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| New Powers Sought for Surveillance |
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Posted by FoM on September 16, 2001 at 21:37:09 PT By Walter Pincus and Dan Eggen, WP Staff Writers Source: Washington Post 
Bush administration officials said yesterday that they are considering lifting a 25-year-old ban on U.S. involvement in foreign assassinations and loosening restrictions on FBI surveillance, part of an escalating war on terrorism in the wake of Tuesday's attacks on Washington and New York.The Justice Department plans to send a wide-ranging set of proposals to Capitol Hill this week that would include more power to conduct wiretaps, detain foreigners and track money-laundering cases, administration officials said. "There are areas of our laws and procedures which give us better tools against organized crime, against illegal gambling, for example, than we have against terrorists," said Attorney General John D. Ashcroft, who briefed top lawmakers yesterday on the proposals. "We need to make sure that we provide the maximum capacity against terrorists in the United States." Vice President Cheney said yesterday that CIA field officers may be allowed to recruit and pay overseas agents linked to terrorist groups and human rights abuses, saying it was necessary to infiltrate suspected terrorist cells. "If you're only going to work with officially approved, certified good guys, you are not going to find out what the bad guys are doing," Cheney said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "It is a mean, nasty, dangerous, dirty business out there, and we have to operate in that arena." In addition, Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he would introduce a counterterrorism package next week that would create a counterterrorism czar inside the White House, establish authority for the CIA to recruit unsavory agents and expand the intelligence community's ability to translate intercepted messages in Arabic, Farsi and other languages used within suspected terrorist circles. The flurry of proposals marks a dramatic expansion of the Bush administration's efforts to track down those who helped plot Tuesday's deadly assaults, in which more than 5,000 were believed killed after hijacked jetliners crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the Pennsylvania countryside. But the proposals could also significantly weaken protections of privacy and civil liberties, advocates of civil liberties said yesterday. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said the administration was reviewing an executive order issued by President Gerald R. Ford in 1976 that bans U.S. personnel from engaging in, or conspiring to engage in, assassinations. Some intelligence and terrorism experts have advocated assassinating Osama bin Laden, the exiled Saudi millionaire who lives in hiding in Afghanistan and has been named the prime suspect in last week's attacks. Powell said on CNN that "we are examining everything: how the CIA does its work, how the FBI and Justice Department does its work, are there laws that need to be changed and new laws brought into effect to give us more ability to deal with this kind of threat. . . . Everything is under review." Ashcroft said one of the Justice Department's proposals would allow the department to seek authority to eavesdrop on any phone used by a suspect in a foreign intelligence case, rather than getting wiretap orders for each individual telephone number. In an era of cell phones, Ashcroft said, "it simply doesn't make sense to have the surveillance authority associated with the hardware or with the phone instead of with the person or the terrorist." The proposals provoked immediate criticism yesterday from civil liberties advocates, who accused the administration of using Tuesday's tragedy to erode constitutional protections. David Cole, a law professor at Georgetown University, said there is no evidence that legal restrictions on the FBI, CIA or other federal agencies helped the hijackers evade detection. Two of the hijackers were on an FBI "watch list" for two weeks before the attacks, and most of the 19 men reportedly purchased their tickets in their own names through the Internet. "The reality is that the FBI already has tremendous power," Cole said. "We have to be careful about giving the FBI or INS or anyone else greater powers unless they can show they really need those powers." Several lawmakers vowed to be measured in their response. "We will give the government the tools it needs to deal with the guilty," said House Majority Leader Richard K. Armey (R-Tex.). "But we will also always . . . preserve the rights of the innocent, and that will be as paramount as can be." The executive order barring assassinations, which Bush can change without legislative action, dates to 1976, when Ford banned involvement in "political" killings in the wake of extensive hearings in the 1970s exposing CIA assassination plots. The prohibition was expanded by Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan to bar any U.S. employee or agent from engaging or conspiring in assassinations. But administration officials and some lawmakers said the ban is unrealistic in an age of terrorism. If dealing with terrorists, Graham said, "means that we have to have the authority to assassinate people before they can assassinate us, yes, we should free that stricture." Graham's bill creating a White House counterterrorism czar imitates what was established for the war on drugs, providing budget authority and oversight to an individual who would be named by the president and approved by the Senate. "We need to have someone who has the ability to establish a national program, allocate resources and be held accountable for our response against terrorism," Graham said. Another section of Graham's bill would deal with critics of the CIA's lack of advance warning of the Sept. 11 attacks because of an agency regulation that required prior approval before case officers could recruit agents with unsavory backgrounds. Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.), ranking member of the intelligence panel and a sharp critic of CIA Director George J. Tenet, said the 1995 agency regulation tied the hands of agents. "Are they people you wouldn't want invite to your home? Absolutely. But we have to deal with these people to get at the bottom of a lot of information we want like terrorist cells," he said on CBS's "Face the Nation." Staff writer Juliet Eilperin contributed to this report. Source: Washington Post (DC) Related Articles & Web Site: Holy Warriors Escalate an Old War U.S. Lines Up Support for Strike White House Reviewing Rules Governing CIA CannabisNews Articles - Surveillance Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #40 posted by FoM on September 18, 2001 at 10:26:49 PT |
| I really must be getting old because I can't remember. When I was a child I was vaccinated for something. It leaves a small scar on your upper arm. What was it that many of us received as a shot and they put a protection over the site of the shot and all. The thought it was for Small Pox. Maybe it was for Polio though. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #39 posted by Lehder on September 18, 2001 at 10:07:01 PT |
| ``We have not ruled out that. We haven't ruled out anything yet,'' [FBI agent]Crowley said when asked about reports that a U.S. fighter jet may have fired on the hijacked airliner to prevent it from reaching a target, possibly in Washington. "...the passengers on the plane knew they had to either take out the terrorists or get shot down. " --Patrick Maybe, so, Patrick; at some point there may have been little choice. Still, I want to know, and find it troublesome that the FBI claims not to know. Am I to believe too that the USAF does not know? We need accurate news and information on many topics. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #38 posted by Patrick on September 18, 2001 at 07:48:28 PT |
| I don't think we shot the plane down. I do not know if you have seen the arial shots of the crash site? The black box was found at the bottom of a 25-foot deep crater. the plane slammed straight into the ground and melted on the spot from my observation. There is no debris field. There would be a huge debris field had it been shot down with chunks of plane scattered all over the countryside. The debris found 8 miles away? No explanation yet but if the plane was straffed with machine gunfire it could explain debris 8 miles away. An open door after depressurization could also explain it? Have not heard anyword or reason for this very small amount of debris. But look at the arial shot of the crash site. The plane dove straight into the ground and the passengers on the plane knew they had to either take out the terrorists or get shot down. In either event the passengers knew they were dead. The following link is about an average American guy that in my mind is now one of America's real heros: http://www.internetnews.com/special/article/0,,10716_884851,00.html [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #37 posted by Lehder on September 18, 2001 at 05:25:15 PT |
| i also want a smallpox vaccination. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #36 posted by Lehder on September 18, 2001 at 05:23:03 PT |
| more power, huh? i'm being told that the plane attacks were possible because feds lack the powers to anticipate and prevent them? four planes highjacked simultaneoulsy in three airports. nobody could predict that steel beams melt in 1500 deg fires and that buildings collapse; or of somebody did know then they couldn't get through. i'm told that some of the hijackers and their pals have been living here for "years." well, when was that fact unearthed? if these people's presence was known, when were they discovered to be terrorists? i'm told too that guns were raised at rainbow farms, and i still want pictures. it's as plain to me as yesterday's jets, the contrails that dissipate, the chemtrails that don't, the elections that aren't, the government that can't, the president whose conception of the world is one of comic book heroes and villains, that everything and all the government is manipulated by greedy, powerful people who know exactly what they're about. we really do have some very bad enemies and we gotta smoke 'em out, git 'em runnin' and git 'em. at the moment, i'd like some progress reports on reading the Pennsylvania plane's black boxes. because the lack of front page reports, or any that i can find anywhere, makes me think that the usaf shot it down. i wanna know. [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #35 posted by lookinside on September 17, 2001 at 20:37:31 PT:
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| i'll try it.. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #34 posted by FoM on September 17, 2001 at 20:26:23 PT |
| This is all I've found but it might help. http://www.beseen.com/help/index.html [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #33 posted by FoM on September 17, 2001 at 20:14:22 PT |
| Since I seem to have plenty of time on my hands with no news to do these days I'll go see if I can find someway you can get your password. I have a hit counter on Freedom To Exhale and you or I can click on the counter and it takes you into BeSeen stuff for lack of a better word. I'll go look. Check out these pictures while you're here. http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread10924.shtml#33 [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #32 posted by lookinside on September 17, 2001 at 20:08:06 PT:
