In God we trust....all others we monitor....


Let them call!

Powerline points us to an interesting article by Daniel Pipes which alerts us that the apologists for islamofacists over at Council on American-Islamic Relations applied for a program known as the Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS).

GETS is an "...emergency phone service provided by the National Communications System (NCS) in the Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection Division of the Department of Homeland Security. GETS supports federal, state, local, and tribal government, industry, and non-governmental organization (NGO) personnel in performing their National Security and Emergency Preparedness (NS/EP) missions..."

Given CAIR's proclivities towards aiding the enemies of this country, Pipes is happy that someone in the government had the good common sense to quickly reject this application.

However, I would contend that we should approve CAIR's application.

Why, you ask, would we ever want to do that?

Because...GETS uses government networks, or government provided priority access to other networks.

Now I am no lawyer, but I would argue that this would give some legal room for the federal government to monitor any phone calls that CAIR would make using this program.

According to DOD Directive 4640.6, "DoD-owned or leased telephones and telephone systems are provided for the transmission of official government communications and are subject to COMSEC telephone monitoring...." and "Use of official DoD telephones and telephone systems constitutes consent by the user to COMSEC telephone monitoring."

Now this does not give the government blanket authority to intercept said phone calls. DODD 4640.6 does say "does not authorize electronic surveillance of telephone communications for law enforcement or investigative purposes, and, except as provided in this section, the information obtained from COMSEC telephone monitoring shall not be used for law enforcement or investigative purposes."

However the Directive does allow for for monitoring to "Determine the information and intelligence value of voice communications potentially subject to interception..." which could then be referred to law enforcement.

So if CAIR wants to be able to use this system in times of emergency, I say let them. Who knows what we could learn....

Posted: Wed - April 19, 2006 at 08:42 PM          

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