Backward at the F.B.I.June 18, 2011
The Obama administration has long been bumbling along in the footsteps of its predecessor when it comes to
sacrificing Americans’ basic rights and liberties under the false flag of fighting terrorism. Now the Obama team
seems ready to lurch even farther down that dismal road than George W. Bush did.
Instead of tightening the relaxed rules for F.B.I. investigations — not just of terrorism suspects
but of pretty much anyone — that were put in place in the Bush years, President Obama’s Justice Department
is getting ready to push the proper bounds of privacy even further.
snip
The Mukasey guidelines let the bureau go after people identified in part by race or religion,
which only raises the danger of government spying on law-abiding Americans based on their
political activity or ethnic background. ........Incredibly, the Obama administration thinks
Mr. Mukasey did not go far enough. ....
..... the F.B.I plans to issue a new edition of its operational manual that will
give agents significant new powers to search law enforcement and private databases,
go through household trash or deploy surveillance teams, with even fewer checks against abuse.
Take, for example, the lowest category of investigations, called an “assessment.”
...... allow agents to look
into people and groups “proactively” where there is no evidence tying them to possible
criminal or terrorist activity. Under the new rules, agents will be allowed to search databases
without making a record about it. Once an assessment has started, agents will be permitted to
conduct lie detector tests and search people’s trash as part of evaluating a potential informant.
No factual basis for suspecting them of wrongdoing will be necessary.
snip
Currently, surveillance squads, which are trained to surreptitiously follow targets,
may be used only once during an assessment. The new rules will allow repeated use.
They also expand the special rules covering “undisclosed participation” in an organization by an F.B.I. agent or informant. The current rules are not public, and, as things stand they still won’t be. But we do know the changes allow an agent or informant to surreptitiously attend up to five meetings of a group before the rules for undisclosed participation — whatever they are — kick in.
snip
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/19/opinion/19sun1.html?_r=1&ref=opinion
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