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| if i ever did, it's over 5 years ago...i'd NEVER remember the passwords i used then...same with yahoo...my nick is there, but d***** if i can remember the password... [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #31 posted by FoM on September 17, 2001 at 19:49:26 PT |
| Same problem Friend had. If you ever talked in a BeSeen chat room you use the name you registered. You only register one time and use the same name and password in any BeSeen chat. I had that problem myself so I remembered my password and name and it worked. [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #30 posted by lookinside on September 17, 2001 at 19:46:28 PT:
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| but it says someone has already registered my name... tried my usual name/password combo...it's somebody [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #29 posted by FoM on September 17, 2001 at 16:52:27 PT |
| I run on high security but you have to run on medium security to use the chat. It would be nice if another serious event happens that you can get into a chat quick. Like bio warfare and people want to talk fast. Let's hope not but it is smart to have a place to quick get to if necessary. I didn't think a week ago I would be thinking like I am now. It seems like an eternity already. What is a white page of death? I have never had a firewall. [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #28 posted by friend on September 17, 2001 at 16:35:47 PT:
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| My security is set fairly tight and I have an ad manager. If you get the white page of death configure your system, usually the firewall, to accept ads. Hey it's what I do for a living [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #27 posted by FoM on September 17, 2001 at 15:35:44 PT |
| I just tried it and didn't have a problem. This is what you should see when you click on the link. I use IE 5. I'm not sure because I haven't used it but if someone else has a similar problem please mention it and I'll try to figure out what's wrong. I did sign in and post and left with no problem. That's odd. Cannabis ----&---- Drug Policy Issues Login handle : [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #26 posted by Friend on September 17, 2001 at 15:24:40 PT:
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| Tried the chat room but all I get is a blank white page. Is that it? [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #25 posted by FoM on September 17, 2001 at 09:44:22 PT |
| I have this little free live chat room. I don't use it but if anyone ever wants to talk and isn't comfortable talking on C News here is the link. Please feel free to use it if you want too. http://mercury.beseen.com/chat/rooms/s/18089/ [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #24 posted by schmeff on September 17, 2001 at 09:28:53 PT |
| JohnnyO- In May, the U.S. gov. sent the Taliban about $50 mil. because they said they had outlawed the poppy. (But curiously, they didn't outlaw the drugs themselves, just the planting of the poppies.) Within a week, British papers were reporting that the reason they banned poppy cultivation was to increase the value of the opium and heroin that they already had in surplus. $50 million will buy a lot of airline tickets and boxcutter knives. Thank you Mr. Bush (a beer, not a leader.) [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #23 posted by JohnnyO on September 17, 2001 at 08:58:39 PT |
| I've heard a lot of angry people lash out at drug users claiming that they have inadvertantly funded the terrorists. They quote the reports that bin Laden is growing poppy seeds in Afghanistan and that's where most of his funding is coming from. They use this rhetoric to say that we need to step up the war on drugs even more. One question: How much money did bin Laden make from brewing his own beer? Prohibition is funding the terrorists. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #22 posted by FoM on September 17, 2001 at 08:51:57 PT |
| What we are doing to do our best to prepare for the new world, because the old world as we know it is gone at least for many years, is not rushing out to buy lots of stuff but when we buy coffee we buy an extra one. We already have canned goods but are adding a little more just in case. My husband is going to work as much as he can for awhile, as long as his health holds up ok, so we will be able to sit tight if it becomes necessary. We heat mostly with wood so we are getting that in while the weather is nice. The only things we ever invested in was our land and we built our own home. We didn't have a builder but we did it ourselves to save money. I am glad that we don't have too many more years and the farm will be paid off. I sure wouldn't want to have a lot of credit card debt and what we have on a credit card is my computer and we use it for truck and trailer repairs. Nothing but necessities. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #21 posted by Patrick on September 17, 2001 at 08:29:57 PT |
