TEXT: TOP SECRET NSA COURT ORDER SPYING ON PHONES
The National Security Agency is currently collecting the telephone records of millions of US customers of Verizon, one of America’s largest telecoms providers, under a top secret court order issued in April. (Full court order below.)
Talk about being “beyond Orwellian,” 1984 was published 64 years ago today.
The order, a copy of which has been obtained by the Guardian, requires Verizon on an “ongoing, daily basis” to give the NSA information on all telephone calls in its systems, both within the US and between the US and other countries.
The document shows for the first time that under the Obama administration the communication records of millions of US citizens are being collected indiscriminately and in bulk – regardless of whether they are suspected of any wrongdoing….Read more from The Guardian.
Actual TOP SECRET document below video. Think this is just about investigating the Boston bombing? Think again.
(WIRED) According to Binney–interviewed in the NYT video below–one of the deepest secrets of the Stellar Wind program—again, never confirmed until now—was that the NSA gained warrantless access to AT&T’s vast trove of domestic and international billing records, detailed information about who called whom in the US and around the world. As of 2007, AT&T had more than 2.8 trillion records housed in a database at its Florham Park, New Jersey, complex.
FISA Secret Order – NSA Collection of Phone Records by MSPBWatch
UPDATE...
Last year, the Senate had to consider the re-authorization of the FISA Amendments Act. They looked at it and decided, “You know, this warrantless wiretapping sure is great. Let’s have some more! No need for transparency–nothing to see here!” The FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2012 passed the Senate 73 to 23.
30 Democrats and 1 Independent supported it, and 19 Democrats and 1 Independent opposed it. 42 Republicans supported it, and 3 opposed it. Some senators were new and hadn’t voted back in 2008. However, let’s first look at who changed his/her vote.
Which Democrats switched their vote from NAY to YEA, basically admitting that disregarding civil liberties is fine as long as a Democrat is in office?
John Kerry (D-MA) –> I mean, come on, people. He was going to be Secretary of State! Of course, he had to sacrifice principles and become a lackey to the administration.
Ben Cardin (D-MD)
Carl Levin (D-MI)
Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Harry Reid (D-NV)
Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
Jack Reed (D-RI)
Herb Kohl (D-WI)
1 Republican switched a YEA vote to a NAY: Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). 1 Democrat switched a YEA vote to a NAY: Max Baucus (D-MT)
Who were the fresh and new FISA opponents, i.e., those who weren’t in the Senate back in 2008 and opposed the bill in 2012 and whom we should give due credit for their support for civil liberties?
7 Democrats and 2 Republicans:
Mark Begich (D-AK)
Chris Coons (D-DE)
Al Franken (D-MN)
Mike Lee (R-UT)
Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
Rand Paul (R-KY)
Brian Schatz (D-HI)
Mark Udall (D-CO)
Tom Udall (D-NM)
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