FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog

CafePress.com: “What Would Mohammed Do?” Ringer T-shirt

H/T: The Claremont Institute: The Remedy

Rumor has it that, underneath an advertisement for “deconstructionist chic”, disproportionately large quantities are selling like wildfire at the Georgetown Law Center dorm . . .

So ironical.

So avant-garde.

Just wait until someone reminds them you’re not supposed to show images of the Prophet . . .

You betcha…….

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President Bush Addresses the media after his remarks to employees of the National Security Agency at Fort Meade, Md. , Jan. 25, 2006.

Power Line: Is It Legal?

There has been a lot of discussion about the legality of the NSA’s telephone data collection and analysis program, most of it not very illuminating. I haven’t had an opportunity to form an opinion, and I’m not an expert in telecommunications law. In my quick review of what seems to be the relevant law, I’ve encountered several puzzling provisions. But one section I haven’t yet seen cited, which seems relevant, is Title 18, Chapter 121, Section 2709 of the U.S. Code. It specifically allows the government to obtain telephone records for purposes of investigating terrorist threats. Here is Sec. 2709 in its entirety; I have highlighted some of the pertinent language:

§ 2709. Counterintelligence access to telephone toll and transactional records

(a) Duty to provide.–A wire or electronic communication service provider shall comply with a request for subscriber information and toll billing records information, or electronic communication transactional records in its custody or possession made by the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation under subsection (b) of this section.

(b) Required certification.–The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or his designee in a position not lower than Deputy Assistant Director at Bureau headquarters or a Special Agent in Charge in a Bureau field office designated by the Director, may–

(1) request the name, address, length of service, and local and long distance toll billing records of a person or entity if the Director (or his designee) certifies in writing to the wire or electronic communication service provider to which the request is made that the name, address, length of service, and toll billing records sought are relevant to an authorized investigation to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities, provided that such an investigation of a United States person is not conducted solely on the basis of activities protected by the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States; and

(2) request the name, address, and length of service of a person or entity if the Director (or his designee) certifies in writing to the wire or electronic communication service provider to which the request is made that the information sought is relevant to an authorized investigation to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities, provided that such an investigation of a United States person is not conducted solely upon the basis of activities protected by the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

(c) Prohibition of certain disclosure.–No wire or electronic communication service provider, or officer, employee, or agent thereof, shall disclose to any person that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has sought or obtained access to information or records under this section.

(d) Dissemination by bureau.–The Federal Bureau of Investigation may disseminate information and records obtained under this section only as provided in guidelines approved by the Attorney General for foreign intelligence collection and foreign counterintelligence investigations conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and, with respect to dissemination to an agency of the United States, only if such information is clearly relevant to the authorized responsibilities of such agency.

(e) Requirement that certain congressional bodies be informed.–On a semiannual basis the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation shall fully inform the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate, and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate, concerning all requests made under subsection (b) of this section.

So there is no question about the fact that the federal government can obtain anyone’s telephone billing records simply by requesting them, if they are relevant to a terrorism investigation, and the telecom companies “shall comply” with such requests. Under this section, the FBI can pass the phone records on to another government agency, like the NSA, if the information is relevant to that agency’s duties.

Flap doesn’t know if this is the code section that government attorney’s used in their memorandum authorizing the program. Nor, does Flap know if any blanket government request would be permissable under the act. However, it does appear the government has broad powers to ascertain this telephone information if it is relevant to a terrorism investigation.

Now, Senator Specter, will you continue to assist on Senate Judiciary Committee Hearings?

Doubtful…..

Stay tuned as more Bush haters try to drudge up more civil libertarian nonsense to discredit the President and the NSA.

Stay tuned…….

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Previous:

NSA Surveillance Watch: NSA Has Massive Database of Americans’ Phone Calls

NSA Surveillance Watch: Senate Intelligence Committee Decides NOT to Pursue Investigation

NSA Surveillance Watch: Congressional Probe of NSA Surveilance Is in Doubt

NSA Surveillance Watch: Two Lawsuits Filed Today to Seek End of President Bush’s NSA Electronic Surveillance Program

NSA Surveillance Watch: Specter Skeptical of Domestic Spy Program

NSA Surveillance Leak Case Watch: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to Testify

NSA Surveillance Watch: AP Poll- Most Say U.S. Needs Warrant to Snoop? - RECYCLED

NSA Surveillance Leak Case Watch: Vice President Cheney Strongly Defends Eavesdropping Operation

