As we’ve been predicting for some weeks ago, the flood of revelations that would be flowing forth after Obama was sworn in would likely make what we currently know about Bush Era illegalities and incompetence seem like barely the tip of the iceberg.
Just one day after the Inauguration, Russell Tice, the NSA whistleblower who originally participated in that agency’s illegal warrantless wiretapping program, and revealed details of same to the New York Times’ back in late 2005, has now come forward with more details that he had been disinclined to release previously (he had been, after all, hounded by the FBI, subpoenaed by a grand jury, etc. after his original, heroic revelations.)
He spoke yesterday on MSNBC, revealing that American journalists were targeted by Bush’s program which “had access to all Americans’ communications.” Please watch the remarkable video interview at right. Both that, and the text below, is from RAW STORY’s coverage last night…
…
“In one of the operations that I was in, we looked at organizations, just supposedly so that we would not target them,” Tice told Olbermann. “What I was finding out, though, is that the collection on those organizations was 24/7 and 365 days a year — and it made no sense. … I started to investigate that. That’s about the time when they came after me to fire me.”
When Olbermann pressed him for specifics, Tice offered, “An organization that was collected on were US news organizations and reporters and journalists.”
“To what purpose?” Olbermann asked. “I mean, is there a file somewhere full of every email sent by all the reporters at the New York Times? Is there a recording somewhere of every conversation I had with my little nephew in upstate New York?”
Tice did not answer directly, but simply stated, “If it was involved in this specific avenue of collection, it would be everything.”
At the end of the MSNBC interview, Olbermann asked Tice to appear again this evening (Thursday) for more discussion on this issue.
The balls in O’s court now, and my patience doesn’t include letting anyone get away with syping on all of us like some nazi state… Oh no, that’s right the dems helped pass the new fisa end round run!
What Obama could do is request the appropriate branch of the UN to look into specific aspects of the last 8 years and make recommendations. They have a justice/police branch that does just that, or they did. I worked with a person that worked on an intermittent basis for the UN doing just that. It would give Obama cover and make good on Obama’s statements that we are not above the law as a nation. Really, I think we need just that kind of thing being done, so many of our policies impinged on our responsibility as a UN member.
Yo Brad!
The mofuus weren’t just spying on journalists they were spying on EVERYbody…especially Congress. You may recall that is exactly what I told you on your Bloggerama Radio Program back in June ’08 when discussing WHY Congressional Democrats had remained seated upon their hands. Guess you can color me prescient, huh?
-hope all is well with you and yours. And I trust you’re expanding your mind with some good FICTION these days.
Peace
D.L. Bruin
author/artist/raconteur
in that case I bet they already knew who Judith Miller’s source was, probably wanted her to cool her heels in jail for a while anyways.
He actually said there were two programs. One amounted to an enormous dragnet on metadata from *all* sources, including you and me. And then one program that could be likened to harpooning fish from an airplane. This targeted less people, but collected *all* information, emails, computer use, phone calls, everything. This is the program that was collecting all the information on journalists. So not all the data was collected on everyone, but some data was collected on everyone, and way too much data was collected on certain people that probably shouldn’t have been spied on at all. I wonder if Brad was included in the massive data collection.
I was wondering when you were going to get to this..
There has to be an end to this nightmare.
Since Jones now heads the NSA, won’t this all come to the surface eventually, even without a whistleblower?
Unfortunately, this was going on before Bushler who most assuredly pushed for further illegal eavesdropping. See the BBC’s report on Echelon from 1999
By the way, FISA is an unconstitutional cover for this type of illegal spying which began at least as far back as the Johnson Administration. Of course, back in those days, they couldn’t listen in on everyone.
Also, don’t forget that they now watch the U.S. with our own spy satellites, so they can track just about anyone anywhere. How do you think that they knew where the clown bailed out of his plane, picked up his motorcycle, and went camping. Don’t you feel so “safe” and “secure” with Big Brother watching 24/7?
NEW WORLD ORDER is watching you and Obama has their back.
Fck these bastards. Now put these lying criminal bushit administration murderous anti-enviro fckheads in front of a world court prosecution just like the NAZIS> Then fire up the ole gas chambers after the verdict is read. Bush and Cheney 1st in.
AND 9-11 WAS AN INSIDE JOB BY THESE SAME GREEDY CARE-LESS LYING PEOPLE.
LEARN HOW BOMBS DESTROYED 3 WORLD TRADE TOWERS ALL UNDER 10 SECONDS INTO SMOKE, PIECES OF STREWN STEEL, AND NOTHING ELSE LARGER THAN 2 INCHES. ASK YOURSELF: WHAT MECHANISM COULD DO THIS
Architects and Engineers for 9-11 Truth.
http://www.ae911truth.org
Since functional democracy depends both on an unfettered press and effective Congressional oversight, intelligence committee leaders must explain how this happened under their noses.
Whether these oversight failures are attributable to inattention, incompetence, criminal negligence or outright complicity remains to be determined.
Having taken oaths to “defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign or domestic” those determinations should dictate whether citizens demand apologies, resignations, recall votes, or indictments and prosecutions.
Immediate legislation is needed to provide for the following:
###Re non-threat Americans: Define what data can be collected, for what purposes; on what basis can it be retained; and precisely how can (and cannot) that data be used
###Provisions for lawful citizens, courts and Congressional investigators to review and challenge all personal data collected and held
###Each agency must be able to defend the rationale for, methodology and legality of both gathering and retaining specific personal data
###Mandatory, severe criminal penalties must be applicable to any government employee (including their supervisory and political superiors) for unauthorized or unjustifiable data collection or retention
###Destructive of a democratic government’s core responsibility to its citizens, unauthorized use, divulging or abuse of that data for non-security related purposes should be subject to the most severe, mandatory criminal penalties
This guy says that they were specifically spying on journalists (not “terrorists” mind you). Put together the pieces of the puzzle: the anthrax mailer mailed anthrax to media heads like Peter Jennings and two anti-war Democrats (no Republicans…hmmmm…”the terrorists” like Republicans!).
SO…the spy taps spied on journalists and the anthrax mailer mailed anthrax to media heads. Hmmmmm…..someone wanted the media NOT to investigate 9/11. Who could that be?
As it turns out, the person who mailed anthrax was someone in our govt – Bruce Ivins – who committed suicide (wink wink).
SO…the anthrax mailer was NOT an Arab…but yet wrote “DEATH TO ISRAEL” and “ALLAH IS GREAT”, obviously this person wanted to blame Arabs, correct?
Now who always wants to blame Arabs for everything?
Hmmmmmm…..