U.S. Allegedly Eavesdropped On GI's Calls

(AP)  The Senate Select Intelligence Committee is looking into allegations from two U.S. military linguists that the government routinely listened in on phone calls of American military and humanitarian aid workers serving overseas.

"These are extremely disturbing allegations," said Committee Chairman Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., in a statement issued Thursday. "We have requested all relevant information from the Bush administration. Any time there is an allegation regarding abuse of the privacy and civil liberties of Americans it is a very serious matter."

ABC News first reported the charges Thursday, citing one current and one former military linguist by name. They are contained in the book "The Shadow Factory," to be published next week.

The linguists said National Security Agency interceptors routinely monitored and recorded the private calls of U.S. military personnel, Red Cross and other humanitarian workers; personal discussions that had entertainment value pillow talk or phone sex were shared among intercept operators, they said.

National Security Agency spokesman Patrick Bomgardner said some of the allegations have already been investigated by the agency and found to be unsubstantiated.

"Others are in the investigation process," he said, declining to provide further detail.

The recently adopted eavesdropping law requires the government to get court permission to listen in on American phone and computer communications anywhere in the world. However, the previous version of the law only required attorney general approval. If an American's communications are incidentally listened to in the course of eavesdropping on another target, the contents of the American's comments call and the identity of the person are supposed to be protected, a process known as "minimization."

"At NSA, the law was followed assiduously," said Mark Mansfield, spokesman for CIA Director Mike Hayden, who headed the NSA during the period in question. "The notion that General Hayden sanctioned or tolerated illegalities of any sort is ridiculous on its face."

[airboatboy1]

Maybe they can set up some lines and charge for the pillow talk and phone ***. Might boost the economy.

[rickstas]

There have been so many scandals in the past 8 years that the public and the media have been desensitized. When I was a kid, if a famous athlete was arrested, it would be extremely shocking, but nowdays it''s like "what else is new?"

[impeach__w]

The destruction of the foundation of our country%u2019s values core values by Bush and his friends and his policies Combined with so much secrecy, surveillance and unnecessary war was the Real Damage we incurred. Anyone who is not traumatized by this should be. Wake up Sheeple!

The real enemy of Freedon and democracy is the leadership of this country. You probably think it is Terrorists

[impeach__w]

If elected president, Senator John McCain would reserve the right to run his own warrantless wiretapping program against Americans, based on the theory that the president''s wartime powers trump federal criminal statutes and court oversight, according to a statement released by his campaign.

[lila356]

I''m glad these guys are speaking about what is going. Now if only more people who know the truth about the Bush administration''s illegal activities would come forward. If they spy on us, we should be able to spy on them. After all, let us not forget, the government is employed by the American people. In fact, if we behaved like they have, on the job, we would have been fired along time ago.

[missingamerica]

(*and war requires security and preventing operational and strategic knowledge from being revealed. - apologies to my 8th grade English teacher, who PROBABLY did not go to hell like I thought she deserved at the time.)

[missingamerica]

If they do not want to be monitored, if done even in every case, then they should use the private commercial lines, which are not covered in the same manner.

Posted by lpgideon at 02:36 PM : Oct 10, 2008

Actually, they are: Recall the Patriot Act.

Regardless, I agree that use of military phone lines is de facto permission to be monitored.

The U.S. Military is in the business of war, and war requires security and the prevention of operational and strategic knowledge from being revealed.

If we trust our servicemembers to never betray us, we deny history: I give you the Walker incident in the 1980s.

Besides, as I and any veteran knows, within the bounds of law once you sign the bottom line your @zz belongs to Uncle Sam - and that includes what you say and do.

[lpgideon]

Seems most of you seem to miss the point here. they are using MILITARY phone lines. They are not privileged. Basically they are to be used for OFFICIAL call only. Private use may be granted by commanders to their personnel while overseas. No problem. If they do not want to be monitored, if done even in every case, then they should use the private commercial lines, which are not covered in the same manner.

[lochlan-2009]

So what is the penalty for the government breaking the law?



NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[impeach__w]

July 4 (CBS/AP) A federal judge said that President Bush does not have the constitutional authority to overstep the law establishing the government%u2019s ability to conduct warrantless wiretaps on American citizens.

U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker on Wednesday said that when Congress passed the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in 1978 it established the "exclusive" means for engaging in wiretaps, and that the president in his capacity as commander in chief could not evade that law. The appeals court sent the case back to Walker to determine if the privilege is trumped by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Walker did rule that FISA does trump the state secrets privilege:
"Congress included in the FISA bill a declaration that the FISA regime, together with the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 %u2026 were to be the %u201Cexclusive means%u201D by which domestic electronic surveillance for national security purposes could be conducted. %u2026 This provision and its legislative history left no doubt that Congress intended to displace entirely the various warrantless wiretapping and surveillance programs undertaken by the executive branch and to leave no room for the president to undertake warrantless surveillance in the domestic sphere in the future.


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/

07/20/eveningnews/main4276185.shtml