Are YOU on the government’s watch list?
Question: What could happen when a guy goes into a store and buys some chemicals for his child’s science fair project, and while he’s there, also picks up a timer for his sprinkler?
Answer: He could go on a terrorist watch list.
If that sounds like a joke, it isn’t. Thanks to the results of a meeting of U.S. intelligence officials in the White House Situation Room in March 2012, counterterrorism officials have succeeded in establishing a legal government dragnet that sweeps up records about U.S. citizens, including those suspected of no crimes.
Previously, the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) was barred from storing information about ordinary Americans unless they were terror suspects or were related to investigations. But now, the NCTC is allowed to copy entire government databases, including flight records, names of Americans hosting foreign exchange students and many others. And it can keep data about those innocent citizens for five years in order to analyze it for suspicious patterns of behavior.
I recently read an article on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, U.S. Terrorism Agency to Tap a Vast Database of Citizens. It’s pretty long, but well worth your time if you want to learn just how far this unprecedented government surveillance reaches.
One former senior administration official called this new law “breathtaking” in its scope. Even the former chief privacy officer of the Department of Homeland Security argued against it due to its potential for intruding into the lives of law-abiding U.S. citizens!
But legally, it does not appear that privacy advocates can successfully fight this. When it passed the Federal Privacy Act in 1974, Congress was trying to prevent government agencies from going through government files indiscriminately, but it turned out the act had no teeth. And the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, which states that searches of persons, houses, papers and effects should not be conducted without probable cause, doesn’t help either because it does not cover records that the government creates in the normal course of business with citizens.
What do you think about this? Should counterterrorism agencies such as NTCT be allowed to access government databases of ordinary citizens who have never been convicted – or even suspected – of a crime, on the extremely remote chance that someday they might commit a terrorist act? Is that a good use of counterterrorism agencies’ time? Let me know your reaction to this!
t make everyone miseriable. The socialistic values of the Democratic party supported strongly by the ACLU IS the demise of our great nation. Not only is the Democratic party selling our country out but also the Supreme Court. From Obama on down the chain of command. If we as a country investigate an individual that is mussl
I had a woman from HHS come here to where I live. She started to ask me about guns. I told her, “There are no guns here. I don’t own any guns.” I asked her why she was asking. She told me that shooting happened out near Denver. I told her she was nuts. Why come here and start asking these questions? I wonder who dropped a dime on me.
People that no who you are what you are and what country you live in. I’m not talking about the 14th amendment citizen- slave. The immediate issue we have is the “PUBLIC FOUL SYSTEM” not teaching our little ones the classic education previously to the 70(s) learned in schools across “AMERICA” not the U.S. CORP.. And as for the honorable Bill of Rights? That has been put in place for the “PEOPLE” to hold the “GOVERNMENT” to task and not let them over step there “JURISDICTION” which the public knows nothing about obviously. Who said ignorance is bliss? WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!!!!!!! never too late to educate. Or what you get, you disserve. No brag just “FACT” sheeple. Have a nice stay at F.E.M.A. INTERNATIONAL a real Five Star vacation.
You said, “not the U.S. CORP”.
The Act of 1871 created the corporate UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
All CAPS is how you designate a corporation in the legal realm. The corporations have been running this country for a very long time.
Well for those enough old to remember Nikita Kruschev he once said that Russia had no need to attack the United States, because we would fall from within. The US government has trampled on the 10th Amendment for way too long. The money is dangled in front of the states to dance along with the current tune the government is playing. When money becomes what you worship, the consequences should be obvious. The government doesn’t think that Americans are smart enough to figure out what is going on. It is time we show them what we know and use the power of the vote to oust these folks that live in their fantasy world. When my elected politician spends 70% of his/her time campaign fund raising no matter we are in such a mess. The time has come to either have a revolution by using the vote, or turn a blind eye and live like the dummies we are assumed to be.
Use cash, when possible.
Become familiar with: FM 29-40.
You are doing one great job of keeping us posted as to what kind of government that we had in the United States now.
It just goes to show you that we have not privatice like good American need to have. Our the people that we voted in to office sure never done the job when it comes to make laws to protect the people they represented.
Also it just goes to show you that the people once voted into office in most cases are attornies and the think they can now walk on water because they know more that the average American.
Keep up the good work. It is really appreciated.
