NYTimes-FBI May Spy on Americans

August 21, 2008
New Guidelines Would Give F.B.I. Broader Powers
By ERIC LICHTBLAU
WASHINGTON — A Justice Department plan would loosen restrictions on the Federal Bureau of Investigation to allow agents to open a national security or criminal investigation against someone without any clear basis for suspicion, Democratic lawmakers briefed on the details said Wednesday.

The plan, which could be made public next month, has already generated intense interest and speculation. Little is known about its precise language, but civil liberties advocates say they fear it could give the government even broader license to open terrorism investigations.

Congressional staff members got a glimpse of some of the details in closed briefings this month, and four Democratic senators told Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey in a letter on Wednesday that they were troubled by what they heard.

The senators said the new guidelines would allow the F.B.I. to open an investigation of an American, conduct surveillance, pry into private records and take other investigative steps “without any basis for suspicion.â€

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Don't be shocked, but the FBI has always "spied" on Americans and the CIA spied beyond the border.

Personally, they can watch and listen to me all they want, I have nothing to hide, however, I disagree with them having that ok to do so when there is not enough reason.

I have had my own concerns, as an activist that a profile could be made of one of us at any time now, with the patriot act in place. All it takes is for them the say they feel that any one of us poses a potential threat due to our strong feelings against a government that refuses to do it's job, and make that their claim, that we might be a problem.

Again, I know not one of us has any concerns, or anything to hide, yet it is so wrong that they can do that and sniff around in our proverbial backyard and essentially take away our Constitutional privacy.

You don't need anything to hide for them to take you in. There was a fellow at the Save Our State forum who was taken in even though he was innocent. He spent several months in jail and had his good name tarnished before they dismissed the charges and let him go.

Agree, AE, since I know every detail of my life is already somewhere else besides this country, i.e., payrolls being processed in India, my SS number in the possession of the local utilities, my medical records being processed by some foreign doctor, my cell phone able to locate my whereabouts to any interested party, corporations knowing every purchase I make with a credit or debit card(so they will be able to entice me with their products) and every word I type on any internet site may be subject to hacking, official or not.
I just fear that with this wide spread of investigation allowance against American citizens, we are returning to a sort of McCarthy era.