Whaddaya Know: Obama Administration Seeks Delay In Handing Over Telco Immunity Lobbying Info
from the like-you-didn't-see-that-coming dept
Earlier this week, we noted that a court had rejected, yet again, the Obama administration's attempt to stall in handing over info on who lobbied to get telco immunity. At the time, we asked what excuse the administration would use to delay again -- given that the release of documents was due today, Friday. Well, it appears they haven't come up with any excuse... they've just tried asking the court yet again -- as if the first three "no" answers weren't enough.Honestly, I'm beginning to wonder what's going on here. As I said when the initial court order came out, I don't know what could possibly be surprising in the documents. It seems quite likely that the telcos lobbied hard for immunity. That would not be a surprise or particularly revealing. So who is the government trying to cover up for here?
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Filed Under: stalling, telco immunity
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secret underhand government
It is following the footsteps of the EU in becoming a dictatorship with much to hide and having no trust in its citizens.
Truth, openness, honesty already gone to the dogs
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Re: secret underhand government
That happened a long time ago
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One of the biggest promises
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Re: One of the biggest promises
They voted for him because he is not bush
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Re: Re: One of the biggest promises
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Re: One of the biggest promises
Back on the subject... I don't know why we need telco immunity. If the government really did coerce them into revealing the data, and it was a national security measure, fine. Both the government and the telco's are off the hook (no pun intended.) If the telco's freely handed over the data the deserve to burn for it. Lets let the courts decide what the truth of the matter is.
The pure, unadulterated power grab for power by the executive branch of the government over the course of the last 28 years must be stopped! There are three branches of the government, and each must be equally powerful for this country to be run as the republic it is supposed to be.
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Re: Re: One of the biggest promises
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Re: Re: Re: One of the biggest promises
No, he's half black. A lot of us voted for the white half.
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I also find it weird
Either way, it does not seem that shocking. I cannot think of a way that there would be something to cover up here. It just seems strange that the administration would take a hard line on something so mundane and go directly against one of their campaign promises for it.
Unless it was a terrorist organization or aliens that lobbied for it...
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Re: I also find it weird
Surely you didn't believe those promises? I know half the country didn't I have a hard time believing the other half did.
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Re: I also find it weird
In fact, Obama (disappointingly) voted as a Senator in favor of telco immunity.
It is a cover-up and it is dirty. But it is not back-tracking on a campaign promise.
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weird?
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Terror Industrial Complex
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I would think this is pretty simple
For instance, if a list is acquired saying Joe Smith from AT&T was one of the people lobbying for immunity and, oh, he just happens to relatively high up the chain at the company, THEN you interview HIM to see what he knows about the domestic spy program.
You mark my words, in the unlikely event that some light is shed on this whole escapade, there are going to be some very alarming and damaging revelations regarding who was spied on, why, when, etc.
My guess is that if we find anything out at all, it will be that the NSA wiretaps were actually a continuation of the COINTELPRO program that FBI was ordered to shut down years ago.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COINTELPRO
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Hmmm
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Re: Hmmm
That's what I was thinking. Starting putting people in jail for contept and you'll start getting the documents you asked for.
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Re: Re: Hmmm
I think the issue is one of how to proceed. The President and, through him, his administration are the highest ranking officials in enforcing the law. The judiciary can scream, "Arrest those men!" all they want, but who's going to do the arresting?
In order to bring in the administration, you need to go through the proper channels of checks and balances and have BOTH the judiciary AND congress call for his head.
Best of luck getting that to happen...
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The logic is hard to grasp...
Last week... the documents were due to be turned over by Friday, October 9... The government asked Federal District Court Judge Jeffrey White for [a] delay, a request that Judge White ultimately denied, giving the government a new deadline of Friday, October 16, by 4 p.m. Pacific time.
"Hello?"
"Steve, it's Jeff. What's the idea of coming into my court with a box of documents?"
"Sorry Jeff, I have a new assistant who thought we should actually bring--"
"For God's sake, what if someone had taken a picture? How could I explain not asking for the box? And don't cut it so close next time, I look ridiculous denying you an extension and giving you an extension in the same breath."
"I'm sorry, look we have next week's motion all ready, it's 14,000 pages."
"Good, give it to me at the last minute, I'll take a few days to review it, an afternoon saying no, and then give you a new deadline. How're we doing on dividing up the the documents?"
"Pretty good, we're asking to hold back about 10% temporarily, which will become--"
"Which will become %80 indefinitely after we allow it, I know. And the other %20?"
"We'll be unable to prepare them in time, you know, computer problems, clerical errors..."
"Paper jams? A fire in the file room? You're killing me, man. Look, I can give you a few more extensions like that, but then you'll have to divulge something..."
"Have to, Your Honor? Are you talking about a hard deadline? Do you want to actually demand something from us at a set time?"
"NO! Come on, nobody wants a showdown, just give us something boring, you know, to get it off the front page."
"We'll get back to you on that."
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what they don't want us to see...
Well, that, and I suspect they are protecting some pretty high up notables that during the bruhaha back then were publicly on the side of "we shouldn't give them immunity" but privately were in favor of it. Yeah, I'm that cynical about our executive and legislative branches of government.
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Colin Powell called it a "Terror Industrial Complex"
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/33336509#33336509
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