America is a mess. The mess has been created by career politicians with their own agenda. Their agenda is to get for themselves all that they can and screw the people that put them there. How many went to Congress as virtual paupers, compared to where they are financially today?
We now have two parties that are trying to make it look like they are trying to do what is best for us all. We have the American Socialist Party, the “democrats” and the We Wanna Do Rights, the Wrong Way, “republicans”. We also have Ron and Rand Paul who have the right idea, but with the wrong approach, a little too radical in some aspects.
These people are elected to represent the people of their states and are saying to hell with what the people want, they will get what I want for them. This has been going on for far too long. It has been going on since before the Kennedy ERA. We the people can stop this. All we have to do is in 2014 get people in place to run for ALL Congressional seats coming available. Then again in 2016 and take over Congress and the White House.
We can have a Revolution without a shot being fired. We do it at our polling places with the pen and our votes. In doing so we can re-instate the Constitution as it was written with a few tweaks to bring it into modern times with destroying its intentions.
IF we could have a LEGITIMATE election, you are correct, however the way things are now – Illegals who SHOULD have no vote, (plus the lazy @$$#$ who just want to live off welfare), voting for whoever is giving them all the free stuff, all the “fized” voting machines, and Cjicago-style votes, (multiple votes & dead people “voting”), an honest election is no longer possible.
Excellent Post
My 81 year old Mother came to me, in tears, last week. I asked her what is wrong. She told me that the government has everyone’s personal information and she is afraid of that. If an 81 year old woman who has not ever had so much as a speeding ticket, in her entire life, is afraid of what the government is doing, it is time for that march on D.C. to tell our POTUS enough and it is time to leave innocent citizens alone. Stop trying to take away our God given right to privacy and for self protection. I have had enough and I would love to see a 10 million man march on D.C. to stop the paranoid POTUS from trying to take over the as king of the world.
It is scary to be in this country right now and it seems to be getting worse. I heard a report that our country, out of all the countries in history, has the highest probability to go to jail in an average life span. We have so many laws and new laws out there that don’t seem or appear to be upheld until it suits a judge or some government official and its enforced to suit their moods for the day. We break laws without even knowing that we are breaking a law mostly because we can’t keep track of all the laws out there floating around. Look at the mother who got a min. jail sentence of 20 yrs for shooting a warning shot (and hit the wall) at her known abusive husband. 20 yrs seems very excessive for not even injuring him. What has become of our great country?
Are we smarter than an Egyptian? Only took them one year to figure out their President is a thug and power mad dictator wannabe. We get “Hope and Change”.
The Greatest Country in the World should not be spying on it’s citizens, robbing them blind with taxes enforced by goons, pushing jobs out of the country, stopping just short of strip searches to get on an airplane, handing over the keys to their houses to banks, driving us to buy gas and oil from the biggest terrorist countries in the world and on and on. The Government is so riddled with fraud and corruption I will not live long enough to see it cleaned up. We have no system of checks and balances as originally designed in our Constitution-which fox shall we send to guard the hen house?.
Amazing how every dot we put on a piece of paper, our calls and grocery lists can be archived but our government cannot remember the wars we fought, those who died or returned as suffering survivors, Americans who labored and paid taxes their entire lives to pay into systems of corruption. (When you reach old age the money you gave them becomes an “entitlement” now. They cannot remember what immigration laws our ancestors complied with to become proud citizens, the duty of our government to protect our borders. Spit! Now a citizen is expected to keep their mouth shut, pay until you bleed, give up all means of defending yourself, push God out of every public place and document and bow down to them. Few lawmakers have ever read the Constitution or U.S. history let alone believe in it or the roles defined by it. Impeach? Tar and Feathers used to be a great deterrent to sleazy politics.
You are 100% right! Too easy for a corrupt puppet master to fix voting polls, or “pay off” congressmen to get a bill passed. This government truly thinks Americans are stupid and uninformed. So how do you reach those illiterate masses and educate them about the Rights that the govt is taking from them?
Trying to change things by voting in new blood is very idealistic and, in the past, worked. But when you have a criminal element running our government, this form of change is unrealistic. Actually, I pray that one day a Stage 10 Hurricane spins in over Washington D.C. and totally destroys the area and all its inhabitants. Starting over from the beginning is the only way to make sure power hungry criminals do not sit in any seat of our government.
