps, including the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Hotel. In 1978, Congress passed the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) which prescribes procedures for the physical and electronic surveillance and collection of “foreign intelligence information” between “foreign powers” and “agents of foreign powers” (which may include American citizens and permanent residents suspected of espionage or terrorism). With the introduction of the Internet, the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act was passed in 1994. CALEA’s purpose was to enhance the ability of law enforcement and intelligence agencies to conduct electronic surveillance by requiring telecommunications carriers and manufacturers of telecommunications equipment modify and design their equipment, facilities, and services to ensure that they have built-in surveillance capabilities, allowing federal agencies to monitor all telephone, broadband internet, and VoIP traffic in real-time. But in 2008, Congress amended FISA and four key provisions that were added opened the doors to unlimited abuses of power: – Prohibits the individual states from investigating, sanctioning of, or requiring disclosure by complicit telecoms or other persons. – Permits the government not to keep records of searches, and destroy existing records. – Protects telecommunications companies from lawsuits for “‘past or future cooperation’ with federal law enforcement authorities. – Allows eavesdropping in emergencies without court approval. None of these laws or amendments are “Top Secret Information” known only to a handful of high-ranking officials. They’re all common knowledge, available to anyone interested enough to conduct a search. And FYI – then-Senator Barack Obama voted for this bill. It should be obvious to everyone: If the government is going to go through the trouble of passing these laws, they intend to implement them. They’ve been tapping our phone lines since the 1890′s and they’ve been tapping into any and all online networks since the dawn of the Internet. So Edward Snowden didn’t really reveal any “Top Secret” information that’s going to put our country at risk. Every single bit of information in this article so far is pulled from an online resource available to the public. You just need to be able to connect the dots. But leading the public to believe that Snowden did commit an unforgivable act of treason has certain benefits for Obama and his administration.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Jun 2013 19:53:59 +0000
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