AUGUSTA, Me., July 27, 2008
Verizon Refuses Phone Records Query
Refuses To Address Maine Legislator's Question On Customer Records Because Of "National Security"
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(CBS/AP)
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Domestic Surveillance
The debate over the Bush administration's controversial wiretapping program.
As it has in the past when faced with such queries, Verizon Communications Inc. says it is not commenting on matters involving national security.
State Rep. Herbert Adams posed the question about phone records on July 18, eight days after President Bush signed into law a bill that overhauled government eavesdropping rules and granted immunity to telecommunications companies that helped the government monitor Americans in suspected terrorism cases.
The law in effect nullified a lawsuit by Maine which sought to know what kind of phone customer information was turned over to the National Security Agency as part of its anti-terror efforts. That and several other similar cases brought by consumers, privacy advocates and others had been consolidated before Congress granted immunity.
Adams, a member of the Legislature's Utilities and Energy Committee, posed similar questions about phone records to an executive for FairPoint Communications earlier this year. FairPoint is taking over Verizon's landline phone and Internet service in northern New England. While FairPoint said it had not turned over records, it said it could not speak for Verizon.
Adams posed the question anew on July 18, saying that Verizon could answer "under protection of Federal law (and) without fear of lawsuits."
"At any time prior to the 2008 sale of FairPoint Communications, did Verizon ever surrender, voluntarily or under subpoena, any individual or aggregate customer information to any agency of the U.S. government?" says his letter.
A copy was furnished to company spokesman John Bonomo, who said there would be no response.
"We do not comment on matters involving national security," Bonomo said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.
Adams, D-Portland, had anticipated his query would not be answered.
"Possibly tens of thousands of Mainers have had their private phone records leaked to the federal government without their knowledge or say-so, and now none of them may ever know," he said.
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See all 58 CommentsThat''s corporate bullchit double-speak for YEAH, we turned tail and spurted our customer''s PRIVATE records to a sham Govt agency started by the George Bush cartel.
CANCEL your Verizon account and tell them why.
https://www22.verizon.com/foryourhome/ContactUs/ContactUs_Email_Form.aspx
The legislator from Maine should just go back to counting fish or something.
I am A PROUD VERIZON WIRELESS CUSTOMER and will REMAIN SO!
Since when is Verizon part of the federal government?
Since when is Verizon part of the federal government?
Posted by WDrussell1 at 12:55 PM : Jul 27, 2008
Where is Georgie with his "Executive Privilege"??
Does it take much imagination to see why the House has a 9% approval rating?
Let Congress give immunity from FEDERAL law suits, if they foolishly choose to do so. They hardly have the authority to make lying telecons immune from state prosecution.
The state police power is plenary; the federal is limited by the Constitution.
Or did the Bushites forget that?
I personally dont CARE if the feds listen to my calls if it helps them find the terrorists who want to kill me and my family. It would be fine by me as long as the policy is changed BACK to privacy after terrorism has been abated.
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One of the founding credos of this nation was "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death." If you are willing to give up your freedom just because you''re afraid to die, you are betraying the principles upon which our country was founded.
I would rather die than be illegally spied upon by what is supposed to be my own government.
As for Verizon, they have an arrogant superiority complex.
And what on earth makes you think the government woupd EVER change things back? Once you give up your rights, they are GONE.......Don''t you know that?
How about MORE on that famous speech?
"It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, "Peace! Peace!" -- but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!"
Patrick Henry - March 23, 1775
Sounds more like Patrick Henry would have fought and died for liberty, rather than to stay under Britains rule (chains/slavery) for "peace".
Posted by PVperson at 03:22 PM : Jul 27, 2008
Every single time a "State of Emergency" is declared in the U.S., either during war or natural disaster, some of our civil rights are suspended! When the potential danger has passed, the freedoms are restored. "Don''''t you know that?"
Sounds to me like Patrick Henry would be outraged over the governments actions.
Posted by PVperson at 03:31 PM : Jul 27, 2008
richnj1 quoted: One of the founding credos of this nation was "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death." If you are willing to give up your freedom just because you''''''''re afraid to die...
This person aparently never read the entire speech and did not know the context. Where in richnj1''s post did it say ANYTHING about a wiretap?
Oh, wait...do you hear that clicking on your phone? You better be careful about what you say or they''ll come during the night and take you away. Its advisable that you DONT sleep at night just in case they come...
"Possibly tens of thousands of Mainers have had their private phone records leaked to the federal government without their knowledge or say-so, and now none of them may ever know," he said.
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Republican supporters don''t mind when the Government spies on them because they''re afraid of a few terrorists.
Posted by monkfellow at 12:46 PM : Jul 27, 2008
AMEN to that I am to. These two bit politicians should find a life. It doesn''''t bother me at all I wonder what he has to hide.
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You freely give up your rights to Verizon? I am a customer as well, and I am not happy with any company that invades my privacy. I am going to cancel my contracts as they come up for renewal on my business lines. You both must be Verizon mouth pieces or employees.