There is so much power grabbing by this illegal man in our presidency that the rest of the goons just follow along like drones. Immoral, illegal, and Constitution busting is all he knows…a conniving little man attitude stuffed in a scarecrow body flashing an evil grin. His idea of America is cutting her off at the knees so she’ll bleed…we are bleeding now. Are we waiting til he cuts off america’s head too? Get Black Mamba out of office by impeachment and perhaps the rest of Congress will finally come back to their senses.
There are elderly men and woman here in the U.S. that are TERRIFIED that our government will somehow target them for something. Terrorists TERRIFY people,WHAT DO YOU THINK OUR GOVERNMENT IS DOING to it’s own people,TERRIFYING them. Who is TERRIFYING WHO ?.
Americans were once strong and brave people. They believed in God, lived their lives by God’s rules, and America prospered! Now as this Muslim in the Grey House attempts to strip us of our Faith, we are floundering. Why? Where is our Faith and why have we let this fake shake our world?
Not only do we need to bring God to the forefront of our lives again, but we need to adopt the attitude of Joan of Arc who fought so bravely to defend God. We have abandoned Him to seek other avenues as answers to our problems.
Why do you suppose our Forefathers fought so bravely to win our Religious Freedoms? Because of RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION FROM THE CROWN! Now we are experiencing the same violations from another government figurehead that truly thinks he is a “King” of America…a monarchy.
It may be time for Americans to unite as a solid front to knock this figurehead and his illegal policies off the pedestal. We can try “voting” out the offending and totally illegal party first; however, should that not work, some more drastic, physical actions may be necessary. Be ready to defend your liberties because it will take every last man, woman and child to win back our Country.
I have to say I am willing to risk a terrorist attack and deal with it accordingly after, for the right to my rights and privacy. I also think this is just a way for the government and those pulling the strings to take our rights away and the amount of terrorism that will be prevented is not really that much.
This government is “using” Terrorism as a reason to invade our privacy on all levels – searching our bodies at airports, searching our emails and texts, listening to our phone conversations, etc. They want us to be so afraid so they can use that premise to check on us. It is WRONG and if all Americans buy into these threats, we will not have one ounce of privacy left!
If you want this government out of your personal info, then fight back, become the thorn in its side. Do not let them convince you that they are doing this for your safety – they are not. It is just a ruse to get you to go along with their privacy invading tactics.
Yes, we are dealing with terrorists in this country, many homegrown. But other countries have gotten the brunt of most terrorist attacks. America is larger and stronger and can retaliate harder, so most do not try. 9/11 was a wake up call for our country. We could be attacked from the inside. Now there are protocols stopping that from happening.
What is bad abt this government invading our privacy is that “they” can decide if our actions “may” be terrorist inspired…even a minister, teacher, doctor, nurses, etc, people who would never follow the terrorist path. THIS GOVT WANTS YOU TO BE AFRAID OF YOUR SHADOW SO THEY CAN STRIP YOU OF YOUR “PRIVACY” RIGHTS. Don’t believe their “Terrorism” rants — it’s just a ruse to obtain all your personal information.
How long will we sit and watch what is being done to our beloved America? What will it take to mobilize our patriotic citizens? How will we organize the daily MARCH ON WASHINGTON which should already be happening? This tyrannical administration has to be stopped! I have never in my life seen such a blatant disregard for our Constitution even during the Nixon era. The politicians who signed off on this sweeping dragnet and invasion of privacy should all be fired or impeached.
All patriots are on a list because they are a threat to the future “New World Order” Agenda 21.
OK, frogs – if you haven’t noticed, the water is really getting hotter fast!
Many people continue to insist that a little privacy is a small thing to lose – especially in exchange for safety
After all – “I have nothing to hide”.
The new laws may have well intended origins, but they certainly put a lot of unbalanced power in the hands of a small number of invisible people.
Bad and self-serving people do exist – and if just one of them gets into a position to use that power, just imagine the result.
Now imagine if that person is in a very high position (can you think of anyone like that? I thought you could.
The water is getting hotter.
All of this is an infringement beyond any of our wildest dreams. Its seems we now have no privacy or rights for that matter. Are we intentionally immitating China? That’s is certianly how it feels. America has lost its freedom. Everything our for fathers warned about is not coming true. The worst part? Most americans are in a coma and have no idea. Look around and see how many cameras you see every single day. Go to NY and its insane. There’s a huge soy center by the 911 memorial with no windows only cameras. Now they are tracking all our personal purchases, emails and travel plans…….how can you trust a peeping tom?? You can’t. Wake up everyone its time…I’d like to say before its too late…..but it already is. God help those whom are worthy and for the rest, let the devil has his full dues! God help us save America !! Dee
I think this is all ridiculous! The whole fourth amendment should be repealed so that police can gather evidence needed to catch terrorists and other criminals!
