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Why Is The IRS Spying On Americans’ Phone Calls?

Wednesday, October 28, 2015 4:29

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(Before It's News)

Barack Obama has done far more than neglect his duties as the chief law enforcement officer in the country by his willfully ignoring the very Constitution he swore an oath to uphold. To anyone paying attention (which means anyone NOT getting their news from network television to say the least), It’s almost as if since he took office, Obama has gone out of his way to violate just about everything in the Constitution right down to the very last prepositional phrase just to spite the American people. To anyone not acquainted with the full unequivocal facts that surround the people who have been an influence on Obama’s life, how can ANYONE (crazy liberals included) make ANY sense of the things he’s done? Virtually everything he’s done has been contrary to U.S. interests, and the same liberals that have followed him around like a bunch of clapping seals for seven years are going to be stuck living in a severely weakened country just like the rest of us. Obama Ushers In Armageddon to America lays out those facts in a manner that cannot be disputed, and then it becomes clear to anyone but the delusional that the man [cough] in the Oval Office is truly the enemy from within.

In a previous post, it was announced yesterday that the Senate Passed CISA, a Bill Giving Government Warrantless Surveillance of Domestic Citizens! First of all, the bill passed 74-21, so without looking to see who voted against it, even if all 21 were Republicans, that means 33 Republicans voted in favor of the blatantly unconstitutional bill. We the People are truly fending for ourselves at this point against a government that has gone stark raving mad. Our “Elected Representatives” in D.C. are drunk out of their minds on power, with the exception of maybe 5-10 of the 535 members of Congress.

In the FIRST video, Infowars did a special yesterday based on an article from the Guardian about the IRS’s continued targeting of conservative groups, only now they’ve been spying on citizens using high tech military gear. The video also covers the dangers of the Senate Passed CISA bill. Obama told you this would be the most transparent administration in history… he just never mentioned YOU were the ones he was making transparent with all his spying on Americans. The guardian reports that the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security have released new details of the IRS getting their hands on “Stingrays,” also known as cell site simulators, which constitute YET ANOTHER example of military tools finding their way into the hands of federal agencies. Not only have they been caught using the equipment, they’ve been doing so WITHOUT A WARRANT!

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Obviously the inmates are running the asylum right now, and we are living in a lawless banana republic, because I think it’s safe to assume the Department of Injustice is too busy fanning the flames of Black Lies Matter to prosecute a REAL crime like this. Commissioner John Koskinen has gone before Congress several times, lied with impunity, and the Obama “Justice System” won’t do a damn thing. Allegedly there is a movement to file Articles of Impeachment against the IRS Commissioner’s in the House, something Boehner would not sign off on, but as you can in the SECOND video below, Paul Ryan about lost it when dealing with the arrogance Koskinen. Here is where the divide exists within the GOP. CLEARLY something should be done about Koskinen, but we all know Obama won’t do anything, so the only option left is to file for impeachment. The problem is, just like with impeaching Obama, the Democrats in the Senate cannot even SPELL integrity much less show any, and without 2/3 voting to convict, some say what’s the point in even filing the Articles to begin with? Therein lies the difference between many of the hard-liners, and the establishment GOP with how things should be done. In reality, does it make ANY sense to take the time to file the articles, and then try Koskinen in the Senate, when there is a 0% chance he’ll be impeached? Doesn’t the country have enough things that of dire importance that Congress should be working on where they can effect change? But that means letting Koskinen off Scott free without even so much as calling him a “bad boy” in public. I’m not sure there is a “right” thing to do… sound off… tell us what you think?

HAVE A DOG AND PONY TRIAL, JUST FOR SHOW, KNOWING IN ADVANCE KOSHKINEN GETS OFF AND THEREFORE THE WHOLE THING IS A VERY PUBLIC WASTE OF TIME THAT COULD BE BETTER SPENT ELSEWHERE… OR

TURN THE OTHER CHEEK, TAKE THE HIGH ROAD, AND DIG IN TO SOMETHING THAT REPUBLICANS CAN BE EFFECTIVE ON, WHILE LOOKING WEAK IN THE PROCESS, AND LIKE THEY ARE CAVING TO OBAMA AGAIN?

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In the THIRD and final video, for your amusement, is video of when Trey Gowdy OWNED the IRS Commissioner, John Koskinen, during a Congressional investigation into the IRS. SOMEHOW the Department of Injustice closed the investigation this week concluding that there was no wrongdoing worth pursuing. This is precisely why I cringe when I read articles like the DOJ Has Created a Gestapo To Target Americans With “Anti-Government Views.” Things that were once UNIMAGINABLE here in the United States happen every day without consequence under the Reign of Lord Obama and Crime Inc. Anyone who is NOT afraid, and thanks they can shield themselves with the Constitution or a firearm obviously haven’t been reading the REAL news. NO ONE is safe.

