http://blog.wired.com/…

Arlen Specter, the Republican leader of the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Wednesday demanded an independent investigation into “Spygate.”

The announcement came three years after it was first disclosed President Bush had authorized a secret electronic eavesdropping program on Americans without warrants in the wake of the September 11 terror attacks.

But Specter wasn’t referring to that.

Instead, the Pennsylvania senator is demanding an inquiry into the New England Patriots’ secret videotaping of opposing NFL coaches’ signals on the sidelines — an affair sports writers have dubbed “Spygate.”

We are not making this up. Specter said such behavior, a violation of NFL rules, is damaging to the sport. Call it Specter’s own Patriot Act.

“It’s really an insult to the people who follow it,” Specter said. He added that the Patriots “owe the public a lot more candor and a lot more accountability.”

The league has fined the Patriots and coach Bill Belichick $750,000 each. The team’s video assistant has turned over to the NFL eight tapes of opposing coaches giving signals during games.

Apparently real-world warrantless spying isn’t as egregious as snooping on opposing NFL coaches.

Specter and other lawmakers initially talked tough when The New York Times disclosed Bush’s spying program in 2005. “There is no doubt that this is inappropriate,” Specter said at the time.

But Congress, including Specter, eventually passed the Protect America Act, which allowed government officials to eavesdrop in the United States on telephone conversations and  e-mails without warrants, if the target of the surveillance is “reasonably believed” to be overseas.

The law expired in February after lawmakers deadlocked on whether to grant immunity to telecommunications companies being sued for assisting Bush in carrying out the administration’s secret spying program before it was legal.
The Protect America Act’s expiration means surveillance must be authorized by a secret intelligence court if the wiretap is physically planted on U.S. soil.

Still, President Bush maintains that, as commander in chief, his administration has warrantless spying powers regardless of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Again, we’re not making up this story.

Or total fucking tool? This really is just disgusting. At least the whole baseball drug thing it was related to the whole war on drugs thing which many people still oppose. This is related to an extreme breach of the Constitution and public trust which the executive branch not only hid from the public and the other branches of government but blatantly lied about. This asshole is more concerned with a fucking sporting event then the American people or even his own person and family. How does he think the ex-New York governor got caught?

And yet this jackball will get reelected.

Back in February I posted about Operation Torch. The New York Times article said: “Officials said the operation would begin in March.” Well, as you’d expect from the government they have just now started their increased militarization of the city.

http://wcbstv.com/…

The NYPD is pulling out all the stops to beef up safety of the subways. On Thursday it launched a new anti-terror effort called “Operation Torch,” but the cost of the program is raising some eyebrows.

The NYPD’s new firepower consists of cops with Mp5 submachine guns, rifles, body armor and bomb-sniffing dogs.

Starting Thursday, five or six teams a day will patrol the major transit hubs in the city in the new program, all thanks to a 50 percent increase in a Homeland Security grant.

“Times Square, Grand Central, Penn Station … the locations you would expect, but not only those locations. The assignments will vary and will be following no discernible pattern,” NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said.

Many straphangers were thrilled to see the city going all the way to protect its citizens.

“It’s a very good idea,” Patricia Knight Williams said. “It’s like a deterrent. It’s going to make me feel safer, much safer, yes it will. It’s a good idea.”

Is Patricia Knight Williams high, retarded or being sarcastic? I’m hoping the latter.

The city’s massive subway system, With 5 million riders a day, has long been considered a potential terror target ever since Sept. 11, 2001.

Similarly equipped NYPD units known as “Hercules” teams have been patrolling the ground on Wall Street, the Empire State Building and other city landmarks.

Everyone seems to like the idea of an added police presence, particularly to fight terrorism on subway platforms, but then when you mention the price tag — $151 million - then people aren’t so sure.

“I think it’s a waste of money,” Michael Rivers said. “If someone wants to put a bomb in the subway how do you stop it?”

“It’s a hard time for a lot of people. That’s a lot of money to spend,” Ellen Payne added.

“Everybody has their opinion,” Kelly said. “We think this is a reasonable expenditure of funds. We’re doing everything that we think is appropriate to prevent another attack.”

Of the $151 million in the federal grant, $30 million will be used for this underground anti-terrorist program for the next two years.

As I’ve pointed out several times… this will do absolutely nothing. Their coverage is too small, they don’t check every entrance. When I was stopped the other day to have my bag search at South Ferry and declined I just went to the Yellow line which had not a single cop in the station.

