While we have all been worrying about the Telecom Immunity and the other changes to the FISA Laws Rep. Obey has quietly made sure the FBI doesn't have the money to do more harm. Obey and his Appropriations Comm. voted down a big 11 Million Dollar expansion of the FBI's datamining.
Earlier today, a House appropriators voted to pull $11 million to expand a controversial FBI data-mining project, after the Bureau repeatedly stiff-armed Congressmen and their gumshoes in the Government Accountability Office.
"By refusing to answer even the most basic questions about this program, the Department of Justice has given us little choice. In fact, we’re only doing what they told us to do," said Congressman Brad Miller in a statement. "The Department of Justice... said that if Congress didn’t like what they were doing, we could pull their funding. Well, that’s what we’ve done... Until an agency can provide reasonable explanations, and assurances that our citizens’ privacy won’t be violated, it would be irresponsible to give the Department of Justice this large increase in funds. " http://blog.wired.com/...
While I can't honestly swear this program is connected to the data that has been mined illegally thru the Warrantless Wiretapping this will at least make it harder for the Feds to fund much analysis of what they scooped up. It shoud also slow down what appears to be TALON, TIA, ADVISE, and or MATRIX renamed. All of these programs are supposed to be shutdown for one reason or another by Congress and public outrage. The Feds have been continually brought them back to life in a effort to spy on Americans whether we like it or not. Read this next quote from SourceWatch very carefully and you will probably reach the same end I have.
The FBI is seeking $12 million for its Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force to set up the National Security Branch Analysis Center beginning October 1, 2007 (FY2008).[4] The Center "will include 90,000 square feet of office space and a total of 59 staff, including 23 contractors and five FBI agents. Documents predict the NSAC will include six billion records by FY2012. This amounts to 20 separate 'records' for each man, woman and child in the United States. The 'universe of subjects will expand exponentially' with the expanded role of the NSAC, the Justice Department documents assert," the House Committee on Science and Technology wrote in a June 5, 2007, letter to the Government Accountability Office.
"What information will be contained in the 'records' it collects, whether the 'records' of U.S. citizens will be included in its database, how this data will be employed and how the FBI plans to ensure that the data is not misused or abused in any way, ?" Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.), the chair and ranking member of the oversight panel of the House Science and Technology Committee, asked. National Security Branch Analysis Center
To make this story hopefully make more sense to those that don't follow things as close as some others of us do ABC has a copy of a letter written to Rep. Obey by Rep. Brad Miller, D-N.C.. Miller was one of the first to raise questions about this program with Obey and others.
In a letter to the House Appropriations Chairman David R. Obey, D-Wisc. obtained by ABC News, Miller complained that the Bush administration had stonewalled efforts by investigators from Congress' Government Accountability Office to arrange meetings and obtain information about the program. Congress last year asked the GAO to investigate the program.
"It took repeated attempts by GAO even to obtain an initial meeting with Justice Department officials on the issue," Miller wrote. "At their initial meeting, Justice Department officials bluntly told GAO that they would provide no information and GAO had no right to see any records" regarding the role and purpose of the center, and what kinds of information it would hold, arguing that as a "national security system" it was "exempt" from Congressional oversight.
It was his understanding, Miller wrote, that Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell had instructed the department to withhold the information. FBI Data-Mining Plan Hits Roadblock in Congress
In the Wired piece Miller is credited with really being on top of this whole issue. It's nice to know someone in the House is watching our backs besides Steny Hoyer and Nancy Pelosi. Miller points out in this final quote of my diary what he is bothered by the most.
But the mission of NSAC has expanded far beyond that limited purpose and scope and the Justice Department claims that with this new data mining center’s access to billions of personnel records the "universe of subjects will expand exponentially." The potential for abuse and the possibility that innocent American citizens will become wrongfully ensnared within the FBI’s growing web of potential suspects is a grave concern.
Or as Noah Shachtman closes his article "And vague claims about national security don't automatically wash away concerns about creepily-invasive government projects any more."
So in the end it must be remembered that there is more than one way to skin the cat also known as FISA that is being shoved down our throats. We have heard numerous times the Pundits and Governmental Agencys tell us if we don't like something that Congress can just choose not to fund A, B, or C. Well sounds like Obey and the Appropriations Committee is taking their advice seriously. Kudos.