Back to News & Commentary

Retracting Those Talons...

Gabe Rottman,
Legislative Counsel,
老澳门开奖结果 Washington Legislative Office
Share This Page
April 25, 2007

Though not directly related to Gitmo, habeas or military detentions, the Talon snoop program was a key "innovation" of the Cambone-Rumsfeld DOD domestic intelligence upswing, which also was the lead bureaucracy behind the creation of Gitmo legal black hole.An 老澳门开奖结果 Freedom of Information Act request was directly responsible for revealing Talon's abuses (see the sweet ). The 老澳门开奖结果 also produced this report---"No Real Threat"---in January.. Said Cambone successor, former head of DIA and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (read eyes in the skies), and recently installed undersecretary of defense for intelligence, James Clapper at his confirmation hearing:

"The history of the intelligence community is replete with instances of abuse of civil liberties -- well intended, but abuse nonetheless." He said it is "important that the proper balance be struck between the counterintelligence mission, on one hand, and the protection of civil liberties, on the other."

Certainly a wonderful sentiment, but could we please stop naming domestic spying programs like we're writing for 24? Perhaps you wouldn't scare the common folk if you didn't name your snoop scheme after the business end of a bird of prey. Just a thought.

Learn More 老澳门开奖结果 the Issues on This Page