Cox & Forkum: One Man’s Whistleblower

Global War on Terror Watch: Why the NSA Monitors Communications of Al-Qaida

NSA Surveillance Leak Case Watch: President Bush Defends NSA Surveillance

NSA Leak Case Watch: New York Times’ Reporter James Risen

NSA Leak Case Watch: Justice Deptartment Probing Domestic Spying Leak

NSA Surveillance Watch: President Had Legal Authority to OK Taps

NSA Surveillance Watch: Carter and Clinton Executive Orders Authorizing Secret Searches Without a Warrant

NSA Surveillance Watch: Calls for Congressional Hearings

NSA Surveillance Watch: President Bush defends Spying as “A Necessary Part of My Job to Protect” Americans from Attack

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Former Pakistan’s army chief Gen. Mirza Aslam Beg is seen during an interview with The Associated Press, in this file photo from, Jan. 28, 2004 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Pakistan’s former army chief says Iranian officials came to him for advice on heading off an attack on their nuclear facilities, and he in effect advised them to take a hostage- Israel.

ASSociated Press: Iran Sought Advice in Pakistan on Attack

Pakistan’s former army chief says Iranian officials came to him for advice on heading off an attack on their nuclear facilities, and he in effect advised them to take a hostage —
Israel.

Retired Gen. Mirza Aslam Beg said he suggested their government “make it clear that if anything happens to Iran, if anyone attacks it — it doesn’t matter who it is or how it is attacked — that Iran’s answer will be to hit Israel; the only target will be Israel.”

Since Beg spoke in an interview with The Associated Press, echoes of his thinking have been heard in Iran, though whether they result directly from his advice isn’t known.

Mohammad Ebrahim Dehghani, an Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander, was quoted last week as saying that if “America does make any mischief, the first place we target will be Israel.” The threat was disavowed the next day by Brig. Gen. Alireza Afshar, deputy to the chief of Iran’s military staff, who said it was Dehghani’s “personal view and has no validity as far as the Iranian military officials are concerned.”

And on Tuesday, Israel’s vice premier, Shimon Peres, warned that “Those who threaten to destroy are in danger of being destroyed.”

In the AP interview that took place several weeks before these threats were exchanged, Beg said a delegation from the Iranian Embassy in Pakistan had come to his office in January, seeking advice as Western pressure mounted on Iran to abandon its nuclear effort. Beg said he offered lessons learned from his experience dealing with India’s nuclear threat.

This is a well understood strategy and why missle defense strategy is at the foremost of Israeli and American defense planning.

Washington Times: Why Iran is so dangerous

Helping Israel upgrade its Arrow interceptors is most important since Israel is the prime target. It also is urgent to get sea-based missile defenses on ships in the Persian Gulf, to build the planned missile defense site in Europe, and to speed development of boost-phase defenses that can stop missiles of any range or capability.

Missile Threat (The Claremont Institute): News Archive: Iran

Rubin Interview on Iranian Capabilities

Jane’s: Iran Moving Shahab-3 Missiles

Flap would not undersetimate Israel’s defense capability with the Arrow interceptor and American sea based Aegis systems. However, it is doubtful that Israel would remain unscathed if Iran went “all in” with their missles.

But, with such an Iranian strategy it would also be plausible for Israel to launch nuclear weapons at Iranian Revolutionary Guard positions and other military targets with the concomitant hundreds of thousand dead from collateral damage. Would Israel then threaten to launch its remaining nuclear arsenal against civilian centers?

Perhaps.

He said he also advised them to “attempt to degrade the defense systems of Israel,” harass it through the Hamas government of the Palestinian Authority and the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon, and put second-strike nuclear weapons on submarines.

Although analysts are divided on how soon Iran might have nuclear weapons, Beg said he is sure Iran has had enough time to develop them. But he insists the Pakistani government didn’t help, even though he says former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto once told him the Iranians offered more than $4 billion for the technology.

This is not the first piece that Flap has read that surmises that Iran may already possess some type of nuclear weapon capability.

Is the Iranian stall to enable Iran to amass sufficient quantities of nuclear weaponery as to offer a first strike nuclear deterrence?

Stay tuned…….

Blogosphere:

AllahPundit over at Hot Air has Pakistan’s former chief of staff: Iran probably has the bomb

• NoisyRoom.net » Pakistan’s former chief of staff: Iran probably has the bomb
• Ace of Spades HQ
• OK, Then. I May Wind Up Eating Some Crow On This…

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Previous:

Iran Nuclear Watch: More Enriched Uranium Found in Iran - Density Close to Make a Nuclear Weapon?