I’ll be sure to post photos of these roaming gangs as soon as I run into them.

http://www.bobbarr2008.com/

http://thirdpartywatch.com/…

According to bloggage at the New York Times (confirmed by other sources), Bob Barr announced today that he’s (drum roll, please) … forming an exploratory committee.

Barr’s newly launched web site also bears the “exploratory committee” label.

Don’t know about y’all, but I’ve never heard of a prospective presidential candidate forming an “exploratory committee” weeks after his party’s only primaries, less than two months before his party’s presidential nominating convention, and only seven months before the general election.

Then again, I’ve never heard of a two-term former US Senator and Democratic presidential candidate jumping the partisan fence one day and declaring for his new party’s presidential nomination the next day, either.

It’s turning into a very strange election year indeed.

It sure is. The LP lineup is very thick. The convention is going to be really crazy I’m sure. Ruwart, Barr, Phillies or Imperato? Decisions, decisions.

Barr’s site looks awfully familiar doesn’t it?

http://www.cnn.com/…

New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer is under investigation for allegedly meeting with a prostitute in a Washington hotel, two sources with knowledge of the investigation tell CNN. One of the sources said Spitzer is identified in a criminal complaint as “Client-9,” and that Spitzer’s alleged involvement was caught on a federal wiretap.

The criminal complaint involved an alleged high-end prostitution ring run out of New York. Four individuals were charged last week with allegedly running it.

Prosecutors say the ring provided prostitutes costing as much as $3,100 an hour. The criminal complaint did not name any customers, but authorities did intercept text messages, e-mails and telephone calls.

Spitzer on Monday said he “acted in way that violates his obligation to his family,” without elaborating or taking questions.

His statement came hours after the New York Times reported he told senior administration officials he had been involved in a prostitution ring.

While I love seeing statist like Spitzer getting his this is just ridiculous. 1) Who the hell cares about his infidelity? 2) Why do we continue this retarded prohibition on individuals exchanging money for sex? 3) Why the hell is the federal government wiretapping people who are suspect of requesting or providing sex for money? I sortof understand 1 and 2 but no one in the media is making any sortof noise about 2 & 3. There are all kinds of property rights issues and Constitutional questions here that no one is bringing up outside the libertarian and civil liberty news circles. I don’t think much needs to be said really. [insert your typical anti-prostitution prohibition and pro privacy / 4th Amendment argument here]. Aren’t they supposed to be busy spying on Americans speaking with foreigners or something?

http://www.out-law.com/page-8884 

The US government, through the National Security Agency, has been tapping phone lines without court warrants since shortly after the terrorist attacks in the US of September 2001. The till-then secret programme was revealed by the New York Times in 2005.

The government claims that the actions were legal but has made all details of the programme classified. This causes problems for the ACLU since only those who have been wiretapped can sue, but the information about who has been tapped is kept secret.

Jameel Jaffer, director of the ACLU’s national security project, said that the case raised worries about the unchecked power of the president who, as the executive arm, is just one branch of government.

“It’s very disturbing that the president’s actions will not be reviewed by the Supreme Court. It shouldn’t be left to executive branch officials alone to determine what limits apply to their own surveillance activities and whether those limits are being honoured,” he said. “Allowing the executive branch to police itself flies in the face of the constitutional system of checks and balances.”

The ACLU had tried to appeal a verdict of a US Court of Appeal which ruled that it could not prove that its communications had been monitored, and so could not prove that the programme had harmed any party to the case. It had sued on behalf of itself, journalist and scholars.

Separate law suits are being conducted in the US against the telecommunications companies that allowed the surveillance to happen without court-issued warrants.

There are also political struggles over amendments to US law that would allow warrantless wiretaps of non-US citizens in the US who are communicating with people overseas.

A temporary measure expired over the weekend and the Democrat-controlled Congress refused to make the law permanent.

That law included controversial immunity for telecoms companies. Congress has proposed a law that does extend wiretapping but does not grant telcos immunity from prosecution for their actions.

“The court’s unwillingness to act makes it even more important that Congress insist on legislative safeguards that will protect civil liberties without jeopardizing national security,” said Steven Shapiro, the ACLU’s legal director.

You want to prove to the judicial branch that the executive branch is breaking the law and show that the legislative branch is at least complacent if not helping them do so. To have a case you must prove you’ve been harmed but the only proof is held by those you are accusing. They won’t confirm or deny the existence of the proof nor would they turn it over because it’s a matter of national security. The judicial system says that since you can’t get the evidence you don’t have a case.

Does anyone else find this a little troubling?