Qwest, the only telecommunications firm to reject a request for all telephone records made by the National Security Agency (NSA) indicated on Friday that it did so because the request violated federal privacy laws.

The company released a statement Friday morning indicating that the decision not to hand over its customers' records was made by former chief executive, Joseph N. Nacchio. Nacchio asked his lawyers if 'a warrant or other legal process had been secured in support of that request.'

When he was informed no warrant had been obtained by the government, and that there was a 'disinclination on the part of the authorities to use any legal process,' Nacchio concluded that 'the requests violated the privacy requirements of the Telecommunications Act.'

Qwest was the only telecommunications giant to turn down the government's secret demands. According to a report in Thursday's 'USA Today,' AT&T, BellSouth and Verizon all handed over the telephone logs of all of their clients shortly after the September 11 attacks when the NSA demanded them.

The open questioning of the legality of the NSA's actions came on the same day that former NSA chief, General Michael Hayden, was seeking support on Capitol Hill for his nomination as the next director of the CIA. Despite the controversy surrounding against Haden's military background and the questionable legality of actions taken by the NSA during his tenure, Mr. Bush remains supportive of his nominee.

Hayden continues to defend the NSA's data gathering program, telling reporters, 'Everything that the agency has done has been lawful.' It's been briefed to the appropriate members of Congress.'

Senator Arlen Specter (R-Penn.), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has indicated he will call upon the presidents of the major telecommunications firms to determine exactly what information they handed over to the government.

Brad Kurtzberg
http://www.elitestv.com/pub/2006/May...d987e03d1.html

http://www.elitestv.com/pub/2006/May...d987e03d1.html

What I want to know is why all the other companies didn't use this line of reasoning??

Newflash folks:

1. Phone companies, and the government, have had access to the numbers you have called, and the phone numbers that have called you - and they've had that information for YEARS.
2. This is NOT "wiretapping".
3. This is NOT the same as listening to your phone conversations.

15 years ago I was visitting with a local police officer friend of mine. He said that they (the local police) look over the phone records of "suspected" people in town. A LOT of them. IF there were any phone calls to or from Fresno, CA, they jumped on it - because Fresno was, at that time, a huge gang & drug center.

Old news. Old tactics. Old hype.

The republican party just keeps gettin better.






Decades after Richard Nixon resigned the office of the president, Watergate remains one of the top presidential scandals of modern time. Early in the morning on June 17, 1972, police discovered five intruders inside the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee. The burglars were there, it turned out, to adjust bugging equipment they had installed during a May break-in and to photograph the Democrats' documents.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv...erm/watergate/

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nsa/pub...a/irancon.html

Iraqgate

ANOTHER NEWSFLASH, GIRLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BellSouth is saying that it NEVER gave these lists to the NSA.


When it's all said and done, we're going to find out that this "breaking story" by this woman reporter WAS A LIE.

And all of you gullible, Bush-haters will have egg on your faces. Again.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060516/D8HKK0T80.html