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Derrick Broze at theAntiMedia.org writes:

Following the first ever congressional hearing on “Stingray” cellphone surveillance, new details reveal the Secret Service and the Internal Revenue Service are also using the controversial spying devices.

At a congressional hearing last Wednesday, officials with the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security released new details about the federal government’s use of “Stingray” cellphone surveillance. Stingrays, also known as cell site simulators, constitute another example of military tools finding their way into the hands of federal agencies and local police departments across the United States.

According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation:

The Stingray is a brand name of an IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) Catcher targeted and sold to law enforcement. A Stingray works by masquerading as a cellphone tower – to which your mobile phone sends signals to every 7 to 15 seconds whether you are on a call or not – and tricks your phone into connecting to it. As a result, the government can figure out who, when and to where you are calling, the precise location of every device within the range, and with some devices, even capture the content of your conversations.

Elana Tyrangiel, a deputy assistant attorney at the Justice Department, told lawmakers the particular cell site simulators employed by the DOJ do not collect the content of calls. The devices do, however, collect location and the number being dialed.

Much of the discussion at the hearing centered around the use of warrants. In early September, the Justice Department announced rules about how the department will handle the use of Stingrays, including new warrant requirements. After the rules were announced, Senator Patrick Leahy, the ranking member on the Senate’s Judiciary Committee, challenged the warrant exemptions and the overall effectiveness of the rules. According to the District Sentinel, Leahy stated, “I will press the Department to justify them.”

As of last week, the Department of Homeland Security is now following similar rules. Officials warned Congress the devices would be used without obtaining warrants in “time-sensitive, emergency situations.”

California Congressman Ted Lieu, a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, told CNN he believes “The mass surveillance of peoples’ [sic] cell phone signals requires a warrant.”

The AP reports that during the hearing, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Seth M. Stodder revealed a new policy that allows the Secret Service to use cell site simulators without a warrant if they believe there is a “nonspecific threat to the president or another protected person.”

Stodder stated that under “exceptional circumstances,” exceptions would be made and use of the device would only require approval from “executive-level personnel” at Secret Service headquarters and the U.S. attorney for the relevant jurisdiction. Despite the exemption, Stodder said the Secret Service would not use the devices in routine criminal investigations.

Just days after the congressional hearing, The Guardian has revealed the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is also making use of the Stingray devices. The Guardian reports:

Invoices obtained following a request under the Freedom of Information Act show purchases made in 2009 and 2012 by the federal tax agency with Harris Corporation, one of a number of companies that manufacture the devices. Privacy advocates said the revelation “shows the wide proliferation of this very invasive surveillance technology.

The 2009 IRS/Harris Corp invoice is mostly redacted under section B(4) of the Freedom of Information Act, which is intended to protect trade secrets and privileged information. However, an invoice from 2012, which is also partially redacted, reports that the agency spent $65,652 on upgrading a Stingray II to a HailStorm, a more powerful version of the same device, as well as $6,000 on training from Harris Corporation.

The HailStorm is an upgraded version of the Stingray, which is capable of gathering the actual contents of conversations and images in addition to gathering location and numbers dialed.

The history of the use of Stingrays is filled with secrecy, lies, and redacted documents. The FBI, the Harris Corporation, and local police departments continue to hide the details of how exactly the devices are being used. Should we trust government officials when they tell us they will get a warrant unless “exceptional circumstances” arise? Who defines what exactly “exceptional” means anyway? It would be wise for all those who value privacy and freedom to begin challenging the official narrative and investing in technologies that can counter the State’s surveillance.

We should also take a moment to acknowledge all the activists and journalists who have been working to expose this issue for the last several years. As Christopher Soghoian, an ACLU technologist, pointed out, “This is the first ever congressional hearing on Stingrays. This is a device the FBI started using in 1995. It shouldn’t take 20 years to get a hearing on a surveillance technology.”

It is through the work of the awakened masses that the collective springs into action. Without YOU spreading information through the internet and in the streets, this important topic would not have become part of the national dialogue. However, we must not rest. There is much work to do. For a more in-depth look at the use of Stingrays, please read this investigation.

This article (Why Is the IRS Spying on Americans’ Phone Calls?) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Derrick Broze and theAntiMedia.org. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11pm Eastern/8pm Pacific. If you spot a typo, email [email protected].