TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Re: An FBI Secret Letter and Order

Re: An FBI Secret Letter and Order

Tom Betz (spammers_lie@pobox.com)
Mon, 7 Nov 2005 22:06:31 UTC

Barton Gellman <washpost@teleco-digest.org> wrote in
news:telecom24.506.1@telecom-digest.org:

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Excerpts from a rather lengthy article
> over the weekend in Washingon Post. See the newspaper's web site for
> the entire article. http://washingtonpost.com And people think Joe
> McCathy was bad news ... PAT]

For a look at the Patriot Act from the point of view of one of its
targets, see
http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_7624.shtml
"An Enemy Of The State" by Doug Thompson.

An excerpt:

According to a printout from a computer controlled by the Federal
Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Justice, I am an
enemy of the state.

The printout, shown to me recently by a friend who works for
Justice, identifies me by a long, multi-digit number, lists my date
of birth, place of birth, social security number and contains more
than 100 pages documenting what the Bureau and the Bush
Administration consider to be my threats to the security of the
United States of America.

It lists where I sent to school, the name and address of the first
wife that I had been told was dead but who is alive and well and
living in Montana, background information on my current wife and
details on my service to my country that I haven't even revealed to
my wife or my family.

Although the file finds no criminal activity by me or members of my
immediate family, it remains open because I am a "person of
interest" who has "written and promoted opinions that are contrary
to the government of the United States of America."

And it will remain active because the government of the United
States, under the far-reaching provisions of the USA Patriot Act,
can compile and retain such information on any American citizen.
That act gives the FBI the authority to collect intimate details
about anyone, even those not suspected of any wrongdoing.

We live in a very scary world.

George Bush's War of Choice on Iraq is a totally unnecessary war.
Every life lost, every limb lost, every disfigurement, every
disability caused there is more blood on George W. Bush's hands, and
on the hands of everyone who voted for George W. Bush.

[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: That we do (live in a scary world). I
expect to be totally gone in five or ten years, and I cannot say I
will really miss it any, as things are going now. PAT]

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