http://www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/03/09/se...ers/index.html

http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/special/s0703b/final.pdf

"WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The FBI is guilty of "serious misuse" of the power to secretly obtain private information under the Patriot Act, a government audit said Friday.

The Justice Department's inspector general looked at the FBI's use of national security letters, in which agents demand personal and business information about individuals -- such as financial, phone, and Internet records -- without court orders.

The audit found the letters were issued without proper authority, cited incorrect statutes or obtained information they weren't supposed to.

As many as 22 percent of national security letters were not recorded, the audit said.

"We concluded that many of the problems we identified constituted serious misuse of the FBI's national security letter authorities," Inspector General Glenn A. Fine said in the report."

........

"The FBI has made as many as 56,000 requests a year for information using the letters since the Patriot Act was passed in October 2001, the audit found.

A single letter can contain multiple information requests, and multiple letters may target one individual.

The audit found that in 2004 and 2005, more than half of the targets of the national security letters were U.S. citizens"

........

"The audit also found problems with "exigent letters" which are supposed to be used only in emergencies when time may not permit the national security letter procedure to be followed.

The audit found exigent letters were not used in emergencies and gave the agency access to telephone records it should not have had."

........

"Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pennsylvania, said the Patriot Act may have to be changed and the FBI's power curtailed because "they appear not to be able to know how to use it." "


http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/doj/oig/natsec.pdf

http://www.aclu.org/safefree/nationa...s20070309.html

http://www.aclu.org/safefree/nationa...l20070309.html

http://cdt.org/

http://www.eff.org/news/archives/2007_03.php#005152

=============

Out of all that, let this one quote sink in deep:

"The audit found that in 2004 and 2005, more than half of the targets of the national security letters were U.S. citizens"

Really think we've got that many potential "terrorists" running around? No? Then why are that many NSL's being passed out on legitimate, innocent American citizens?

Gee - looks like Feingold was totally right after all.

Have a great weekend, boys and girls. Pete