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Born at the Crest of the Empire

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Executive Order authorizes Telcos to lie about NSA spying

It's a bit of a journey through the executive order and the US law code, but effectively, ON MAY 5 OF THIS YEAR, President Bush granted authority to John Negroponte "to authorize a company to conceal activities related to national security. (See 15 U.S.C. 78m(b)(3)(A)) "

This could directly relate to the Verizon and Bell South denials that they supplied the NSA with call record details.

Now, I think we need to revisit the timing of when the White House found out this story was going to be written. In an interview, the writer of the USAToday story rather deftly dodged the question as to whether the White House had asked them to delay or not to print that story. (Remember, the NYTimes held their NSA wiretapping story for months at the request of the administration.)

I find myself wondering if those conversations just happened to take place before May 5.

11 Comments:

  • Don't you find it curious, in the 'great democracy' that government which spies on its journalists then uses them for cover?

    By Blogger Cartledge, at 12:12 PM  

  • Another very impressive post, MikeVotes.

    By Blogger Bravo 2-1, at 1:06 PM  

  • Think Progress has clarified this document as being a "presidential memorandum" and not an "executive order."

    Big whoop. The point is America now on the verge of dictatorship, with no effective legislature or courts to check executive power.

    I abhor analogies that involve the Third Reich, but we're getting very close to "if the shoe fits..."

    By Blogger -epm, at 1:25 PM  

  • Well, Cartledge, I think the "great democracy" label is becoming a quaint anachronism.

    Kind of like how my home Texas is peopled with men who like to dress up like cowboys, wear the hat, the boots etc, when there really aren't many cowboys left down here.

    Lot of vauqeros though, but you don't see the Texas business men listening to norteno.

    (I just realized you may not get the local references. Vaqueros are mexican cowboys and norteno is a mariachi ranch style mexican music popular in the country areas of northern mexico.)

    Mike

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 1:27 PM  

  • it's strange I can never go to think progress. The url wont come up. I try different browsers and everything.

    By Blogger Yukkione, at 1:55 PM  

  • That is really weird LOC. I have no idea. Are you at work? could it be blocked by someone, something funky in the firewall? Some sort of child protection software?

    Mike

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 2:35 PM  

  • Presumably this given cover to the Telcos lying under oath. From what Think Progress said it looks like it gives them a buy under securities law.

    Wonder if some enterprising scam artist will try to use the cover of national security to purpetrate a huge fraud? Actually it will probably be not if, but when.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 2:42 PM  

  • Well, from what I understand, I only read the section of the US Code once, blaah, but it has to be authorized and sanctioned by the President and now through this executive order delegation, through Negroponte, so, if a fraud were committed under this, either the pres or the DNI would have their fingerprints all over it.

    Doesn't mean it won't happen, but they can't just do it willy nilly.

    Mike

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 4:57 PM  

  • Dadgumit, Mike, you've quickly become the must-read of blogtopia (y!sitp).

    By Blogger Motherlode, at 12:55 AM  

  • Thank you. That's quite nice. My goal in this blog is to give you at least one news thing you're not getting anywhere else either a story or a connection, but, because of my writing style, sometimes you have to chug through alot to get there.

    Mike

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 6:52 AM  

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