ABC Report: NSA ‘Routinely’ Listened In On Americans’ Phone Calls, Passed Around ‘Salacious’ Bits
ABC Report: NSA ‘Routinely’ Listened In On Americans’ Phone Calls, Passed Around ‘Salacious’ Bits
Ever since President Bush confirmed the existence of a National Security Administration wiretapping program in late 2005, he has insisted it is aimed only at terrorists’ calls and protects Americans’ civil liberties:
– If somebody from al Qaeda is calling you, we’d like to know why. … In the meantime, this program is conscious of people’s civil liberties, as am I. This is a limited program designed to prevent attacks on the United States of America — and I repeat: limited. [1/1/06]
– This is a — I repeat to you, even though you hear words, “domestic spying,” these are not phone calls within the United States. It’s a phone call of an al Qaeda, known al Qaeda suspect, making a phone call into the United States. I’m mindful of your civil liberties. [1/23/06]
– People who analyze the program fully understand that America’s civil liberties are well protected. There is a constant check to make sure that our civil liberties of our citizens are treated with respect. [2/28/08]
However, ABC News reports that the NSA frequently listened to and transcribed the private phone calls of Americans abroad, according to two former military intercept operators. These conversations included those of American soldiers stationed in Iraq and American aid workers abroad, such as Doctors Without Borders:
[Former Navy Arab linguist David Murfee] Faulk says he and others in his section of the NSA facility at Fort Gordon routinely shared salacious or tantalizing phone calls that had been intercepted, alerting office mates to certain time codes of “cuts” that were available on each operator’s computer.
“Hey, check this out,” Faulk says he would be told, “there’s good phone sex or there’s some pillow talk, pull up this call, it’s really funny, go check it out. It would be some colonel making pillow talk and we would say, ‘Wow, this was crazy’,” Faulk told ABC News. [...]
“We knew they were working for these aid organizations,” [former Army Reserves Arab linguist Adrienne] Kinne told ABC News. “They were identified in our systems as ‘belongs to the International Red Cross’ and all these other organizations. And yet, instead of blocking these phone numbers we continued to collect on them,” she told ABC News.
Kinne called Bush’s assurances that the U.S. was only tracking phone calls of a “known al Qaeda suspect” “completely a lie.” Click here to watch ABC’s report.
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
Chimpy never had any credibility with me ; I never believed he was only listening to calls abroad………..
October 9th, 2008 at 12:18 pmOne nation… under surveillance.
October 9th, 2008 at 12:18 pmBush is a lying sack. How do you feel knowing domestic satellite surveillance started October 1? Don’t forget the domestic combat brigade at his disposal.
October 9th, 2008 at 12:20 pmi worked with a guy last year who was in the military and worked in the nsa…he told us of these same type of stories…cept they were listening in on us military in iraq…having affairs with iraqi’s and crap like that…they used to play it on the loud speakers and what not…he quit in disgust as soon as he could get out.
October 9th, 2008 at 12:21 pmQuelle surprise.
October 9th, 2008 at 12:22 pmI wonder who the lucky folks were who got to listen to members of the House and Senate.
October 9th, 2008 at 12:22 pmBush lied?
October 9th, 2008 at 12:23 pmI can`t wait until der Bushco is gone and Mcwars and him can go to hell together………..
October 9th, 2008 at 12:24 pmThis story reveals who the administration has always considered the real terrorists. They are surveilling private citizens who engages in legal activities. They are repulsed by sex (probably because they never get any) and are pursuing thier agneda to stamp it out once and for all.
Get your John McCain NOPE T-Shirts & Stickers today!
October 9th, 2008 at 12:24 pmIn other words, more lies from this administration. Business as usual.
Not that this revelation will prevent them from lying about their previous lies, and the blind followers from believing them and defending them. And then voting for the Republican ticket in November.
Too bad there is no cure for stupid.
October 9th, 2008 at 12:24 pmSo when my son in the army calls his Mom from his base in Iraq, and they start talking politics, and she tells him how much she can’t stand GWB…
October 9th, 2008 at 12:25 pmI wonder if she is on some kind of watch list now?
Who is that guy in the picture above? He does look vaguely familiar.
