Maybe some obvious questions, re: bypassing FISA

[Mabus]

From Timothy Naftali: Bush and the NSA spying scandal "Under FISA, it is the FBI that must make formal requests for secret warrants."

There are some things that are still bothering me concerning the bypassing of the FISA court but I won't bore you with all of them. However I do wonder if someone could clear up FBI protocol/procedure when entering a jurisdicition. From the movies and television I've seen that the FBI usually goes to the local law enforcement to let them to they are in the area and doing an investigation as a courtesy. Moreover, we know that telephone companies were complicit in helping with the warrantless searches but what about local law enforcement agencies like local police and sheriff departments? The reason I ask is I remembered a couple of local newspaper clippings from year a portion of which reads:

The FBI has questioned at least two members of a Lawrence anarchist group since Monday, and has confirmed agents were here checking out a tip that a group planned to firebomb media vehicles at the Democratic National Convention in Boston.

But members of the anarchist group, who say they don't have any members going to the convention, remain skeptical of the FBI's motives for paying visits to their homes, workplaces and families. They said they feared the government was seizing an opportunity to investigate or harass them for their anti-capitalist, anti-war views.

"It just seems like it's information gathering. It's intelligence gathering," said group member David Strano. "It's probably useful to them for something." source: FBI continues to track anarchists

Then I remembered the clash between local police and protesters outside the Holidome and while looking for a related article ran across this:

Police admit surveillance of Dole protesters

A Lawrence police officer on Tuesday described conducting surveillance on a group of protesters prior to a march July 21 at a Dole Institute of Politics dedication event.

The surveillance included filming a gathering at South Park the day before the protest and filming the outside a home at 1305 Tenn. where one of the protesters was believed to live, plainclothes officer Sean Brown testified on the first day of trial for Wesley R. Teal, of Lawrence. Teal is charged with pushing Lawrence Police Lt. Ray Urbanek during a confrontation between police and protesters outside a $500-a-plate dinner at the Lawrence Holidome, 200 McDonald Drive.

***

Police Chief Ron Olin testified he ordered some of the surveillance prior to the protest because he suspected the group would take some kind of action that would hurt or disrupt the dedication event. But Olin said he didn't specifically order the video footage at the home.

So, my question is how many local law enforcement agencies have cooperated and are still cooperating with spying on Americans? In otherwords, should I be questioning how much our local police department is cooperating (and pointing fingers at locals) with the feds? More importantly, should I be concerned with the increased police patrols in my neighborhood? There's a cop who parks in the next block several days a week and just sits there.

btw, the charges against Teal were dropped Charges dropped against last Dole protester "In the past two months, jurors have acquitted Wesley R. Teal, 19, Lawrence, and Leo C. Jalipa, 22, Columbia, Mo. Both were charged with shoving officers July 21 as they tried to march across McDonald Drive toward the Lawrence Holidome, 200 McDonald Drive, scene of a $500-per-plate V.I.P. dinner."

[ddeclue]

1. The NSA didn't have to leave Virginia for this.

They just had the phone companies route all their data through their NSA supercomputers so they could analyze it.

It was a total fishing expedition. They listened in on everything and then picked out what they wanted to listen to.

Of course the local cops weren't told.

In fact they were listening in on the local cops.

Doug D.

[rocktivity]

2. I remember a takedown on America's Most Wanted that almost got bungled

because the Feds didn't tell the locals what they were up to. They lost track of the suspect TWICE before it occurred them that extra help might be the answer.

:mad:
rocknation