| Hi, I hope you are well too? I feel special for having been missed. Thanks! I have been really busy these past few days. Glad to see our stock market did not crash this morning. Time this past week has flown by. I am still trying to absorb all the change that is taking place in this country. I am getting ready for radical outbursts by law enforcement into our freedoms. I noticed early last week that cops were gone. Busy doing cop things I guess but this weekend they are everywhere like never before. Maybe it is my imagination but I am just making a general observation. I support efforts to prevent terror but not sure how we can fight an ideology. Terrorists can hide because their actions are only in their mind. No matter what kind of surveillance techniques our government employs, they still cannot read the hearts and minds of men hell bent on destruction. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #20 posted by FoM on September 17, 2001 at 08:15:00 PT |
| I hope you are doing ok. I haven't seen you for a couple days but I could have missed a post with all this going on. They will be allowing assassination it seems. I don't know how I feel about that at all. I fear for all of us. I heard them talk about drug money this morning and investing laundered money in the stock market. It isn't the drugs but prohibition that has driven the price up on heroin etc. ( not cannabis) I hope they remember that is the reasons they ( terrorists) invested in a substance that will give them big returns. Just like alcohol prohibition but much larger and with much more impact in light of the WTC Disaster. PS: Once again no news so far. Our world as we know it isn't going to ever be the same I believe. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #19 posted by Patrick on September 17, 2001 at 08:05:11 PT |
| Hmmm disturbing news I heard the other day was that our government is planning on repealing the rules against political assassinations. That brings up a whole new aspect of eroding human rights, civil liberty, etc. Granted covert ops people probably ignored the rule anyway but now they want us to say "Yes" to murder. That way can feel safer????? Now I am even more fearful of government goons. Cop standing over dead pot smoker…., " I didn't agree with his political beliefs, tag em and bag em." [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #18 posted by dddd on September 17, 2001 at 07:28:05 PT |
| I dont think there are any "guarantees" in the world of the stock market.The only guaranteed money is what you have that you can touch,or actual gold. I think that money that is only on paper,,is just paper,,,cash "Nobody told me there'd be days like this...
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| Comment #17 posted by skeezix on September 17, 2001 at 07:16:27 PT |
| Yea,I had tickets for the Allman Brothers/John Tesh concert at the AllahDome,but the show was cancelled,and the Ticketmaster outlet in Kabul is not answering their phones. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #16 posted by greenfox on September 17, 2001 at 07:14:40 PT |
| Don't put an Arab on a plane He'll use his boxcutter and go insane You'll scream and writher in such pain And then he'll slice your vein! BTW- Off beat humor: http://www.512productions.com/lobstermagnet/ sly in green, foxy in kind... [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #15 posted by FoM on September 17, 2001 at 07:14:11 PT |
| The market is down by 575 points right now as I type this. That's sure is a lot. I know they will try to say Bin Laden used drug money to finance his terrorist campaign but he used the stock market. That shocked me at first but after I thought about it I wasn't shocked. I only put my money, what little I have, in what is a guarantee. I don't speculate on anything but reality. I know, I'm weird. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #14 posted by Rambler on September 17, 2001 at 07:11:50 PT |
| I think that the desperate,and devious Bush administration will use some of its 40 billion blank check to underwrite some kind of bailout ploy to try and make the market and economy look a bit better.It reminds me of that movie,"Weekend at Bernies",where they had to make it appear that this dead guy was still alive.The media is doing all they can to try and say,"He's OK,,he'll get better,,,he's just tired". [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #13 posted by Silent_Observer on September 17, 2001 at 07:08:25 PT |
| "Looks like we were wrong about God,,,,,I guess we got faked out in some kind of Islamic "bait and switch" scheme,,and you guys were right about God,,,We hope Pat Robertson,and Jerry Fallwell will accept our invitation to speak at a rally in the Kabul AllahDome".... And I'd venture to say that we'd fall for that.. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #12 posted by dddd on September 17, 2001 at 06:54:21 PT |
| ...I'm awake late,and that's Pacific time. I'm also wondering what the stock market will look like. ...I guess that's probably why I dont have any stocks. LoL....dddd [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #11 posted by dddd on September 17, 2001 at 06:42:49 PT |
| ...In fact I welcome such interesting scenarios,,and I'm not just saying that because it makes my weirdness seem more mainstream! I like the thought of the impostor going down on the ship,, but my favorite part is,,, "The Taliban blinks in the face of American military might, coming to their senses and realizing whose side God is on." dddd [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #10 posted by FoM on September 17, 2001 at 06:30:05 PT |
| Even though I don't have any Stock I'm up watching the opening of the Stock Exchange. What a day it will be. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #9 posted by Silent_Observer on September 17, 2001 at 06:26:02 PT |