Bush saw 911 not as a national disaster and failure on his watch, but a joyous opportunity to bend every rule, tell every untruth to put his hands on Iraq, as if in imitation of his father. We recall Bush, Sr. managed to wrap himself in the American flag to rescue grateful Kuwait, and none called him on the hypocrisy-- not even to remind him he was the one who kept Saddam in power, and even shipped the monster his own supply of American nerve gas to use at will against whomever he might.
So, like father, like son? Not quite-- from most appearances, Bush Sr., had lost his moral compass by degrees as the cost of doing business. But son George Bush did not even understand the questions of ethics and responsibility, in the first place.
In that respect, alone, Bush is the all-time American anti-patriot. Not content with a nondescript career, he was hungry for power in the worst way. Bush is the individual who, in November, 2005, facing an assembly of his own party members critical of his NSA spying program, bristled like a teenager caught drinking after curfew-- "Stop throwing the Constitution in my face! It''s just a GD)((#@*! piece of paper!"
Is this figure, who claims to be president of the United States, the same who pledged an oath to "protect, preserve and defend" the document he calls a "GD)((#@*! piece of paper"?
Posted by PVperson at 03:46 PM : Jul 27, 2008
If listening in on my phone conversation in any way helps our government detect terrorists so they may be KILLED, I''m all for it. I prefer not to stand in their way. I would help in any way I could.
Your buddy Hussain Obama will undoubtedly be in office along with a democrapic congress and senate, so they will get their chance to BLIND our intelligence agencies to the point that they wouldnt be able to detect ANYTHING, just like pre 911. They will also make it impossible to SHARE intelligence between our agencies, just like pre 911. We will just see how well the democraps can "protect us" starting January, now wont we?
And well they might. By now, as the oil majors rush to the landgrab in Iraq, it becomes clear that those Americans shouting "No blood for oil!" had it exactly right.
Bushscam put the progress of America into reverse for eight long years, demolished our standing among nations, plundered the treasury, ruined the economy and wasted more than 4,000 American lives (not to mention hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives) and tens of thousands of American wounded-- all to launch the biggest political crime in American history. The Bushscam is bigger than Teapot Dome and Tammany Hall by an order of magnitude-- our grandchildren will wonder about us as they read about Bush''s War in history class
Bushscam is a classic case of misplaced trust. In the wake of 911, the US congress gave Bush the critical mission to bring bin Laden to justice. Bush, instead, began his campaign to do anything but. The first order Bush gave Clarke, his national security adviser, was to find out how the Iraqis were involved.
(see Bush Should Be Impeached-- 4)
The conspiracy blackened the reputation of an entire party, the GOP congress which abdicated its responsibility and sold its soul for power, while Bush and Cheney ran amok through the American constitutional system. .
The Bush / Cheney scam called into serious doubt the morals and integrity of even the judicial branch-- the same US Supreme Court which had so dishonored itself with shamefully partisan behavior to put Bush in office.
The Bush scam was all about what Cheney called the "remaining prize" in the MidEast-- the vast oil assets of Iraq. The plot began six months before the twin towers fell, when Cheney held a secret meeting with Big Oil-- the details of which Bush and Cheney continue to deny the American public to this day.
(see "Bush Should Be Impeached"-- 3)
Posted by alphaa10 at 04:00 PM : Jul 27, 2008
You LOST !!! Its too late now, not enough time left for the impeachment process to finish before Bush finishes his term...Heheheeee.
Now why dont you quit your full time impeach Bush job and go get a REAL job.
While being a soundrel is not technical grounds for impeachment, high crimes and misdeanors against the United States and its people very definitely are.
The Bush crime and its modus operandi are now exposed for all to see.
The Bush / Cheney scam is the most massive conspiracy of all in American politics, compromising the integrity of the entire federal executive branch.
(see "Bush Should Be Impeached"-- 2)
Proud to be a customer of a company, huh.
Are you PROUD to be a customer of the local trash service or gas station? How about PROUD to be a customer of Dishnetwork or DirectTV or Cox cable? Are you PROUD that you bought your tires from Walmart? You don''t have much to be proud about, do you?
Posted by dmw1167 at 04:00 PM : Jul 27, 2008
Yeah, I''ll bet the families of those killed on 911 would rather have their loved ones alive at home right now, wondering if their phone was being listened to! I TRULY wish they were alive at home.
I think about our brothers and sisters up there in NY frequently. I''m still SEETHING about 911.
911 was a bad event, not the worst event to ever happen and probably not the last, but it wasn''t re excuse for destroying our country. You neo-cons are the most anti-american unpatriotic pack I''ve ever seen. Who needs terrorist to ruin America, we''ve got you people to do that.
Proud to be a customer of a company, huh...
Posted by PVperson at 04:17 PM : Jul 27, 2008
Sounds like that person that is PROUD to be a Verizon customer is realy proud to be with a company that ASSISTS the government in the intelligence gathering against terrorists.
