How or why can...

[wrag]

be far more important then what is done.

The actual request, on the surface may not mean much to many.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071127/D8T68B4O1.html

What is troubling, at least to me, is the attitude displayed by the Government in the case.

The thought process behind the demands made..................

and trying to keep it quite is another matter.

Lately certain Government Agencies APPEAR to be trying to do THINGS to individuals of "we the people" and when those individuals of "we the people" seek to bring these THINGS to the attention of the rest of "we the people" the Government Agency involved makes THREATS of retaliation, or worse, for trying to reveal these THINGS to "we the people".

So in my mind I ask ... who do these Government Agency actually work for?

[FrodeMk3]

From the article:
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Federal prosecutors issued the subpoena last year as part of a grand jury investigation into a former Madison official who was a prolific seller of used books on Amazon.com. They were looking for buyers who could be witnesses in the case.

The official, Robert D'Angelo, was indicted last month on fraud, money laundering and tax evasion charges. Prosecutors said he ran a used book business out of his city office and did not report the income. He has pleaded not guilty.

D'Angelo sold books through the Amazon Marketplace feature, and buyers paid Amazon, which took a commission.

"We didn't care about the content of what anybody read. We just wanted to know what these business transactions were," prosecutor Vaudreuil said Tuesday. "These were simply business records we were seeking to prove the case of fraud and tax crimes against Mr. D'Angelo."

The initial subpoena sought records of 24,000 transactions dating back to 1999. The company turned over many records but refused to identify the book buyers, citing their First Amendment right to keep their reading choices private.

Prosecutors later narrowed the subpoena, asking the company to identify a sample of 120 customers.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Graber dismissed First Amendment concerns in an April letter to the company. He said D'Angelo - not Amazon - was the seller and prosecutors needed proof he sold books online.

Crocker brokered a compromise in which the company would send a letter to the 24,000 customers describing the investigation and asking them to voluntarily contact prosecutors if they were interested in testifying.

Prosecutors said they obtained the customer information they needed from one of D'Angelo's computers they seized early in the investigation. Vaudreuil said computer analysts initially failed to recover the information.

Still, Crocker scolded prosecutors in July for not looking for alternatives earlier.

"If the government had been more diligent in looking for workarounds instead of baring its teeth when Amazon balked, it's probable that this entire First Amendment showdown could have been avoided," he wrote.

The company asked Crocker to unseal the records after D'Angelo was indicted last month. Crocker granted the request over the objections of federal prosecutors, who wanted them kept secret.

"Shining some sunlight on the instant dispute reassures the public that someone is watching the watchers, and that this district's federal prosecutors are part of the solution, not part of the problem," he wrote.
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I dunno, Wrag-Yeah, Federal prosecutors' tried to turn fascist, But were stopped by a judge. I know,they tried to circumvent the constitution- but they were exposed for it. Judge made a good call.

[Tigeress]

Originally posted by wrag
be far more important then what is done.

The actual request, on the surface may not mean much to many.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071127/D8T68B4O1.html

What is troubling, at least to me, is the attitude displayed by the Government in the case.

The thought process behind the demands made..................

and trying to keep it quite is another matter.

Lately certain Government Agencies APPEAR to be trying to do THINGS to individuals of "we the people" and when those individuals of "we the people" seek to bring these THINGS to the attention of the rest of "we the people" the Government Agency involved makes THREATS of retaliation, or worse, for trying to reveal these THINGS to "we the people".

So in my mind I ask ... who do these Government Agency actually work for?

This is why We The People must never get sleepy... or we will loose it all...



TIGERESS

[Ripsnort]

Could be worse, we could live behind the iron curtain of security in the UK.

[Thruster]

These tactics are nothing new. It's been going on since the advent of government. It's the inclination of many who seek these vocations to abuse the authority granted them. It's part of human nature. Or more specifically, some humans' nature.

My biggest concern with our current administration is the almost obsessive desire to feed a culture of fear in our society. The trickle down of alarmist rhetoric, politically correct intellectual tyranny, and moral opportunism has created an environment that nurtures those with the capacity to abuse their office to do so.

And it seems they are seizing that opportunity. It's up to us whether or not they get away with it.    

What's cool about the 21st century is now we have the means to shine new light into previously obscure machinations. The web, camera phones, even the liberal media have done much to validate the underground consensus that those we place in authority are the very same individuals that we need to keep a close eye on. It's not a new concept. History is lousy with the same kind of nastiness we seem so shocked to witness today. What makes our role in the march of time important is our readiness to seize the opportunity presented. And I think to a large degree we are. I feel we have more insight than we ever have regarding the events that previously would have never been disclosed. We still have a ways to go but it's getting better.

[Gunslinger]

"We didn't care about the content of what anybody read. We just wanted to know what these business transactions were," prosecutor Vaudreuil said Tuesday. "These were simply business records we were seeking to prove the case of fraud and tax crimes against Mr. D'Angelo."

Looks to me like it had nothing to do with reading habbits and more about transactions.  Well within the scope of an investigation.

[Thruster]

Just something sort of related I just came across.
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