| Picture this... The Taliban blinks in the face of American military might, coming to their senses and realizing whose side God is on. Then, they turn over Bin Laden immediately. The convoy, or whatever it is they use, that transports Bin Laden triumphantly departs Afghan territory; while the good ole boys are high-fiving back home. Media coverage instantly shifts from the recovery efforts and the plethora of psychiatrists who now have the opportunity to peddle their psycho-babble, to victory celebrations; excitedly awaiting the delivery of the "face of evil" - think back to Noriega being brought in, hands cuffed behind his back. Well, somehow the convoy gets blown up along the way and everybody is killed. Needless to say, there is tremendous outpouring of grief, a bombardment of human interest stories and the like. One catch; only the Taliban knows they turned over an impostor who was willing to die. And while we're totally immersed in our typical self-absorbed manner....WHAMMO!!!!! OK...am I getting carried away here? [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #8 posted by dddd on September 17, 2001 at 04:48:50 PT |
| ...It looks as if this whole tragic event will probably be used to the advantage of "Plan" Colombia.While the world is focused on the 9/11 event,,who will notice,or care if the atrocities escalate in Colombia....Perfect opportunity for the oil-fed drugpigs to slaughter,spray,pillage,and maim in Colombia,, ,,after all,even if Tom Brokaw reported live from Colombia,
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Comment #7 posted by kaptinemo on September 17, 2001 at 04:36:50 PT:
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| you have to worry about. Given that the USG is often 20 years ahead of commercially available technology, you have to wonder what nasty little wrinkles have been developed in the implant business? Such as tiny explosive devices using the extremely powerful, non-nuclear explosive RDX. "Just a little dab will 'do ya'". Don't pay your taxes? Disagree loudly with government policies? Oops! Joe Blow just had a heart attack. Don't bother with the EMT's though; looks like his implant malfunctioned. Pesky things. Glad I'm a 'civil servant' and don't get one. Just call the organ bank. Oh, never mind, they just happen to be standing by, right over there. Funny, they look like they were just waiting. Hmmm. Oh, well, not my problem anyway; I have to arrest some unpatriotic druggies who won't get one. Keep screaming about the Constitution or something... [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #6 posted by dddd on September 16, 2001 at 23:49:16 PT |
| ..except instead of implants,,,,we will be seeing a call for a new national ID card system....there is no other way to control the population effectively,,,,plus,,it will make it much easier to force people to pay taxes,and maintain an integrated database on everyone on US soil....They wont have to hunt down people with warrants,or anything like that,,the first question you will be asked by any law enforcement,or government agency will be;"Let me see your NID card sir"...National Identity Card,,,if you dont have one,,you get locked up until you do have one,,no exceptions!!! dddd [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #5 posted by freedom fighter on September 16, 2001 at 23:32:49 PT |
| http://www.davidicke.net/newsroom/america/usa/121799a.html "Commenting on Digital Angel's™ many potential applications, Richard J. Sullivan, Chairman and CEO of Applied Digital Solutions, Inc. (ADS), said: "We believe its potential for improving individual and e-business security and enhancing the quality of life for millions of people is virtually limitless. Although we're in the early developmental phase, we expect to come forward with applications in many different areas, from medical monitoring to law enforcement. However, in keeping with our core strengths in the e-business to business arena, we plan to focus our initial development efforts on the growing field of e-commerce security and user ID verification." "
Jack be quick and nimble, quick and get some cheap postcards and mail them out to your local citzens and watch what will happend. Otherwise, it is gonna happen sooner than we think. If each of us("guerrrila soliders") spend $100 bucks on it, just maybe we would make the difference. ff [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #4 posted by dddd on September 16, 2001 at 23:26:20 PT |
| >"The Justice Department plans to send a wide-ranging set of proposals to Capitol Hill this week that would include more power to conduct wiretaps, detain foreigners and track money-laundering cases, administration officials said. "< The problem here,,is that there will be no distinctions made We have already seen the idiocy of lawmakers who have made broad ...This event is going to make an already out of control US government, it aint pretty.......dddd [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #3 posted by freedom fighter on September 16, 2001 at 23:02:47 PT |
| "But the initiative's $300 million budget is a fraction of what will be needed to protect the nation in years to come, Osterholm and others said." Check the link that FoM provided. 20 billion $ spent on Anti terrorism Need I say more? ff [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by observer on September 16, 2001 at 22:42:43 PT |
| ''They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.'' -- Benjamin Franklin ('An Account of Negotiations in London for Effecting a Reconciliation Between Great Britain and the American Colonies' (22 Mar. 1775), in Albert Henry Smyth, ed., The Writings of Benjamin Franklin, 10 vols. (New York: Macmillan Co., 1905-7),6:382.) [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by FoM on September 16, 2001 at 22:21:33 PT |
| Bioterrorism: An Even More Devastating Threat http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41225-2001Sep16.html [ Post Comment ] |
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