October 9th, 2008 at 12:26 pmWell, that ought to cinch the military vote…
October 9th, 2008 at 12:27 pmI hate fascists
October 9th, 2008 at 12:28 pmupside99 Says:
——————————————————————————–
Who is that guy in the picture above? He does look vaguely familiar.
October 9th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
A war criminal ………….
October 9th, 2008 at 12:28 pmI’m kinda getting tired of saying “we told you so” to the conservatives in this country, but “we told you so”.
We told you that these illegal wiretaps were in innocent Americans that had NOTHING to do with natinal security, and we were, yet again, right.
We’ve been right about everything we’ve told you these last several years, so perhaps you’ like to listen to us now when we tell you that a vote for John McCain is a vote for George W. Bush’s third term.
Vote Obama. Join the rank of those of us who get it.
October 9th, 2008 at 12:29 pmpssst; NSA, now hear this; BITE ME!
October 9th, 2008 at 12:29 pmMr. Bush I believe your pants are on fire again. Hey, Senator McCain pals around with this domestic terrorist doesn’t he? Just sayin’
October 9th, 2008 at 12:32 pmRantingTommy Says: I hate fascists
Apparently, now, so does Bush. He’s now suggesting that because none of his fascist tricks are working to save the economy that the Fed take over the entire banking industry, therefore socializing it.
How ironic…
October 9th, 2008 at 12:33 pmSo the Bush administration is violating the civil liberties of U.S. Soldiers.
October 9th, 2008 at 12:34 pmDoes saying this make me unpatriotic?
Also note that they were listening in on Doctors Without Borders. Isn’t there another law specifically prohibiting eavesdropping on doctor/patient conversations?
October 9th, 2008 at 12:35 pmIt is impossible for this WAR CRIMINAL to tell the truth about anything, in his little pea brain he just has to lie, it is the way he was raised….CIA dad, ya think, maybe?
October 9th, 2008 at 12:39 pmThis makes the plumbers at watergate look like small potatoes.
October 9th, 2008 at 12:43 pm“There is a constant check to make sure that our civil liberties of our citizens are treated with respect…ummm, unless they’re having phone sex, or doing anything else that we find amusing.”
October 9th, 2008 at 12:44 pmMCMetal Says:
upside99 Says:
——————————————————————————–
Who is that guy in the picture above? He does look vaguely familiar.
October 9th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
A war criminal ………….
RRIIGGHHTT!! Thanx, McMetal, for the reminder.
October 9th, 2008 at 12:45 pmYou know… I never thought that there would come a day when I could go to my children and say:
We used to have a thing called the Constitution that protected each and every one of us.
But we got scared and got rid of the Constitution because people hated us because we were free.
So, now we’re not free, and people still hate us.
Maybe it wasn’t the Constitution that people hated?
October 9th, 2008 at 12:55 pmOf course they’ve been listening… sheesh, where have all of you been?
And don’t think this “leaking of the news” is an accident. The sick freaks behind all of this WANT YOU to know this… and that YOU might be next!
It’s called “intimidation”…
Just like those Iraqi sex torture photos… YOU might be next… I have yet to hear a cogent defense of those photos from anyone on right… just how did they Keep America Safe from teh terraists?
Or… did they just give certain, ummm, “members” of the Botch Admin raging chubbies? Trolls? Any insight here?
October 9th, 2008 at 12:57 pmCan we try this bastard for treason now?
October 9th, 2008 at 12:59 pmCaption:
“Look Mom, no teeth.”
¶ AIO
October 9th, 2008 at 1:02 pmCan’t say I disagree with you on the motives behind this “leak.”
I hope you’ll all agree and join me in providing an example to others with the following:
FU(K OFF BUSH, WE REFUSE TO BE AFRAID. I’D RATHER BE SPIED ON, EMBARRASSED, TORTURED, KILLED, OR OTHERWISE GREVIOUSLY INJURED BE IT MENTALLY, PHYSICALLY, OR EMOTIONALLY, THAN GIVE YOU THE SATISFACTION OF MAKING ME AFRAID OF YOU. FU(K YOU AND THE FEAR YOU RODE IN ON.
October 9th, 2008 at 1:04 pmI’m shocked!! Who would’ve thought that giving the government the right to invade our privacy would result in having our privacy invaded? We’re all terrorists, now.
