"Canvassers were told to act as if they were nonpartisan, to hide that they were working for the RNC, especially if approached by the media... In letters the firm sent to the libraries, Sproul misrepresented itself as America Votes -- a left-leaning national voter registration group not affiliated with Sproul -- but said that it was interested in registering "all those who wish to register to vote." Shortly after Sproul canvassers began working the libraries, though, patrons began complaining that the canvassers were being especially inquisitive about their political leanings, and some were pushing people to register as Republicans."

Illegal - Corporate - Government - Surveillance - Terrorism - Investigation - Consumer - Finances - Telephone - Internet - Data - Intelligence - Politics - Rights - History - Audit - Vt - "More FBI Privacy Violations Confirmed." ... "The FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] acknowledged it improperly accessed Americans' telephone records, credit reports and Internet traffic in 2006, the fourth straight year of privacy abuses resulting from investigations aimed at tracking terrorists and spies." ... "Testifying at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, [FBI Director Robert] Mueller raised the issue of the FBI's controversial use of so-called national security letters [NSLs] in reference to an upcoming report on the topic by the Justice Department's inspector general." ... "An audit by the inspector general last year found the FBI demanded personal records without official authorization or otherwise collected more data than allowed in dozens of cases between 2003 and 2005. Additionally, last year's audit found that the FBI had underreported to Congress how many national security letters were requested by more than 4,600." ... "National security letters, as outlined in the USA Patriot Act, are administrative subpoenas used in suspected terrorism and espionage cases. They allow the FBI to require telephone companies, Internet service providers, banks, credit bureaus and other businesses to produce highly personal records about their customers or subscribers without a judge's approval." ... "Speaking before the FBI chief, [Vermont Democratic Senator and] Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. [Democratic-Vermont], urged Mueller to be more vigilant in correcting what he called "widespread illegal and improper use of national security letters."" ... ""Everybody wants to stop terrorists. But we also, though, as Americans, we believe in our privacy rights and we want those protected," Leahy said. "There has to be a better chain of command for this. You cannot just have an FBI agent who decides he'd like to obtain Americans' records, bank records or anything else and do it just because they want to."" -By Lara Jakes Jordan -AP via -SFGate.com 

---

Dick Cheney - Political - Terrorism - Eavesdropping - Phone Calls - Electronic - E-Mails - Corporate - Government - Intelligence - Law - Nevada - Vermont - "Bush May Win on Eavesdropping by Evoking Terror Fears (Update2)." ... "[Republican] President George W. Bush, his popularity at low ebb, may yet score another legislative victory by evoking fears of a new terrorist attack to win stronger powers to conduct electronic eavesdropping." ... "The Democratic-controlled Senate yesterday approved 68-29 a bill giving the president expanded authority to intercept phone calls and e-mails of suspected terrorists. The measure also shields phone companies from lawsuits for helping Bush eavesdrop on suspected terrorists without court warrants after the Sept. [September] 11 attacks." ... "Nineteen Democrats voted with Republicans for the legislation that protects companies such as AT&T Inc. [Incorporated] and Sprint Nextel Corp [Corporation]. from privacy lawsuits seeking billions of dollars in damages. [Nevada Democratic Senator and] Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid acknowledged that ``holding all the Democrats together on this'' wasn't ``doable.''" ... "Bush renewed his demand today for Congress to complete action on the measure promptly. ``Our intelligence professionals must be able to find out who the terrorists are talking to,'' he said at the White House. ``Their goal is to bring destruction to our shores that would make Sept. 11 pale by comparison.''" ... "The House version of the legislation eliminates legal protection for the phone companies, putting it at odds with the Senate. The two houses must now iron out their differences before sending the measure to Bush." ... "The current law authorizing electronic surveillance expires this weekend, and House Democrats said they will vote today on a 21-day extension to allow more time to consider the long-term legislation. Bush said today that any further delay is unacceptable; and his spokeswoman, Dana Perino, told reporters the president would veto any temporary extension." ... "Reid accused Bush of trying to ``bully'' Congress into passing permanent legislation and said the final bill ``will not be what the president wants.'' He said if the current law lapses, it will be ``the fault of Bush'' and [Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney." ... "[Vermont Democratic Senator and] Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy of Vermont said yesterday the [Republican President Bush] administration used ``fear and intimidation'' to win enactment of the current temporary law, which lets Bush conduct electronic surveillance without a court warrant." -By James Rowley -Bloomberg 

---

Health - Food - Safety - Consumer - Freedom of Speech - Genetic - Science - Agriculture - Corporate - Law - Politics - Vermont - "Ben & Jerry's Fights For Labeling Rights: States, Industry Challenge Ice Cream Maker's Right To Advertise As Synthetic Hormone-Free." ... "Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc. [Incorporated], one of the first companies to label its ice cream as free of a synthetic hormone, is protesting a move by some states to restrict such labeling." ... "The South Burlington [Vermont] ice-cream maker has joined a national campaign to block what critics say is an effort driven by Monsanto Co. [Company], which markets recombinant bovine somatotropin, or rBST, also known as recombinant bovine growth hormone, or rBGH." ... ""We're very concerned about, from a primary standpoint, the freedom of speech to be able to put what we believe is truthful and appropriate messaging on our packaging," said Rob Michalak, a spokesman for Ben & Jerry's, which has mounted a campaign to get consumers on its side." ... "But a newly formed farmers' group, backed by Monsanto, is pushing for labeling changes, saying the hormone-free labels imply that the milk is safer than other milk, when they say it's not." -AP via -CBSNews 

---

Mitch McConnell - Noteworthy - Government - Intelligence - Surveillance - Corporate - Telecom - Amnesty - Politics - Nevada - Kentucky - Vermont - Connecticut - Wisconsin - "Your Harry Reid-led Senate in action." ... "[Nevada Democratic Senator] Harry Reid -- who has (a) done more than any other individual to ensure that Bush's demands for telecom immunity and warrantless eavesdropping powers will be met in full and (b) allowed the Republicans all year to block virtually every bill without having to bother to actually filibuster -- went to the Senate floor yesterday and, with the scripted assistance of [Kentucky Republican Senator] Mitch McConnell and [Vermont Democratic Senator] Pat Leahy, warned [Connecticut Democratic Senator] Chris Dodd, [Wisconsin Democratic Senator] Russ Feingold and others that they would be selfishly wreaking havoc on the schedules of their fellow Senators (making them work over the weekend, ruining their planned "retreat," and even preventing them from going to Davos!) if they bothered everyone with their annoying, pointless little filibuster." ... "To do so, Reid announced that, unlike for the multiple filibusters from Republican colleagues, he would actually force Dodd and company to engage in a real filibuster. This is what Reid said:"

"[I]f people think they are going to talk this to death, we are going to be in here all night. This is not something we are going to have a silent filibuster on. If someone wants to filibuster this bill, they are going to do it in the openness of the Senate."