Justice watchdog says he lacks authority to probe eavesdropping program
Katherine Shrader
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — The
Justice Department’s
independent watchdog says
it does not have jurisdiction
to open an investigation
into the legality of the Bush
administration’s domestic
eavesdropping program.
Also Tuesday, the Pentagon
referred a Democratic
request for an internal
review on the subject to the
National Security Agency’s
' inspector general.
In a three-paragraph letter,
Justice’s Inspector General
Glenn Fine forwarded the
request to the department’s^
Office of Professional
Responsibility, which reviews
allegations of misconduct
involving employees’ actions
when providing legal advice.
President Bush’s decision
to authorize the NSA to
monitor — without warrants
— people inside the United
States has sparked a flurry
of questions about the
program’s legal justification.
Bush and his top aides
say the activities of the
nation’s largest spy agency
were narrowly targeted to
intercept calls and e-mails
of Americans and others
inside the United States witfl
suspected ties to al-Qaida.
But a growing chorus
of legal experts from both
parties are raising doubts
about Bush’s authority to
order such monitoring on
U.S. soil and questioning the
White House’s decision to
seek changes in law.
Congress also plans to
investigate.' As part of its
work, the House and Senate
intelligence committees
will soon hear from former
NSA officer Russell T. Tice.
The whistleblower told
lawmakers in Dec. 16 letter
that he had information
about “probable unlawful
and unconstitutional acts”
involving the NS A director,
the defense secretary and
other officials as part of
highly classified government
operations.
ABC News reported
Tuesday night that Tice
claims to be one of the
dozen sources who spoke to
The New York Times about
monitoring programs.
Over three dozen House
Democrats — led by Rep.
Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., a
member of the Judiciary
and Homeland Security^
committees—have requested^
separate investigations by
Justice’s inspector general,
the Pentagon’s inspector
general and Congress’
watchdogs at the Government
Accountability Office.
A senior Defense
Department official said the
Pentagon’s watchdog will
not do a review because the
NSA’s inspector general is
“actively reviewing aspects
of that program.”
SGTU •' COilTIRtiCD PROm I
issues to sort themselves.
Executive council has spent
more than $8,000 equipping
Pennetti, who is supervising
production for SGTV, with
a new video camera and
editing computer.
He used the computer to
play back a taped session of
the Student Senate, edited
with ah announcement
marquee scrolling on the
bottom of the screen. He
also played a train safety
PSA filmed and submitted
by a student.
Pennetti is also helping
to resolve the legal issues
that have snagged SGTV’s
timetable by drafting a
contract release form for
students to sign when they
submit videos. The form
indicates that the submitter
knows his content and follows
the guidelines set down by
Student Government and the
university for content to be
broadcast, such as following
the Carolinian Creed.
But legal issues are the
least of Pennetti’s worries
when concerned for the
station’s timetable.
“It’s a slow process to
create this system. You’re
setting up a network; it takes
time without knowing how
the system works,” Pennetti
said.
Pennetti said four
Freshman Council members
are supposed to be helping
hin^, but he is always looking
for more students interested
in the process of broadcasting
a channel.
“That’s how the bail gets
rolling — with the people,
not just the new equipment
and technology.”
While personnel issues
are sorted out, the need
for original content from
students will always be
insatiable.
Confirmed programs will
include taped sessions of the
Student Senate and the return
of “CTV,” a combination
variety show and video
magazine that once aired
in between movies on the
WRHA campus television
station.
In all, five hours of _
programming are ready to
be broadcast, looping about
five times each day.
Pennetti said more content
is on its way, eventually so
that programs run in seven
hour slots repeated about
three times a day for an
entire week.
As more students and
organizations submit
content, SGTV will be
able to add new seven-hour
slots of content each week,
eventually so that the station
will air new programming
twice each week. But
Pennetti admits that might
not happen until the fall.
“So far we have five hours
(of programming) out of 24,
and 24 hours is an awful lot
of time,” he said.
Pennetti new show
suggestions include “CTV
Cribs,” a university send-up
of the popular MTV show,
as well as a late-night talk
show featuring SG President
Justin Williams, a fourth
year political science student,
chatting with guests.
Also in the works are
recorded events from
Carolina Productions, as
well as migrating the School
of Journalism and Mass
Communication’s “Carolina
News” program, a product of
the school’s senior broadcast
journalism students.
“We’re hoping to be like
the Garnet & Black (for
television),” Pennetti said.
Pennetti said the station
will clear the “legal
paperwork” involved in
approximately two weeks,
though other factors could
stall the first broadcast even
further.
Still, Pennetti and his ad
hoc production team aren’t
resting on their laurels.
“We are not stopping our
wheels; we’re still spinning
them.”
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocknews@gwm.sc. edu
mm drv • connnueD PRom i
House Ballroom to receive
job assignments.
According to the USC
Web site, more than
550 students, staff, and
faculty members provided
cleaning and gardening
services for the elderly,
hosted a children’s carnival,
planted memorial gardens,
raised funding for the
Modjeska Simkins’ Home,
and cleaned the Midlands
wetlands at last year’s Day
of Service.
To wrap up the
commemorative weekend,
the annual MLK Gospel
lrids • conunuEDPRomi
At that scale, materials are
measured in nanometers or
billionths of a meter.
Nanoscale materials,
including particles used
today in stain-resistant
pants and suntan lotions,
are generally less than 100
Unity Fest honoring King’^|
life and legacy will featur ™
such groups as Lee Williams
and the Spiritual QC’s, C.
B. Jackson Singers and The
Gospel Redeemers.
The gospel fest will be
held at the Koger Center
starting at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets are on sale at the
Carolina Coliseum Box
Office for $10.
For more information,
visit http://hr.sc.edu/
mlk/king2006.html for a
complete listing of the day’s
events.
Comments on this story? E-me£
gamecocknews@givm.sc.edu
nanometers in diameter.
A sheet of paper, in
comparison, is a whopping
100,000 nanometers thick.
Nano boosters herald the
potential for small-scale
materials to have enormous
effects on much of what we
do, including develop drugs
and sop up toxic pollution.
I
-Any enrolled college student wh<
makes a purchase at the Main St f|L* „
location, needs to show their valid studer
ID to enter. Student will sign the register
receipt and print their name and contact
info.
Contest begins Monday, January 9th and
ends Sunday, January 22. One winner will
be drawn on Monday, January 23 and noti
fied. ’
To increase the odds of winning, partici
pants can enter each time they eat at Moe's
The winner (and only the winner) eats free
at Moe's (main street location only)
through the end of the semester. Limit one
meal per day.
northeast
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