Actually, if you ever pause to think about it, Bush himself arranged for "thousands of Americans [to be] killed by terrorist[s] again..." by sending Americans on a fool''s errand to destabilize the MidEast, overthrow Saddam, and then, without any plan for occupation, baby-sit a developing insurgency.
How is that anything but moronic? "Ad hoc" is not a plan, not even an excuse for the leadership Bush and the GOP never provided.
Asked what tangible evidence he had to show that his so-called war on teror was doing anything more than graduating a new class of jihadis in the MidEast, Bush had nothing to show.
Even if we generously credit Bush under the Cheney logic that "absence of proof is not proof of absence" Bush has had ample opportunity in the last five years to show at least something to prove his effectiveness.
Instead, we have little evidence of anything except the signs of a developing police state here in America. Meanwhile, al Qaeda thrives all over the world, and bin Laden continues to laugh us to scorn.
Bush has had only one success-- his struggle to prove to Americans he is the anti-patriot, scheming against the very rule of law and Constitution he pledged to "preserve, protect and defend".
Bush is the equivalent of the con artist who asks, "Have I ever lied to you? Hmmmm?!!!!"
Actually, if you ever pause to think about it, Bush himself arranged for "thousands of Americans [to be] killed by terrorist[s] again..." by sending Americans on a fool''s errand to destabilize the MidEast, overthrow Saddam, and then, without any plan for occupation, baby-sit a developing insurgency.
How is that anything but moronic? "Ad hoc" is not a plan, not even an excuse for the leadership Bush and the GOP never provided.
Asked what tangible evidence he had to show that his so-called war on teror was doing anything more than graduating a new class of jihadis in the MidEast, Bush had nothing to show.
Even if we generously credit Bush under the Cheney logic that "absence of proof is not proof of absence" Bush has had ample opportunity in the last five years to show at least something to prove his effectiveness.
Instead, we have little evidence of anything except the signs of a developing police state here in America. Meanwhile, al Qaeda thrives all over the world, and bin Laden continues to laugh us to scorn.
Bush has had only one success-- his struggle to prove to Americans he is the anti-patriot, scheming against the very rule of law and Constitution he pledged to "preserve, protect and defend".
Bush is the equivalent of the con artist who asks, "Have I ever lied to you? Hmmmm?!!!!"
Posted by PVperson at 04:25 PM : Jul 27, 2008
Dont worry. You "patriots", the liberal dems, will get your chance to do your "patriotic" thing once your kind are in power. We''ll see how many lives will be lost here in the US after you and your buddies BLIND the intelligence community in the name of your "rights".
Of course, if there was another terrorist strike on our soil during your time, I''m SURE you would still be posting the "virtues" of your rights on here. Yeah, right...
What''s funny is that you say "up there", so I guess you aren''t from NYC. I live so close to NYC (2 miles) that I could see the smoke on 9/11 from my porch. I know someone who died in the towers - her office was facing almost exactly where the first plane hit. Virtually everyone I know had a friend or neighbor die. I spent the day calling friends'' families to see if they were alive, helping to pick up kids from school for neighbors who couldn''t get out of Manhattan, etc. That was what 9/11 was for us.
And you know what? WE aren''t "seething." We were the main area hit. We are the area that is very likely to be hit again. I constantly cross the bridges and tunnels that Al Qaeda may target. YET, "up here" we keep electing anti-war Democrats. Why isn''t NYC the headquarters of the pro-war factions?? That should make you think.
You see, when the violence is actually at your front door, you see your principles more clearly. There''s far more pro-war rhetoric coming from places for whom 9/11 was a television event. Around here, we lived it, and though we don''t want to live it again, we know that love, kindness, and respect is the way forward. Why is there more anti-Muslim stuff elsewhere than there is around here? That should make you think.
Don''t use OUR tragedy as an excuse for your jingoism.
This war on terror has been a sorry excuse to violate personal rights and freedoms guaranteed by the the Constitution. Every person who has worked to this effect are criminals and should be tried as terrorists themselves. Terrorists against the American way.
After the way the GOP has hurt and abused the people of the US to their gain I can''t imagine why anyone would want this party to have any say in government what so ever.
Posted by dmw1167 at 04:30 PM : Jul 27, 2008
A new experience for you, no doubt...
Remember, Verizon... the pendulum swings both ways. Your day will come you unAmerican, a-holes.
Better keep a clean act. We''re watching you.
This is akin to the California ''Do Not Call'' list, which telemarketers flout by claiming a business relationship with their callees. In Orange County, we have had two teens 18 years old arraigned on 38 felony counts for altering grade records at school. Clearly, precedence and legislation are needed and in layman''s terms.
"Now that Congress has given immunity to telecommunications companies that helped the government spy on Americans in suspected terrorism cases, a Maine legislator is asking Verizon anew if it turned over any customer records to the federal government."
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