- WASHINGTON, DC -- "There
was quite a flap some months ago about the NSA snooping on Americans without
legal warrant. The Bush people claim it was 'necessary' because of their
phoney 'War on Terrorism.' Interesting to note that this fascistic snooping
started well before 9/11 and was part of the Bush/Rove program to intimidate
voters as well as to destroy their perceived enemies. I will quote below
from a lawsuit against various American telephone companies and will include
the important part of the complaint that shows what we have been dealing
with.
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- I should also observe that a number of popular search
engines have agreements with the government whereby individuals wishing
to look up information on subjects the government has arbitrarily decided
are dangerous have their requests automatically forwarded to the competent
agency by the cheerfully cooperative internet service. There exists a good
deal of highly damaging information on this and in the future, I will dig
out specific services and stick knives into them. I mean they could spy
on me as well as you and I don't like that at all. It is a good idea to
understand that what with fake "credit agencies," "search
engines" and so on, we have no more privacy.
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- The DHS can, and does, go into banks, (in California
they go to the Bank of America who is always cooperative) and open customer's
safe deposit boxes and poke around. Oddly enough, gold coins, cash and
drugs have vanished from these boxes. Where ever does it go? To the Salvation
Army? Would honorable, highly intelligent and very moral federal agents
actually steal? Is there a cow in Texas? Is the Pope Catholic? "
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- Mayer v. Verizon et al , Southern District of New York,
Docket No. 16, filed June 23, 2006, entered June 27, 2006:
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- Defendant ATT's Construction of a Call Monitoring Center
for the Exclusive Use of the NSA. (excerpted)
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- 81. Within eleven (11) days of the onset of the Bush
administration, and at least seven (7) months prior to the attacks of September
11, 2001, defendant ATT began development of a center for monitoring long
distance calls and internet transmissions and other digital information
for the exclusive use of the NSA . (Emphasis added. Ed.)
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- 82. The center was put into development by ATT following
a proposal by the NSA for the construction and development of a network
operations center identical to ATT's own network operations center located
in Bedminster, New Jersey for the exclusive use of the NSA.
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- 83. The NSA proposal was accepted by the ATT sales division
and referred to ATT Solutions, an ATT project development division situated
in Florham Park, New Jersey.
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- 84. The NSA proposal sought construction of a duplicate
ATT Network Operations Center for the exclusive use of the NSA with the
capacity to monitor all calls and internet traffic placed on the ATT long
distance network, as well as ATT's wide area, fiber optic, T-1, T-3, T-5
and high speed data networks.
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- 85. Such a data center would also enable the NSA to tap
into any call placed on the ATT network and to monitor the contents of
all digital information transmitted over the ATT network.
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- 86. The project was described in the ATT sales division
documents as calling for the construction of a facility to store and retain
data gathered by the NSA from its domestic and foreign intelligence operations
but was to be in actuality a duplicate ATT Network Operations Center for
the use and possession of the NSA that would give the NSA direct, unlimited,
unrestricted and unfettered access to all call information and internet
and digital traffic on ATT's long distance networks.
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- 87. Said data center would enable the NSA to tap into
any phone line and to monitor any digital transfer of information on ATT's
networks including voice telephone calls, facsimile transmission and all
internet traffic.
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- 88. Such project was in development not later than February
1, 2001, within eleven (11) days of the onset of the Bush Administration.
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- 89. The NSA program was initially conceived at least
one year prior to 2001 but had been called off; it was reinstated within
11 days of the entry into office of defendant George W. Bush.
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- 90. The NSA program was code-named Pioneer-Groundbreaker
and was also known at ATT Solutions division as GEMS (Groundbreaker Enterprise
System).
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- 91. International Business Machines Corporation (IBM)
was one of the parties working with ATT and the NSA to develop the monitoring
center and IBM personnel participated in meetings with ATT and NSA officials
in the development of the monitoring center.
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- 92. Among the purposes of the Pioneer-Groundbreaker project
was the storing and monitoring of all phone call information coming across
ATT's networks; by means of this program NSA sought to duplicate all of
the phone call information that came across ATT's networks for real time,
contemporaneous analysis or, alternately, for downloading and later use
by the NSA.
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- 93. The proposed project was to be a storage entity modeled
on ATT's network operations center in Bedminster, New Jersey, and would
have the capability to monitor all data and traffic that came across ATT
lines, including ATT traffic and traffic originating from other carriers
that used ATT lines or that sent calls to ATT customers.
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- 94. The NSA was seeking to duplicate the ATT network
operations center and sought by means of the Pioneer-Groundbreaker program
the ability to monitor all traffic coming across ATT's network.
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- 95. The contact list for the Pioneer-Groundbreaker project
consisted of a minimum of 35 ATT employees dedicated in whole or in part
to the Pioneer-Groundbreaker program.
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- 96. An ATT Solutions logbook reviewed by counsel confirms
the Pioneer-Groundbreaker project start date of February 1, 2001.
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- 97. The ATT Solutions logbook confirms the dates and
transmissions of copies of ATT, IBM and NSA e-mails setting forth the existence
of the Pioneer-Groundbreaker program; said e-mails remain in the custody,
possession and control of ATT, IBM and NSA.
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- 98. Said logbook was maintained pursuant to ATT Solutions
policy in the regular course of business by telecom engineers at ATT Solutions.
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- 99. Counsel have been informed of the foregoing information
by several informants who had direct knowledge or who have received direct
admissions by ATT personnel as to the foregoing facts.
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- 100. ATT has not denied any of the allegations in the
media disclosures of May 11, 2006.
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- 101. Accordingly, defendant carrier ATT was engaged in
active and knowing participation and conspiracy to violate 18 U.S.C. 2702,
et seq., in concert with the United States not later than February 1, 2001.
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