Break

Ok, so someone must be lying. After my last email from Verizon where they can neither confirm or deny any participation with the NSA I read this article where Verizon says it didn’t give NSA customer phone records.

I must say I’m certainly glad that Verizon hasn’t been giving out my phone records. If they did, they would know I call my wife frequently, don’t call my parents nearly enough and I … well that’s pretty much it. I don’t make many phone calls.

With my faith in large corporations well restored I went back to work, hoping to put all this behind me. No sooner did I breathe a sigh of relief when I read this:

New Presidential Memorandum Permits Intelligence Director To Authorize Telcos To Lie Without Violating Securities Law. What this article basically says (IANAL) is that in regards to national security matters a corporation can hide (lie) about it’s activities to shareholders.

Here is the memorandum:

[Federal Register: May 12, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 92)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Page 27941-27943]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12my06-146]

[[Page 27941]]

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Part III

The President

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Memorandum of May 5, 2006--Assignment of Function Relating to Granting
of Authority for Issuance of Certain Directives

Presidential Documents

___________________________________________________________________

Title 3--
The President

[[Page 27943]]

Memorandum of May 5, 2006

Assignment of Function Relating to Granting of
Authority for Issuance of Certain Directives

Memorandum for the Director of National Intelligence

By virtue of the authority vested in me by the
Constitution and laws of the United States, including
section 301 of title 3, United States Code, I hereby
assign to you the function of the President under
section 13(b)(3)(A) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended (15 U.S.C. 78m(b)(3)(A)). In
performing such function, you should consult the heads
of departments and agencies, as appropriate.

You are authorized and directed to publish this
memorandum in the Federal Register.

(Presidential Sig.)B

THE WHITE HOUSE,

Washington, May 5, 2006.

[FR Doc. 06-4538
Filed 5-11-06; 9:04 am]

Billing code 3910-A7-M

Here are the relevant sections in the SEC code:

With respect to matters concerning the national security of the United States, no duty or liability under paragraph (2) of this subsection shall be imposed upon any person acting in cooperation with the head of any Federal department or agency responsible for such matters if such act in cooperation with such head of a department or agency was done upon the specific, written directive of the head of such department or agency pursuant to Presidential authority to issue such directives. Each directive issued under this paragraph shall set forth the specific facts and circumstances with respect to which the provisions of this paragraph are to be invoked. Each such directive shall, unless renewed in writing, expire one year after the date of issuance.

I just don’t know what to believe anymore.