State "Fusion Centers" And Pentagon-Run FBI Programs Spy On Americans

Fresh revelations of state and Pentagon run terrorist surveillance programs that "skirt legal restrictions" serve to remind the American public that they are now the prime suspects in the post 9/11 panopticon society.

Separate documents obtained by the ACLU and the Washington Post have created similar headlines on the same day about two new freedom eroding processes that have been in full swing for some time.

"Fusion Centers"

Intelligence centers run by states across the country have access to personal information about millions of Americans, including unlisted cellphone numbers, insurance claims, driver's license photographs and credit reports, according to the Washington Post.

Dozens of the organizations known as fusion centers were created after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to identify potential threats and improve the way information is shared. The centers use law enforcement analysts and sophisticated computer systems to compile, or fuse, disparate tips and clues and pass along the refined information to other agencies.

The centers received $254 million from the Department of Homeland Security between 2004 and 2007 and also work in conjunction with the military arm of the DHS, NORTHCOM.

They also have subscriptions to private information-broker services that keep records about Americans' locations, financial holdings, associates, relatives, firearms licenses and the like.

Some of these data-brokers, such as one in Maryland called Entersect, claim to hold records about 98 percent of Americans.

The justification is, as always, the war on terror, but the targets of the information gathering are everyday Americans.

"There is never ever enough information when it comes to terrorism" said Maj. Steven G. O'Donnell, deputy superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police. "That's what post-9/11 is about."

Yes sir, drill that "post 9/11" mantra into our brains one more time please. Infowars.net