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2006-05-15 Home Front: WoT

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Posted by ryuge 2006-05-15 08:25|| || Front Page|| [2 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Actually we have two. The first was the FBI, which was reasonably effective as a counterintelligence internal security organization until the US Congress overloaded them with policing federal crimes redundant with State and even local offenses, for political brownie points.

By making them police crimes that are not even vaguely in Constitutional federal jurisdiction, much of the assets of the FBI are utterly wasted on petty crap and publicity stunts.

The second and far more recent is the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive, which even as a new organization has to rate as being the most unloved and unwanted thing next to a large dead raccoon hidden beneath the floorboards.

Posted by Anonymoose 2006-05-15 09:15|| 2006-05-15 09:15|| Front Page Top

#2 If we had a Domestic CIA, they could spend their time trying to overthrow the evil BusHitler(tm) regime while the Grown-Up CIA was busy trying to protect the country.

Interesting point about the FBI. The Commerce clause of the Constitution has been used as justification for meddling in far too many things.

Posted by SteveS 2006-05-15 12:54|| 2006-05-15 12:54|| Front Page Top

#3 Kappes for DDCI?

Now that's a bit of a surprise!

FYI - good points here for an MI-5 type agency. But severe "firewalls" would need to be emplaced on such an agency to restict damage in the event its is misused.

But very good point that we have 2 different functions. The first is investigation, deterrence and prosecution after the fact. That's the FBI. the second (and newer) is intelligence, detection and prevention before the fact. Thats sort-of DHS, and sort-of FBI.

FBI bungled this pre-9/11 because their primary training and intenit is for Item 1 above. They simply didn't have the training aptitude and attitude to do the second job, nor did they have the tools and laws.

Posted by Oldspook 2006-05-15 12:55|| 2006-05-15 12:55|| Front Page Top

#4 So we need an MI-5 that will ignore tapes of terrorists planning bomb attacks?

No thanks. Let's just have the freaking law enforcement we already have actually enforce the law for a change.

Posted by Rob Crawford">Rob Crawford 2006-05-15 13:02|| http://www.kloognome.com/]">[http://www.kloognome.com/] 2006-05-15 13:02|| Front Page Top

#5 I was confused by the article. What is the stick this organization wields? It doesn't sound like it gets to prosecute anybody because it won't follow all the constitutional Ps and Qs the constitution is interpreted to require. And you can't tell me they'll be allowed to practice wetworks. So what can they do? Identify that the Superbowl will be bombed tomorrow and get the game cancelled?

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2006-05-15 13:02|| 2006-05-15 13:02|| Front Page Top

#6 Those who would give up essential Liberty to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety" - Ben Franklin

Posted by mcsegeek1 2006-05-15 15:41|| 2006-05-15 15:41|| Front Page Top

#7 And who is giving up an ESSENTIAL liberty? name it please.

If youare talking about call records, you already give up far more than that every time you dial a phone call - its not an essential liberty, per the Supreme Court, in that you have no privacy expectation of your phone records because you willingly give up that info in exchange for a service with a commercial third party. To get that data doesnt even require a warrant.

And what TEMPORARY and LITTLE safety are we buying?

I'd say preventing another large scale mass-csaulaty attack is neither temporary nor small. The consequences of failing to do so are quite olarge and permanent: see the holes in the groundin NY about "little"and talk to the relatives of the dead about "temporary". The damage was large, and the dead are that way quite permanently.

Posted by Oldspook 2006-05-15 16:20|| 2006-05-15 16:20|| Front Page Top

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