June 19, 2006

Now they're going to protect us by tapping our phones and reading our E-mail.

Right. And "The check's in the mail," "I'm from the government and I'm here to help you" - - -

And "SURE I'll respect you in the morning."

As the Senate Judiciciary Committee hearings on Bush's NSA plan to tap your phone, read your e-mail, secretely sneak into your house and bug your computer, etc. sink impotently into the sunset, there are a few things you might want to consider.

We'll let the President set the stage:

My problem is I can't explain to you how it [NSA spying] works -- in order to justify your question -- without telling the enemy what we're doin. And ah, this debate is an interesting debate. I'm troubled by it only because the enemy listens and they see what we're doin' and these are smart people and they will adjust. -President George W. Bush, Face The Nation, January 29, 2006

So, according to Mr. Bush, "these are smart people and they will adjust."

How might they do that?

Well, for starters, they could subscribe to Vonnage, Skype, France's Wengophone -- or any of those other VoIP services that use the internet for calls. That's right. For now, that's all they have to do to "adjust" to NSA spying.

See, because of the way the internet works, the old CALEA mandated hardware that allows the FEDS to easily listen in on your heart-to-hearts with mom and brother Bill doesn't work on VoIP to VoIP calls. And it will be difficult -- or perhaps impossible -- to change that situation. Skype is particularly good (or bad) so far, because it's seriously encrypted right "out of the box."

Before these troublesome VoIP services, this is how things worked:

With traditional phone networks, calls are routed through central circuit-switching stations, which connect long-haul phone networks and the wires that go into homes and offices. Typically, phone carriers have installed dedicated servers at or near the switches, which can isolate conversations from a specific phone number and send them to police agencies in a standardized format. The Call Is Cheap. The Wiretap Is Extra, KEN BELSON, nytimes.com, August 23, 2004

WHAT?? You didn't know about CALEA? And CARNIVORE? You didn't know the U.S. Government set up STASI [1] style Soviet listening nodes on all U.S. phone exchanges so our friendly Big Brothers could watch over us? Shame shame!! Now that you know, doesn't that make you feel all snuggly-buggly, warm, and safe inside?

But snooping all these extra phones -- our phones -- is highly counterproductive -- if it's really terrorists you're after, that is:

WASHINGTON - U.S. intelligence overheard al-Qaeda operatives discussing a major pending terrorist attack in the weeks prior to Sept. 11 ... Some of the clues lie buried in 350,000 pages of documents turned over by the CIA for the hearings ...
+
The intercepts of conversations are in 13,000 pages of material from the National Security Agency, the nation's eavesdropping service, U.S. officials say. Two U.S. intelligence officials said some were translated and analyzed before Sept. 11. Others went unread until later because of a shortage of translators. -U.S. had agents inside al-Qaeda, By John Diamond, USA TODAY, 06/04/2002

There aren't enough analysts on the face of the earth to analyze the amount of information we can collect. -Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) Intelligence Cmte., June 8, 2002, 13:26:30 [2]

As Rummy revealed, "It's like trying to take a sip of water out of a fire hose."

More phone taps, then, is like looking for a needle in a haystack - - - by adding more hay. So this silly notion that tapping our phones will somehow protect us is on a par with the other urban protection myths spawned by the D.C. prevaricator corps -- and just this week, hyped by Mr. Cheney. If 911 and Katrina weren't enough, you can dis-myth yourself of the notion we're protected by these bozos here, here and here.

You're afraid to talk about these glaring holes in the NSA program because, like the president, you're afraid maybe the "terrorists" might find out something they don't already know? Do you suppose they know about those Echalon-interecepted conversations between Bush-the-Elder's dope-dealing buddy Manuel Noreiga and his Swiss bankers just before Operation Just Cause -- you remember, the ones we later heard on the 6 O'Clock News.

And remember, during Clinton, "we" shot several cruise missiles at some of the training camps in Afghanistan where "we" thought former ally bin Laden might be. How did "we" know? "We" were triangulating on the signals from his satellite phone. Think al'Qaeda might remember that -- whether or not we give them any reminders?

And if these al'Qaeda "terrorists" are even more paranoid, they can use the great great grandson of Seargeant Preston's secret decoder ring, PGP. Or, even, PGPfone. Or, if they're worried that's been "back-doored," they can use open source GPG. These generate unbreakable codes that won't be deciphered in our life-times, and certainly not in time to stop any attacks.

Is this good? No, but I'm more worried about the really professional terrorists who kill way more innocent civilians than any of these amature groups.

The bottom line is that while the FEDS may still be able to easily eavesdrop on you, mom, and brother Bill, they'll have a really rough time with folks like Zacharias and Richard "The Shoe Bomber" Reid.