Iran Nuclear Watch: Ahamdinejad - “Ready to Engage in Dialogue With Anybody”

Iran Nuclear Watch: Ahmadinejad - Israel is a “Regime Based on EVIL”

Iran Nuclear Watch: President Bush to President Ahamdinejad - “When Will You Get Rid of Your Nuclear Program?”

Iran Nuclear Watch: Ahmadinejad - Worry Over Nuclear Program “A BIG LIE”

Iran Nuclear Watch: “Ahmadinejad Isn’t Bluffing”

Iran Nuclear Watch: The Letter from Ahmadinejad to Bush

Iran Nuclear Watch: UNSC Foreign Ministers Fail to Agree on Iran Resolution

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left, walks with Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, right, upon arrival at a hotel to attend D-8 Summit this weekend in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, Friday, May 12, 2006. Tehran’s deepening standoff with the West over nuclear issues is likely to overshadow talks as leaders from Iran and seven other mostly Muslim countries launch the trade and development meeting in Indonesia on Saturday.

ASSociated Press: More Uranium Reportedly Found in Iran

The U.N. atomic agency found traces of highly enriched uranium at an Iranian site linked to the country’s defense ministry, diplomats said Friday, adding to concerns that Tehran was hiding activities aimed at making nuclear arms.

The diplomats, who demanded anonymity in exchange for revealing the confidential information, said the findings were preliminary and still had to be confirmed through other lab tests. But they said the density of enrichment appeared to be close to or above the level used to make nuclear warheads.

Still, they said, further analysis could show that the traces match others established to have come from abroad.

So, the Iranians have a method to their madness in stalling for time through protracted negotiations.

Have they been enriching their own uranium with clandestinely smuggled in P-2 centrifuges from Pakistan or have they purchased already weapons grade enriched uranium from the North Koreans?

International Atomic Energy Agency determined earlier traces of weapons-grade uranium were imported on equipment from Pakistan that Iran bought on the black market during nearly two decades of clandestine activity discovered just over three years ago.

The origin of the samples now under perusal created some concern in that regard.

One of the diplomats told The Associated Press that the samples came from equipment that can be used in uranium-enriching centrifuges at a former research center at Lavizan-Shian. The center is believed to have been the repository of equipment bought by the Iranian military that could be used in a nuclear weapons program.

The United States alleges Iran had conducted high-explosive tests that could have a bearing on developing nuclear weapons at the site.

The State Department said in 2004 that Lavizan’s buildings had been dismantled and topsoil had been removed in attempts to hide nuclear weapons-related experiments. The agency subsequently confirmed that the site had been razed.

In an April 28 report to the U.N. Security Council and the IAEA’s 35-nation board of governors, agency head Mohamed ElBaradei said the agency took samples from some of the equipment of the former Physics Research Center at Lavizan-Shian. The diplomat said the evaluation of those samples revealed the traces in question.

Should these samples confirm the speculation that Iran possesses or is near to possessing weapons grade enriched uranium the UNSC will bet set to act……but probably not before Israel and the United States begin their final war plans to destroy all of Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Stay tuned…..

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Previous:

Iran Nuclear Watch: Ahamdinejad - “Ready to Engage in Dialogue With Anybody”

Iran Nuclear Watch: Ahmadinejad - Israel is a “Regime Based on EVIL”

Iran Nuclear Watch: President Bush to President Ahamdinejad - “When Will You Get Rid of Your Nuclear Program?”

Iran Nuclear Watch: Ahmadinejad - Worry Over Nuclear Program “A BIG LIE”

Iran Nuclear Watch: “Ahmadinejad Isn’t Bluffing”

Iran Nuclear Watch: The Letter from Ahmadinejad to Bush

Iran Nuclear Watch: UNSC Foreign Ministers Fail to Agree on Iran Resolution

***Update***

Drudge is reporting, SOURCES: BUSH PLANS NATIONAL GUARD ON BORDER…

And ABC News has this AP piece: Pentagon Exploring Using Military to Patrol Border 

A member of Mexican immigration group Beta checks the border wall between Mexico and the United States during a patrol in Tijuana, Mexico, May 6, 2006. The U.S. Border Patrol said on Wednesday it had arrested 724,613 undocumented migrants crossing the 3,200-km (2,000-mile) border from Mexico since October 1 last year, a rise of 6 percent from the same period a year earlier. The increase comes as U.S. lawmakers debate a proposal by President George W. Bush offering millions of illegal immigrants a path to citizenship, and as Hispanic activists staged protests and a work stoppage in cities nationwide.

