Your Pentagon at work spying on you and more

The FBI’s notorious National Security Letters? Being used by the Pentagon to monitor American citizens’ telephone and Internet usage.

“Newly unredacted documents released today reveal that the Department of Defense is using the FBI to circumvent legal limits on its own NSL power,” said the ACLU, whose lawsuit was filed in Manhattan federal court.

ACLU attorney Melissa Goodman said the Pentagon does not have the authority to get e-mail and phone records or lists of Web sites that people have visited, but noted the FBI can get that through NSLs.

Meanwhile, the Whatagon is going to get tough with colleges that have traditionally blocked or restricted its on-campus recruiting efforts. Per Army Times:

Under rules that will take effect April 28, defense officials said they want the exact same access to student directories that is provided to all other prospective employers.

Students can opt out of having their information turned over to the military only if they opt out of having their information provided to all other recruiters, but schools cannot have policies that exclude only the military, defense officials said in a March 28 notice of the new policy in the Federal Register.

And, the DoD is morphing “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays to “do know, don’t fly” for gay civilians, it would seem. The Pentagon initially refused to let Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin’s partner, Lauren Azar fly with her to Europe on a military plane on a Congressional trip:

The Pentagon said it was merely following House rules, which do not define domestic partners as spouses. (Speaker of the House Nancy) Pelosi’s office countered that the Pentagon has its own rules about who can go on its planes.

Both sides agree that Defense Secretary Robert Gates reversed the decision to keep Baldwin's partner, Lauren Azar, off the plane after getting contacted by Pelosi.

“It’s a matter of fairness that spouses should be allowed to go, and she is Ms. Baldwin's spouse,” said Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly.

Ahh, it’s not like the brass hats have anything serious to worry about, like telling the truth about Iraq or something.