On Thursday, BellSouth sent a letter to USA TODAY asking the newspaper to “retract the false and unsubstantiated statements” that it printed May 11 regarding the company’s alleged cooperation in a National Security Agency program to collect telephone call detail records of ordinary Americans.
USA TODAY ran a story Friday on the letter but has yet to print a retraction. The newspaper has previously said that it stands by its story but will conduct additional reporting. On May 11 USA TODAY had reported that BellSouth, Verizon and AT&T collect call detail records for their subscribers and turn them over wholesale to the NSA without a warrant or other court order, while Qwest had refused to participate in the program, citing legal liability it might face for doing so.
“No such proof was offered by your newspaper because no such contracts exist,” stated the letter, portions of which were read by spokesman Jeff Battcher. “You have offered no proof that BellSouth provided massive calling data to the NSA as part of a warrantless program because it simply did not happen.”
Steve Anderson, a USA TODAY spokesman, said “We did receive the letter this afternoon. We are reviewing it, and we will be responding.” — USA TODAY
On Monday, BellSouth denied that it engaged in a contract to provide “bulk calling records to the NSA” without a warrant. BellSouth has not denied collecting the records, however. BellSouth documents obtained by Homeland Stupidity show that BellSouth does indeed collect local call detail records for each of its subscribers.
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Karl Marx would love the popular moves among politicians in various state governments and the federal government to ban so-called "junk" food in schools, and to "put healthy food in" convenience stores and on the tables of those they define as poor. It's a very elitist and arrogant mindset that promotes this ideology, and it needs to be addressed.
Ultimately, the war supporters in Congress prevailed in the vote on the resolution. Still, the vote was significant because it places every member of Congress on the record as supporting or not supporting the unconstitutional, costly, violent occupation of a country that never attacked us. This vote should serve as an important reminder to the American people of where their representatives really stand when it comes to policing the world, empire building, and war.
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Jul 01, 2006
BellSouth, Verizon not involved in NSA phone record database - Homeland Stupidity