about the Pentagon's domestic spy activities.

Not sure if I'm correct, but I belief domestic spying was the business of the FBI who have oversight. (Hoover kept files on many Americans).

The Pentagon, I think ?, began to use National Security letters to collect information about American citizenry in 2003--Wolfowitz authorized it. CIFA started as a small unit and is now over 1,000 people. (Busy little beavers aren't they?)

Health care can't be afforded by the government for millions of Americans, but taxpayers pay 1,000 people in the CIFA department at the Pentagon for domestic snooping.

Deletions in Army Manual Raise Wiretapping Concerns

By ERIC LICHTBLAU and MARK MAZZETTI
NYT
Published: January 14, 2007

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13 — Deep into an updated Army manual, the deletion of 10 words has left some national security experts wondering whether government lawyers are again asserting the executive branch’s right to wiretap Americans without a court warrant.

The manual, described by the Army as a “major revision” to intelligence-gathering guidelines, addresses policies and procedures for wiretapping Americans, among other issues.

The original guidelines, from 1984, said the Army could seek to wiretap people inside the United States on an emergency basis by going to the secret court set up by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, known as FISA, or by obtaining certification from the attorney general “issued under the authority of section 102(a) of the Act.”

That last phrase is missing from the latest manual, which says simply that the Army can seek emergency wiretapping authority pursuant to an order issued by the FISA court “or upon attorney general authorization.” It makes no mention of the attorney general doing so under FISA.

more

It has been asking financial and telecom firms for data on people.

Los Angeles Times, By Julian E. Barnes & Greg Miller, Jan 14

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has been requesting information from financial institutions and telecommunications companies to investigate people within the United States suspected of spying or terrorism, the Defense Department said Saturday.

The little-known practice could raise questions on Capitol Hill about the military conducting domestic investigations, which are traditionally reserved for the FBI. The American Civil Liberties Union said Saturday that the Pentagon activity raised concerns.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the Defense Department was not spying on random American citizens and was primarily requesting the information in counterintelligence investigations, such as when department officials or contractors were accused of spying.

The Pentagon practice was first reported Saturday evening by the New York Times, which said officials estimated that the Pentagon had asked for the information in as many as 500 investigations over five years.

The CIA has gathered similar information from U.S. companies and other sources, but has done so less frequently, according to U.S. intelligence officials contacted by the Los Angeles Times.

“Office of the National Intelligence Director, which oversees all 16 spy agencies in the government.”

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

Department of Defense (DoD), (includes the Pentagon?):
National Security Agency (NSA),
National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)
Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)

State Department:
Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR)

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

Four military services intellignece branches:
Air Force
Army\
Navy
Marines

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Coast Guard (now part of DHS)

Department of State:
Bureau of Intelligence and Research

Energy Department
Department of the Treasury
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

Source: Intelligence Community

I didn't see the Pentagon's CIFA on the list, so perhaps there are now 17 agencies?

Does anyone have any statistics as to the size of the ballooning of these intelligence agencies since 9/11? I do know that in the case of domestic spying, CIFA, started small and now has over 1,000 employees that collect data and get their salaries from American taxpayers.

Perhaps Pelosi should add the intelligence community to her list of things to reduce in her first one hundred hours? My feeling is America could rid itself of at least one entire new department: Homeland Security as well as repeal the Patriot Act that created these snoops and bimbos. Government loves to put their nose into taxpayer's business and must be leaping with joy at the amount of freedom to pry into individuals' confidential material that 9/11 has afforded them. Departments produce computer data bases and don't have the expertise to keep the information from leaking out to the general public. Hackers have also increased their presence since 9/11! Some must be at the intellligence level and will undoubtedly be successful at getting information about private citizens. Banking on line is vulnerable and will become a convenience that is dangerous in terms of privacy of information. Who knows how many agencies already have our banking and confidential information that they were not given permission to see? Nor do intelligence communities ask--they just take it, because they perceive and justify their nefarious activities on the basis they are serving the country's safety.

New York Times, By MARK MAZZETTI, Jan 15

Vice President Dick Cheney yesterday defended efforts by the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency to obtain financial records of Americans suspected of terrorism or espionage, calling the practice a “perfectly legitimate activity” used partly to protect troops stationed on military bases in the United States.

But the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee expressed concern over the expansion of the military’s domestic intelligence collection efforts and said his committee would investigate how the Pentagon was using its authority.

Appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” Mr. Cheney said “national security letters” issued to banks and credit agencies were an essential tool for investigating terrorism cases in the United States.

He said the Pentagon had crossed no legal boundaries in issuing the letters independent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“There’s nothing wrong with it or illegal,” Mr. Cheney said. “It doesn’t violate people’s civil rights. And if an institution that receives one of these national security letters disagrees with it, they’re free to go to court to try to stop its execution.”

U.S. senators gear up for weeks of grilling