Stevens, 83, is under a federal investigation for his relationship with Bill Allen, an oil field services contractor who was convicted this year of bribing state lawmakers.

While it may be old news that the FBI has been sending out its so-called “National Security Letters” to private businesses with the goal of coercing them into revealing personal information about their clients or employees, most people are probably not aware that the FBI was not being entirely truthful in these letters.  Where are the “check and balances”?

Many of the letters were written with the following language:

Due to exigent circumstances, it is requested that records for the attached list of telephone numbers be provided.  Subpoenas requesting this information have been submitted to the U.S. Attorney’s Office who will process and serve them formally.

The letters promised that the proper papers were filed with the U.S. Attorneys office.  In many cases, however, this was an utter fabrication.  It seems as though these bureaucrats think they can alter reality.  They think therefore it is.  

Thanks to the Electronic Freedom Foundation, the FBI was caught in this blatant abuse of the Patriot Act — a law which already gives too much authority to the government.  I use the word ‘give’ very loosely of course, considering that words on a piece of paper do not have the ability to give anyone anything.  At most, the law allows the government — who created the law – to obtain an aura of legitimacy regarding its otherwise obscene actions.

All of the letters seem to be coming from the Communications Analysis Unit which appears to be stationed in room 4944 of the FBI Headquarters.  The only name on any of the letters is Larry Mefford.

Mefford is the former Executive Assistant Director, in charge of the Counterterrorism/Counterintelligence Division of the FBI.  He was in charge of preventing domestic terrorism. 

It makes you wonder what type of “special project” this information – in many cases multiple pages worth of domestic telephone records — was needed for.  Why did the FBI need to reach around the Patriot Act in order to obtain these names?  Could it be because there was no evidence to excuse such a blatant disregard for privacy rights?

I will leave you with a quote from Benjamin Franklin:

“Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”

Remember it well, he was a smart man.

shout it