I have not seen a diary on this yet. If this has been exhausted please let me know.
This webpage gives some information on good old Mr. Barr. He is the head counsel for Verizon and they gave him the "VP" name as well. As you can see he is very much a right wing kinda guy. If you scroll down while looking at his info you will see this:
Central Intelligence Agency: Analyst, 1973-1976
So we have a CIA guy deciding for Verizon whether or not the spooks can get our records?! More on Mr. Barr after the flip...
Richard Notebaert is the CEO of Qwest. Now Qwest a few years ago sold part of itself to um.........."Qwest sold QwestDex to Carlyle Group, Welsh Carson Anderson & Stowe"
Here is the link to that quote. Now there is another
QuEST out there but this is not me getting confused. Update at the bottom of the diary with a nice link.
William Barr is a bit of an ass to say the very least. It would be alot of fun to laugh at his group and his words except that he was one of the few people who had the power to say no to the NSA and he said yes.
Barr, an adviser to William Bennett's Americans for Victory over Terrorism, first rose to prominence in the conservative network in the late 1980s when he was appointed to a series of posts in the Justice Department in the administration of George H.W. Bush, mainly as a result of his ties to Bush's White House Counsel C. Boyden Gray, whose support helped Barr eventually land the U.S. Attorney General job.
Now let's look at
Americans for Victory over Terrorism
Founded in 2002 by a William Bennett-led group of neocons and right-wingers to defend George W. Bush's interventionist policies, Americans for Victory over Terrorism aims "to defend America's war on terrorism against those who would weaken the nation's resolve and erode our commitment to end the international menace of terrorism. AVOT will take its campaign to where it is needed most--college campuses, seminar rooms, editorial pages, and other media outlets."
So the lead counsel for Verizon is in the group huh?! Hmm. If you look on the left side of the page you will see this:
. L. Paul Bremer, adviser
. William P. Barr, adviser
. William J. Bennett, founder
. Frank Gaffney, adviser
. Lawrence Kadish, adviser
. James Woolsey, adviser
I will allow you to take a really good look at that site. But I do want to include AVOT's Statement of Principles:
1. America is confronted with an enemy no less dangerous and no less determined than the twin menaces of fascism and communism we faced in the 20th century. And as we were victorious over them, so we must prevail in this, the first war of the 21st century. AVOT will, as its first task, remind citizens of the paramount importance of this effort.
2. The radical Islamists who attacked us did so because of our democratic ideals, our belief in, and practice of, liberty and equality. AVOT will take to task those who blame America first and who do not understand--or who are unwilling to defend--our fundamental principles.
3. America's foreign policy should be guided by those same principles upon which America itself was founded. AVOT will call for a foreign policy that emphasizes democracy and human rights.
4. In this war, our closest and most trusted allies must be our fellow democracies. AVOT will advocate steadfast support for our friends and oppose policies that place short-term "allies" above them.
5. By President Bush's declaration to Congress, America is at war with states that harbor terrorists or sponsor terrorism -- in all its guises. AVOT will inform Americans about nations that pose a threat to us or that help those that threaten us.
6. Because of the threat posed by radical Islamists and others, Americans will have to rethink many of their preconceptions about fighting terrorism. AVOT will defend policies that preserve civil liberties without sacrificing common sense and our common defense.
7. The best defense is a good offense, and America must have a military capacity that enables us to defend ourselves while rooting out terrorists. AVOT will support an increased budget for the Department of Defense, research and deployment of a missile defense system, and an even more capable military.
8. Improving our gathering and effective utilization of intelligence is a necessity. AVOT will support responsible efforts by our nation's intelligence and law enforcement agencies to collect and utilize more -- and more pertinent -- information and to facilitate interagency communication.
9. A necessary front in this war is the battle for international public opinion. AVOT will support radio, television, and other mass media patterned on Radio Free Europe to show how America has stood up for Muslims and other persecuted peoples throughout the years and to explain the virtues of democracy.
10. Finally, we must understand our enemies better. AVOT will encourage scholarly research into various aspects of Islamic theology, history, and culture. AVOT will hold such scholarship to a serious and rigorous standard.
Now Mr. Notebaert also has a connection to W. Chucklenuts.
During 2003 Notebaert was appointed by President George W. Bush to the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee, where he worked to establish standards for new communications technologies and to find ways to secure America's communications networks from sabotage by terrorists.
Anyone want to take a guess as to what that means? I think I know.......
Also remember that the NYT's article was quoting Qwest in the "past tense" and Qwest refused to talk about anything current.
Carlyle Group and Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe Purchase Qwest's Yellow Pages Unit for $7.05 Billion