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NEWS AND VIEWS THAT IMPACT LIMITED CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT

"There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with
power to endanger the public liberty." - - - - John Adams

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

BIG BROTHER: "National Privacy Board" ignored by both parties


The tide in coming in.  A tide bringing Big Brother government and both American Socialist political parties support it.  How much longer does the torch of Liberty have until it is snuffed out?

SHOCK  -  Proof that both political parties are working together to undermine the Bill of Rights


When was the last time that you saw politicians refuse to appoint their hack friends to cushy and high paying boards and commissions?

How about NEVER.

But by magic both the Bush and Obama Administrations have not appointed enough members to activate the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.   Why?  Because the Board has subpoena powers and the ability to put our Lords and Master in the Beltway under oath with lies punishable by imprisonment.

The last thing any administration wants is to be held accountable.

 An independent oversight board recommended by the 9/11 Commission to ensure that national security policies do not infringe on Americans’ civil liberties has remained dormant for years, raising concerns among watchdogs that a crucial Constitution safeguard does not exist.

Well past the halfway point of his term, President Obama has appointed only two of the five members for the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, which also languished under President Bush.

“There are no excuses for not getting this board up and running,” said Sharon Bradford Franklin, senior counsel at the Constitution Project, one of more than a dozen groups that recently petitioned the administration to get the board operational, says the Washington Times.

Analysts say a host of national security issues — such as airport screening, cybersecurity policies and an upcoming Supreme Court case on whether law enforcement can attach a satellite tracking device without a warrant — would have benefited from independent oversight.

“The launch of an independent oversight board is long overdue,” Ms. Franklin said.

The White House has no explanation for why the board vacancies have proved so hard to fill, and declined an opportunity to comment for this article.

Both Socialist political parties are in bed with each other.
Both political parties have REFUSED to get the National Privacy Board up and running to protect the Bill of Rights.  Ignoring the rights of the people is bi-partisan


According to the board’s 2007 report to Congress, one of its tasks was to review the FBI’s use of national security letters, which allow authorities to get financial, credit and other information on U.S. citizens without a court order.

“If the board is no longer meeting, one would assume it is no longer performing this oversight role, which is concerning given the recent extension of the Patriot Act,” Jennifer Lynch, staff attorney for the Electronic Freedom Foundation, said in an email.

Civil liberties groups have pushed for years to get the board fully operational after Congress strengthened it in 2007 and gave it subpoena powers.

But since then, neither Mr. Bush nor Mr. Obama nominated enough members. Mr. Obama nominated two members last year, but three vacancies remain.

“Among our major disappointments has been the administration has not impaneled the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board,” former Rep. Lee Hamilton, vice chairman of the 9/11 Commission, testified to a Senate committee in March.

“I can’t figure it out,” Mr. Hamilton added. “I just cannot figure it out. I don’t know what President Bush and President Obama think. They just have not put an effective board in place and I can’t understand why.”


The White House declined to comment on the letter from civil liberties groups about the slow pace of naming panel members in response to an inquiry by The Washington Times last week.
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