Who Needs A Warrant? We Just Want To See Your Cell Phone Records

The Obama Administration's Department of Justice (DOJ) is arguing in federal court to allow the government access to private citizen cell phone records without a warrant, without showing any probable cause.

Previous court decisions, during the Bush Administration, ruled against the government's case - but the current DOJ is moving ahead anyway. Government lawyers argue that private citizens have no Fourth Amendment protections when it comes to private telephone company records regarding cell phone usage, including Global Positioning System (GPS) information.

Sprint revealed that it received over 8 million information requests from government/law enforcement entities, and has over 110 employees assigned to process this activity. A Sprint spokesman also said that every telecom has such a team.

The ACLU and Electronic Frontiers Foundation have joined the legal battle.

Why does the government feel it is above the established rule of law? Why does the government feel it is imperative that no warrants and no probable cause evidence be presented to judges and courts? Why does the government want to further tie telecommunications corporations into its legal apparatus?

What do you think? Read more here:
http://rawstory.com/2010/02/obama-attorneys-argue-warrantless-cell-phone-tracking/

President Obama: Trying To Make The Future Safe For More Guys Like This! Guys Who Can't Remember Things!

(Insert name of your favorite villain/evil-doer/boogeyman here)

While on the campaign trail, Senator Obama spoke eloquently and vigorously about the Bush Administration's use of dubious legal standards - including a wide-ranging "state secrets" blanket - to shield its activities from the press and public.

Unfortunately, President Obama's Department Of Justice has picked up defending these constitutional violations right where the Bush Administration left off. Various legal cases seeking to eliminate the veils of secrecy are being battled in court, and the current DOJ keeps fighting to maintain the Bush-era stances. You can read Glen Greenwald's cogent summation of the current situation here:

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2009/11/01/state_secrets/index.html

Okay, so using Dick Cheney's photo is a cheap way to sell this post - after all, Dick, W and their pals were the enemy many could agree on and hiss continually without fear.

Fortunately, verification that Cheney is indeed a bad guy keeps coming out. Apparently the memory portion of his brain contains holes like swiss cheese - he cannot remember things. Important things, like who was in a position to manipulate the press with fake Iraqi WMD claims, or who might have known the identity of a certain undercover CIA agent.

But now that a previously secret FBI interview summation has been made public - via court order - we can see that Mr. Cheney's memory lapses coincide remarkably with grand jury testimony from his chief of staff, "Scooter" Libby. Libby verifies orders from his boss to divulge classified intelligence documents to a New York Times reporter; the then-Vice President cannot recollect any such discussion. Libby, under oath, recalls the time when Cheney told him the identity of a CIA agent who happened to be married to a man the VP characterized as "an aggravation"; Dick, pausing for a moment, tapping his fingers on a desk while his eyes scan the ceiling - sorry, he has no recollection. Okay, I used a little dramatic license there, but it's easy to imagine!

There's a lot more, and you can read it here: http://www.truthout.org/1031099.

Make sure and check out a scan of the actual FBI document, where you can see the numerous variations of "I cannot recall":
http://www.citizensforethics.org/files/20091030%20-%20Cheney%20302%20(redacted).pdf.

It's a chilling read, understanding that this is but one episode in the lawless, power-hungry, and ultimately bloody actions of the Bush Administration.

These are the guys that the Obama Department of Justice is shielding in court today. It is the "legal" interpretations and precedents that these guys set in motion that the Obama Department of Justice is fighting to preserve.

Wonder why?