January 31, 2006

"Homeland Security:Safe Deposit Boxes Are Fair Game"

Conspiracy Planet? OK, so we're dipping a bit low in the barrel, but:

Homeland Security has begun exercising its new power to 'identify' the contents of your safe deposit box.

This news should be seen in the context of the many rumors floating around on the internet.

The so-called temporary re-authorization of the PATRIOT I and II legislation included the power, which gives the Department of Homeland Security an unprecedented power to 'identify' assets held in citizens' private safe deposit boxes...

Perhaps even lower down:

According to in-house memos now circulating, the DHS has issued orders to banks across America which announce to them that "under the Patriot Act" (whatever that crap means) the DHS has the absolute right to seize, without any warrant whatsoever, any and all customer bank accounts, to make "periodic and unannounced" visits to any bank to open and inspect the contents of "selected safe deposit boxes." Further, these boxes, taken from a DHS list of people who are considered "hostile to the present government, citizens who have visited outside the United States before or after 9/11 to countries now considered to be hostile to this country" " :Russia, Peoples Republic of China, Mexico, Guatemala, Spain, Italy, Egypt, France, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Turkey or the Sudan" or any citizen who has a bank account in any of those listed countries are considered to be of legitimate interest in the "ongoing investigations into foreign and domestic terrorism."

However, from the April 1, 2005 AP report "Government wiretaps, searches up 75 percent":

...Operating with permission from a secretive U.S. court that meets regularly at Justice headquarters, the FBI has used such warrants to break into homes, offices, hotel rooms and automobiles, install hidden cameras, search luggage and eavesdrop on telephone conversations. Agents also have pried into safe deposit boxes, watched from afar with video cameras and binoculars and intercepted e-mails...

Posted to Privacy at January 31, 2006 07:42 AM

Comments

"hostile to the present government, citizens who have visited outside the United States before or after 9/11 to countries now considered to be hostile to this country" " :Russia, Peoples Republic of China, Mexico, Guatemala, Spain, Italy, Egypt, France, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Turkey or the Sudan"

So it's right there in black and white at last!

Posted by: Digger at January 31, 2006 01:24 PM

Digger, you beat me to it! Mexico a hostile nation, indeed! Someone please rush this bulletin to George "El Mexicano" Bush.

Posted by: dchamil at January 31, 2006 04:31 PM