In Colombia, a very different warrantless wiretapping scandal makes the news. In this case, it's not just a politically manipulated domestic intelligence grab, but the agency actually being used to spy on politicians, journalists, government officials, company executives, and often for the benefit of organized crime, including generic narco-traffickers, right wing narco-paramilitaries, and left wing narco-guerrillas.

When a Colombian newsmagazine published the story based on numerous interviews with agents inside and who had left the agency (the "DAS" or Department of Administrative Security, sort of a combination FBI / DHS / NSA), the attorney general had occupied the DAS offices by later that same day.

Now, the prosecutor's office and the DAS are firing people involved and opening prosecutions against the same and/or others:

Colombia Spy Agency Fires 22 for Illegal Wiretaps

Latin American Herald Tribune & EFE

BOGOTA – Colombia’s DAS security service fired 22 detectives, apparently in connection with an investigation into the illegal wiretapping of leading public figures, the press said on Tuesday.

Monday witnessed “one of the biggest purges in the recent history of the DAS” after a meeting of director with the services internal-affairs panel, El Tiempo newspaper said.

“When questioned about the reason for the dismissals, spokespeople for the agency said Muñoz affected them making use of the discretionary authority the law gives him, and that there will another purge this Friday,” the daily said.

The fired detectives continue to face judicial and administrative investigations.

The acting chief justice of Colombia’s Supreme Court, Jaime Arrubla, said on Tuesday in an interview with La W radio that Attorney General Mario Iguaran told him senior officials appear to have had a role in the illegal wiretaps...

...“Notable was the existence of a folder marked ‘Vices and Weaknesses,’ in which is provided a detailed report about very intimate matters of opposition political leaders and judges. They provided details about sexual preferences, whether or not the people had lovers, if they consumed liquor or drugs,” Caracol Radio said.

In late February, the scandal over the unlawful wiretaps forced President Alvaro Uribe to announce that he would no longer allow DAS to conduct electronic surveillance...

...The story was broken in January by Colombian newsweekly Semana, which said the targets of the spying included Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos – seen as a future presidential hopeful – and the head of the National Police, Gen. Oscar Naranjo.

Also monitored were former President Cesar Gaviria, erstwhile Supreme Court Chief Justice Francisco Javier Ricaurte, who has frequently sparred with Uribe; and several of the country’s most influential journalists.

Wiretapping scandals are nothing new in Colombia.

In 2007, Uribe sacked his top police chiefs after the telephone bugging of opposition members, state officials and journalists came to light.

http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=332466&CategoryId=12393

Oh, by the way -- the illegal spying was done using equipment donated by the U.S. and Britain for the purpose of monitoring narco-trafficking.

Predictably enough, conservative President Alvaro Uribe once again angrily denounces any suggestion that he was in any way connected to his own close allies whom he put in their positions who happened to be spying on Uribe's rivals and opponents.

It's obviously a complete coincidence and Uribe is once again an innocent victim.

A new tagline for your blog should be drawn from the Izzy Award speech:

"All journalism is independent; and if it is not independent, it is not journalism."

So these quotes arrived in Allen's email inbox with no agreement that the quotes were off the record. Thus, Allen was free to publish them and identity for his readers what Bush officials were saying about Obama. But -- exact like Tim Russert -- Allen apparently treats his conversations with Bush officials as "presumptively confidential," i.e., like a good and loyal P.R. spokesman, he will only report what he learns if they give him permission to do so -- even in the absence of an explicit off-the-record agreement. So, after the fact, he humbly asked permission to print what the "top Bush official" emailed him, was denied permission except on the condition that he print it anonymously, and Allen then complied. They take their orders from top government officials about what to print so reflexively and routinely that they're not even embarrassed to admit it any longer.

If hack fake "journalists" didn't presumptively treat their government and ex-government buddies (especially the right wing ones, you know, who really always matter on the tone), then who will stand near them at their locker every morning before home room?

My god! Would you have them standing there alone, cold, isolated, just at their lockers to get and drop off books and class supplies and going somewhere, rather than hanging out with The Kewlest Krowd all standing together?

You're heartless, Glenn. Cold. Stone.

If it were up to you, journalism would be some sort of profession with declared values to be followed instead of the really awesome thing it is where you get to hang out with the rich and powerful and just write whatever they want you to say whenever they tell you they want something said.

Although I didn't really make any predictions, I was one who nervously sort of assumed I'd be disappointed again, and Obama would improperly claim secrecy for these memos.

I am very, very pleased regarding that particular aspect of this program that Obama choose to prioritize the democratic needs of the U.S. citizenry over the pleadings of the National Security State hawks.

This doesn't mean that I think angelic harmony has been achieved, or that the lack of intention to follow up on government officials who broke the law is okay, but then, I fully admit to being a person whose expectations (meaning estimate of probable actions) of government leaders and Presidents is pretty low.

Thanks for highlighting how this release departs with traditional Executive dedication to security state secrecy. I hope that at least on this aspect of Executive authority, we will begin to see more openness.