October 9th, 2008 at 1:06 pmI refuse to allow the Republicans to terrorize me into voting against my country.
PERIOD.
October 9th, 2008 at 1:11 pmWould someone explain to me again why it is that none of these yoyos are breaking rocks somewhere?
October 9th, 2008 at 1:11 pmProbably Bible thumping christ idiots who are doing all the sick sex spying while wrapping it in a flag.
October 9th, 2008 at 1:13 pmOh yeah, and FU(K YOU Bush and fellow GOP traitors.
October 9th, 2008 at 1:14 pmliberal traitor Says:
If mccain had had that much patriotism when he was captured maybe he could have saved some of his service brothers lives instead of singing like a songbird. Then he would have been a hero.
mccain only cares about mccain.
October 9th, 2008 at 1:14 pmThis illegal activity occurred before 911.
Anthrax attacks were an inside job – but not by patsy Bruce Ivins.
911 was an inside job as well.
Fascists are running and ruining this country!
October 9th, 2008 at 1:15 pmHello Congress, Hello, wasn’t this illegal at the time? Hello? Is anyone other than Dennis K. in Congress aware that crimes have been commited against American citizens, does anyone in Congress care?
October 9th, 2008 at 1:15 pmThe Congressman do not want an Anthrax letter.
Fascists control this government.
October 9th, 2008 at 1:17 pmScrewBush Says:
——————————————————————————–
Hello Congress, Hello,
crickets
wasn’t this illegal at the time?
yup, still is technically
Hello?
crickets
Is anyone other than Dennis K. in Congress aware that crimes have been commited against American citizens?
Aware? Of course.
Does anyone in Congress care?
not really, unless you count Feingold and Kucinich, and maybe Kennedy, Whitehouse, a few others…short answer, not enough.
October 9th, 2008 at 1:20 pmThese repukes : whatever they do is ok. They can lie, steal, mislead into criminal ventures, it’s all good. As if this was a monarchy and the idiot was the god-anointed ruler.
Now, when you see a man of color promising to bring change, they want to kill him. They blatantly chant to “do away with his head”. What a shameful sack of racists bigots these republican idiots!
October 9th, 2008 at 1:21 pmliberal traitor Says:
FU(K OFF BUSH, WE REFUSE TO BE AFRAID. I’D RATHER BE SPIED ON, EMBARRASSED, TORTURED, KILLED, OR OTHERWISE GREVIOUSLY INJURED BE IT MENTALLY, PHYSICALLY, OR EMOTIONALLY, THAN GIVE YOU THE SATISFACTION OF MAKING ME AFRAID OF YOU. FU(K YOU AND THE FEAR YOU RODE IN ON.
____________
Okay, now that we have the right level on the mic, could you repeat all of that?
And make sure you pronounce the endings of words clearly… you’re biting off the last letters over and over again.
Rolling… 3… 2… 1…
October 9th, 2008 at 1:37 pmstateofthedivision Says:
How do you feel knowing domestic satellite surveillance started October 1?
___________
Excuse me for a minute while I step outside and FLIP ‘EM THE BIRD…
October 9th, 2008 at 1:40 pm.
Q U E S T I O N:
Since when did warrantless spying on Americans become acceptable enough to not hold those who ordered it, unaccountable?
R E M E M B E R:
THEY(sic) HATE US FOR OUR WAY OF LIFE; OUR FREEDOMS…
… And so THEY(sic) have lobbied, debated and legislated away those foundational freedoms and altered our way of life.
Q U E S T I O N:
Did Bush authorize warrantless spying before or after Congress knew?
.
October 9th, 2008 at 1:40 pmRepublicans hate big government?? Really? This is the absolute poster child for Big , Intrusive Govt. gone wild!I want my rights back!What hypocrites…
October 9th, 2008 at 1:52 pmBushco — you have already convinced America that anytime you say “trust us”, we shouldn’t. Why must you keep proving it?
October 9th, 2008 at 1:53 pmWhat salacious video bits can they get with satellite video surveillance?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122282336428992785.html#articleTabs%3Dcomments
October 9th, 2008 at 2:01 pmThe spying program was never about terrorists. I always assumed it was about micro-targetting.
