Comments on: Telecoms Cut FBI Wiretaps Over Late Bills

Justice Department Audit Cites Lax Oversight, Poor Supervision Of Eavesdropping Program

[watcher269-2009]

This is SOOOOO funny.

Maybe the government should raise taxes to pay the Fricken Bills.

[simpleguy234]

Ramos Dude? Do you not understand what is happening here? Wasteful spending!!!! No money because they blew it on other useless ***

[ramos937]

The FBI cannot afford to pay its phone bill and last night the GOP Presidential candidates want to cut taxes??

How dumb can you be??

[alphaa10-2009]

How can telcos defend their violation of the privacy rights of American citizens?

They cannot claim they hold FBI requests paramount when they cut active surveillance because of non-payment. It would appear timely payment trumps all other concerns with telco management, even national security.

Clearly, the telcos pretend high principle, but resort to the most petty, greedy, materialistic policies in practice.

Therefore, they cannot be held immune from actions by American citizens defending their privacy rights. What telcos have done is a crime, and the FBI aided and abetted that crime.

The telcos broke the law, said Sen. Chris Dodd, "betraying millions of customers'' trust" by handing over phone records to the government for construction of a massive database. Dodd said lawsuits against the companies was "the last bastion of oversight of the president''s warrantless wiretapping program."

[brianbwb-2009]

I meant "no legal right", sorry for the typo.

[brianbwb-2009]

Posted by glaswolf
If the FBI doesn''t deem it necessary to pay their bills, and would rather pocket the money, then why bill them anyway, and why budget money to pay it?

The phone company is a privately owned business, and unless you are going to "eminent domain" those people (which isn''t a bad idea, actually), the FBI has lo legal right to order them to provide service, any more than they can order you to do your job for free.

[mcv57]

Wire tapping is legal as long as you have legal authority to do it.

Posted by ilikecats1

That is just the point, ilikecats1, FBI wiretapping is not warranted. I am assume this random wiretapping is part of the unconstitutional program called the Patriot Act.

[glaswolf]

If this low level sacking is going on, what other decay and negligence is wandering within the minds of those who ought to be watching the watchers. Someone is signing without reading. Someone is vouching without cause or adequate rationale. Whoever is cutting off the FBI taps could just as easily sever essential communications passed thru their loops ... so we need to separate martial communication''s protocols from civilian interfacing ... It''s a fact we know now. WE cannot as a nation depend upon those who thru assertions became participant in war. A certain portion of their resources must be drafted and military officers linked into checking and monitoring to ensure thru put in times of need.

[brianbwb-2009]

"Audit: Lax Oversight Of Money For Surveillance Led To Fraud, Halts Of Criminal and Terror Wiretaps"

And they say "Trust us, we only tap the terrorists"

"Trust us"...

Quoth the Brian, "Nevermore, and I didn''t before"...

[mcv57]

It just dawned on me. Wiretapping is illegal, therefore, to finance such a program is crimminal. Soon, the FBI will be working out of the White House basement.