So, since they know (and now we know too) they can't, and won't protect us, what's the real purpose of these laws -- The U.S.A. Patriot Act, for example -- and all these snoopings? Here's a clue:

The Bush Administration very craftily says to the people that we need this power to detain terrorists, to freeze assets of terrorists, and to hold terrorists ex post facto of habeas corpus. What they're not seeing is that in the actual authorization bills, obviously the word 'terrorist' is not used. The word 'suspect' or 'detainee' is used." -From the United States of America to the National Security States of America by Al Martin, [3]

Quoted in Insight Magazine, New York University law professor and ACLU President Nadine Strossen goes even further, "There is no connection between the Sept. 11 attacks and what is in this legislation," she says. She goes on to predict that, just as the 1996 anti-terrorism surveillance legislation was used against citizens rather than terrorists, the same will happen this time.

What me worry?

Well, if we look at a couple of examples of how these laws are being applied, maybe we'll see - - -

Tomas Foral, a 26-year-old graduate student at the University of Connecticut, was moving biological specimens from a broken lab freezer last fall when he came upon some samples collected nearly 35 years ago from an anthrax-infected cow. Foral moved two samples to a working freezer in the building and promptly forgot about the matter. Now, he is paying for this seemingly innocent and mundane act. ... In July, Foral became the first person to be charged under the USA Patriot Act of 2001 with possessing a biological agent with no "reasonably justified" purpose-a crime that carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. He was investigated by the FBI and now faces an investigation by his university. His name was added to a computerized government watch list along with fugitives, drug smugglers and immigration violators. -In the Lab, Suspicion Spreads, By ROSIE MESTEL, LA TIMES STAFF WRITER, August 28, 2002

So, one of the first guys to be busted under the so-called anti-terrorist "Patriot Act" was busted for keeping folks in his school from coming down with anthrax.

Now there's a good idea!

And then there's the case of Professor Sami al-Arian, accused of raising money for a terrorist organization. After ten years of wiretaps, including over 400,000 taped conversations, the Federal Prosecutors couldn't get a jury to convict him of anything. Maybe that was because the best they could come up with in court was that when he was talking to his mother in Palestine and mentioned "the family" -- and he had a big one -- "family" was a code word, for, you know, the terrorists. But, after an estimated $50 million spent over 10 years, even with the help of the Patriot Act, the jury wasn't buying it. Maybe the prosecutors watched "The Godfather" a few times too many??

There are at least 200,000 people in the U.S. Terror Database -- and at least 30,000 of them don't belong there.

NOW me worry!

The silly truth about NSA wiretapping -- and just as Ms. Strossen observed of the 1996 anti-terrorism laws -- they aren't being used against those terrorists, who are, as Mr. Bush suggested, "smart and will adjust," they're being used against us! And it's clear that if "The Authorities" are as well informed as we are, they know that most of the time they will be spying on "we the people" and not on the "terrorists."

So when you're talking to mom, if you're not using Skype, etc., remember, whatever you do, don't mention "the family!"

And, is it time to remember the following yet?

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. -- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, -- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. The Declaration of Independence, A Transcription, National Archives and Records Administration

Or perhaps things are FUBAR, and according to some experts, as per many state constitutions, we should all just secede?

Notes:

[1] The East German STASI was one of the most feared secret police organizations in history. It is estimated that it had 91,000 full-time employees and 300,000 informants, meaning that one in fifty East Germans collaberated with the Stasi. return

[2] Assuming the translators manage to get the info to the analysts. "Sibel Edmonds, a translator who worked at the FBI's language division, says the documents weren't translated because the divison was riddled with incompetence and corruption. Edmonds was fired after reporting her concerns to FBI officials." Lost In Translation, CBS 60 Minutes, June 6, 2004 return

[3] AL MARTIN is America's foremost whistleblower on government fraud and corruption. A retired US Navy Lt. Commander and former officer in the Office of Naval Intelligence, he has testified before Congress (the Kerry Committee and the Alexander Committee) regarding Iran-Contra. Al Martin is the author of "The Conspirators: Secrets of an Iran Contra Insider" (2001, National Liberty Press, $19.95; Toll FREE order line: 1-866-317-1390) return

L. Reichard White lives several houses up from the site of the old Black Horse Tavern, a birth place of the Whiskey Rebellion -- which explains a lot. He supported his writing habit for over 30 years by beating casinos at their own games. Visit his website at NEXIALIST NEWS See a key chapter from his latest project, "The Hi-jacking of Civilization" -- which has almost nothing at all to do with 9-11.

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