And the first amendment should be repealed so that muslims are prevented from advertising their religion and teaching it to others. In fact, the whole Islamic faith could be outlawed if the first amendment were repealed!
And the fifth amendment should be repealed so that the property of muslim terrorists can be taken without need for any legal process, and so that the terrorist can be forced to provide evidence in court.
To back up the repeal of the fifth amendment, we need to repeal the eighth amendment so that, when in contempt of court for refusing to testify, the terrorist can be induced to cooperate with “enhanced interrogation”.
The sixth amendment also has to go, because terrorists and their tricky lawyers will use it to escape justice.
The seventh amendment must also be repealed so that terrorists and their supporters can not sue law abiding Americans.
Some victims of terrorism may be homeless veterans. If the third amendment is repealed, we could immediately house them in unused spare rooms in the homes of capitalist plutocrats.
Yes, all this Bill of Rights is very inconvenient for the government and the police!
You must work for the CIA, shame on you!
Gov. can not control and watch the unlawful people now, why watch normal people?
We are headed for God’s judgment because of our refusal to repent. When “We, the People” re-elected Obama in Nov., we reached the tipping point. God has turned us over to reprobate minds (Romans 1) and wicked leadership. We should not be surprised at how quickly this is all coming down. Babylon fell in one night, shortly after the handwriting appeared on the wall.
We have history to learn from–even recent history if we study Nazi Germany–but we refuse because our “personal agendas” are more important than saving this country. And saving this country will not start from any of this blogging and soapbox spouting. It’s going to come on our knees in sincere humility.
Can we be saved even with that? It may be too late. God told Jeremiah and Ezekiel to NOT pray for the people as they had gone too far. But we can still seek His mercy and grace for ourselves and our families if we are sincere about repentance and obedience–listening and following His leading as not seen in America for over a century.
A Men! I could not agree more.
Well said and oh so true.
A man recently said: “the government can’t protect me from tele-marketers, how are they going to protect me from terrorists?” It’s a good question and very poignant. If they couldn’t or wouldn’t stop the Boston terrorists even after the Russians sent their dossier with warnings they were capable of terrorist style murder, there is no question that this government is fast becoming our enemy instead of our protector, because they view patriotic Americans, Christians, and veterans as more of a danger than the named and identified extremist terrorists who actually do make bombs and murder innocent people. What does this say about our government, and where does this leave ordinary citizens who love their country and want to preserve it from the likes of the fanatics and domestic enemies who are trying to destroy it, and us???
For those who don’t know! Our Tyranical government is controld by the corperate elites and not by the people. The people have become sleeping sheep that have been lulled into a false sense of security. One need only look to the staged Boston bombing and the illegal Marshal Law tactics they imposed and the people applauded them for the invasion of thier privacy. So its no small wonder that this law passed. We are losing our Moral Values of our Moral Constitution. Those in the free media press are pointing fingers at all the corrupt Corperate entities that are controlling and destroying our country and our constitution. I say! That its the peoples fault for not standing up and demanding our constitutional rights as free Americans. We are to blame [as a people] for allowing this evil to over take our Liberties. [Wake up O sleeper, befor we all perish.]
You are correct about the ruling elite. The problem is they control government, business, education, the media – basically they control reality for the rest of us. These people operate behind the scenes and they are from all over the world, they have no national loyalties. Government agencies like the Federal Reserve, IRS and CIA work for them. They are invisible. So are the people to blame for being confused to the point of dysfunction by the competing and misleading messages these people put out? It’s sad, those who are awake need to find a way to get the message out as you are.
Could not have said it better. But what do we do? The elections are rigged, judges are becoming corrupt, the law is skewed, what is next? One World Government, just like George Bush the elder pushed so quietly in speeches. Is there anyone in the government we can trust? There are a few who seem to fight for freedom, but it is a matter of time before they are killed or corrupted. How sad to see a great nation, built on gospel principles go down.
Counterterrorism agencies should not be allowed to have free access to databases of ordinary lawabding citizens.this is a huge overreach into our lives!