ASSociated Press: Bush to Speak About Immigration on Monday

President Bush plans to address the nation Monday night on the immigration debate, trying to build momentum for legislation that could provide millions of illegal immigrants a chance to become American citizens.

The White House said it was seeking time from television networks for the president’s remarks.

“This is crunch time,” Tony Snow, the new White House press secretary said Friday at his first off-camera, or informal, briefing.

On Thursday, Senate leaders reached a deal to revive a broad immigration bill that had appeared doomed just several weeks ago.

Flap doubts we will hear anything new from the President. He wants an amnesty type “path to citizenship” program along with a “guest worker” component. This will not be acceptable to the GOP base unless his ideas are coupled with strong border security provisions and employer enforcement provisions.

Flap is not optomistic that an acceptable compromise will be reached this year and with this President. Bush will have to emphasis “border security” and enforcement of the existing immigration laws with more resources or the GOP conservative base will desert him - as they already have.

Captain Ed describes the process and the pitfalls of compromise legislation, Immigration Deal In Senate .

The Washington Times has the details of the compromise deal between Senate leaders Frist and Reid yesterday, Senators agree on ‘amnesty’ proposal

The Washington Post likewise has a piece about the Frist-Reid compromise, Immigration Deal Reached in Senate Provides Citizenship Opportunity

The speech on Monday night will frame the rest of the Bush presidency. If Bush gets it WRONG hundreds of thousands of voters will desert the GOP in the fall. The GOP will lose control of the House - but who will care?

In California, it may be time to consider the Republican Party as DEAD and Bush may well give an issue for the rise of a new California Conservative Party.

Stay tuned……

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Previous:

Illegal Immigration Watch: Immigration Bill to Be Called Up in the Senate

Illegal Immigration Watch: Arizona Posse Begins Illegal Alien Crackdown

Illegal Immigration Watch: Arizona Deputies to Seek Illegal Immigrants

Illegal Immigration Watch: RECONQUISTA 101

Illegal Immigration Watch: After May 1 Protests - So Now What?

Illegal Immigration Watch: Great American Boycott 2006 Mid-Day Round-Up

Illegal Immigration Watch: Pajamas Media Update From Los Angeles Protests

Illegal Immigration Watch: Great American Boycott 2006 - Los Angeles Getting Ready for Protests

Illegal Immigration Watch: Immigration Roundup Fear Spreads

Illegal Immigration Watch: May 1 Protest to “CLOSE DOWN” American Cities - Redux

Illegal Immigration Watch: California State Senate Supports Mexican “NOTHING GRINGO” DAY

Illegal Immigration Watch: May 1 Protest to “CLOSE DOWN” American Cities

Illegal Immigration Watch: President Bush SELLS OUT on Immigration Reform Redux

Illegal Immigration Watch: President Bush SELLS OUT on Immigration Reform

Hillary Clinton Watch: Clinton - “Wall Would Be Appropriate in Certain Areas”

Illegal Immigration Watch: Send a Brick Project

Illegal Immigration Watch: The BACKLASH

Illegal Immigration Watch: La Reconquista

Illegal Immigration Watch: Flush Illegal Alien Amnesty

Illegal Immigration Watch: Democrat Party Recruiting at Illegal Immigration Protests

Illegal Immigration Watch: Immigration Rights Activists on March Again

Illegal Immigration Watch: Senate Compromise Bill Delayed? NOW Shelved…..

Illegal Immigration Watch: Republicans to Filibuster Immigration Bill

Illegal Immigration Watch: McCain - “Not Enough Votes for Senate Judiciary Committee Bill”

Illegal Immigration Watch: Senate Majority Leader Frist Wants Immigration Bill Vote this Week

Illegal Immigration Watch: FAQ About Illegal Aliens

Illegal Immigration Watch: Los Angeles Latino DJs Spur Protests

Illegal Immigration Watch: United States Senate Judiciary Committee Approves an Immigration Bill

Illegal Immigration Watch: The United States Senate Judiciary Committee Takes Up the Debate

Illegal Immigration Watch: 500,000 Rally to Protest Immigration Bills

Illegal Immigration Watch: Democrat Senate Minority Leader Threatens Filibuster of Illegal Immigration Bill

Day By Day by Chris Muir May 12, 2006

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