October 9th, 2008 at 2:07 pmThere were protection against this kind of behavior beforfe Bush and the war on civil liberties. Read Jane Mayer’s book The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How The War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals!
October 9th, 2008 at 2:07 pmYa know, I expected this to start happening after January 20th. I still stand by my prediction: you will see many similar whistle blowers from various agencies like the EPA, the FDA, the CPSC, Dept of Justice, etc, etc, all those who are supposed to be protecting us in some way or another, but have been politicized. Those agencies have many non-partisan employees with a conscience who can’t speak up now for fear that they will lose their jobs.
This is just the beginning…
October 9th, 2008 at 2:09 pmTrust Bush? After $3 trillion in promised financial bailouts, Morgan Stanley’s credit default swaps entered more dangerous territory.
The big money boys continue charging each other “pay day loan” rates on an effective basis. Look at pricing for credit default swaps:
9-10 $300,000 3% anual cost for insurance on $10 million
9-18 $900,000 9% Hank Paulson rang emergencey bell
10-9 $2,500,000 25%
This is what Bush and company didn’t explain. It’s gotten worse since they threatened Congressmen with martial law.
October 9th, 2008 at 2:09 pmKnowing human nature, was there really any question that those with the fancy machines would be using our hard-earned tax dollars, listening in on sex chat lines ?
Dumb Question: Does the RNC get transcripts of democrat’s phone calls ?
October 9th, 2008 at 2:14 pmAlso note that they were listening in on Doctors Without Borders. Isn’t there another law specifically prohibiting eavesdropping on doctor/patient conversations?
There are privacy laws regarding medical information: see HIPAA.
October 9th, 2008 at 2:21 pmThe next time someone tells you that only people with something to hide should worry about all the new spying approved by our Congress, send them to this article. It is proof positive what happens when people are given unlimited power.
October 9th, 2008 at 2:22 pmThere’s no reason to believe the Gov. didn’t spy on Elliot Spitzer after his op -ed about George Bush pushed regulatory agencies, attorney generals to not enforce laws , that would have stopped some of the corruption on Wall Street .
October 9th, 2008 at 2:37 pmWhat was it , 2 weeks after his op-ed he’s indicted and smeared in the press by the FBI , when they released information about the press . Usual sleeze bag tactic, when they want to smear somebody .
So they had MOTIVE, MEANS and the OUTCOME they wanted .
Can any of the Bush loyalists lurking (I know you are) explain to us how listening in on private conversations & recording sex phone chatter deters terrorism and helps us preserve our freedoms?
October 9th, 2008 at 2:58 pmHandcuff the whole Bush administration!!!!
October 9th, 2008 at 3:19 pmLet’s combine this story with the story of the police force that took the names of local political activist groups and put them on the terror watch list. For example, a group which was against the death penalty. With this type of misuse you get:
You say on the phone you’re against the death penalty. Now it takes you hours to get through the airport, it at all.
Your motions are recorded.
The Feds confiscate your library and video records.
etc.
October 9th, 2008 at 5:59 pmThe whole idea of a dragnet for “global terrorism” is ridiculous. The more information you have, the more likely it is that you will see a pattern, whether a pattern is really there or not. That’s why police work starts with CLUES instead of spying on everyone within a hundred miles of a crime. A lot of rigging was already in place for this to have been instituted in the first place. As far as fighting terrorism goes it’s too ridiculously stupid to justify.
A report has just been released that concluded that data mining is worse than useless and it recommended that a system be put in place to compensate people who have suffered from unwarranted police action because of it.
Of course, it’s nefarious. Does anyone remember the bright idea to have DARPA create a stock market in which people could speculate on the next terror attack? Because “the market” is so prescient? This illustrates exactly how much this administration cares about terrorism and public safety.
October 9th, 2008 at 6:03 pmDid ANYONE doubt this was going to happen?
October 14th, 2008 at 12:26 pmphone sex
March 15th, 2009 at 6:29 pmphone sex
March 15th, 2009 at 6:34 pmphone sex
phone sex
phone sex
March 15th, 2009 at 6:36 pmphone sex
phone sex
phone sex
phone sex
March 15th, 2009 at 6:38 pmphone sex
phone sex
phone sex
phone sex