FBI expands agents’ investigative power
Washington • The Federal Bureau of Investigation is giving significant new powers to its roughly 14,000 agents — allowing them more leeway to search databases, go through household trash or use surveillance teams to scrutinize the lives of people who have attracted their attention.
The FBI soon plans to issue a new edition of its manual, called the Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide, according to an official who has worked on the draft document and several others who have been briefed on its contents. The new rules add to several measures taken over the past decade to give agents more latitude as they search for signs of criminal or terrorist activity.
You know, I can't think of the number of times I've thought to myself, wow, the FBI could get so much more accomplished if only they didn't have to abide by all those pesky rules and rights. I mean, that pesky First Amendment, letting people say what they want without fear of governmental reprisal - how crazy is that? And the Third Amendment - if only Federal agents could crash on your couch whenever they wanted! Let's not even start on the Fourth amendment - if those inconsiderate proles didn't insist on being secure in their homes the FBI could stop all kinds of crime!
If this doesn't scare the living crap out of you, well, you must be working for the Feds. Honestly? They can go through my trash on an "assessment"? They can search through databases without getting a warrant or even recording the search? There's simply nothing to indicate that they can't search anywhere they want, any record, at any time, for any reason - and not have to justify it to anyone or even make a record that it ever happened. That's frightening on so many levels.
I think the only thing preventing them from stopping people on the street and asking for their papers is that they'd have to deal with all the illegals...
That is all.
6 comments:
Jay G who?? I never heard of him...
So did Congress allow them these Extra Powers, or did Obama and Holder DECREE them? BTW, why don't they allow the ATF to Illegally ship Guns to Mexican Drug Gangs so they can make Massive Arrests sometime in the Far Future?
BTW, what's that little electronic box doing under your car, Jay?
Terrorism has become our Reichstag Fire - the modern day pretext for our slide into tyranny.
If they want to search my trash, they can come right over. I'll even serve 'em fresh, non-tampered-with coffee.
I burn our trash in a barrel out back. I'd donate the coffee just to see the looks on the fibbies' faces when I told 'em, "Want my trash? Okay. Get your time machine, go thattaway, travel back about an hour, and you can have it."
Yep. I'm an asshole.
I especially like the bit in the final paragraph, where she rejects "arguments that the F.B.I. should focus only on investigations that begin with a firm reason for suspected wrongdoing."
Any old tenuous reason is enough to send the g-men to root through your trash!
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