[BANNED VIDEO REPORT] N.J. Senator Menendez's Office Responds to URNEKST about Habeas Corpus
[BANNED VIDEO REPORT] In Fall 2006,
s6k:Investigates embarked on a project to demand that our public
servants supply unambiguous answers to unambiguous questions. This led
us to ascertain what the law was for such an effort. We decided that
making calls to their offices, which we are often prompted to do, and
recording the calls would be the most accurate way to have a statement
from a public official that couldn't be taken out of context.
That effort was thwarted by Google banning the two videos
that derived from the investigation. Our specific goal was to have
clear answers of the public positions of Senators Menendez and
Lautenberg on waterboarding, though other issues were discussed. They
were banned April 2009. We have no idea who made
the complaint.
The Military Commissions Act was the
predicate to illegal practices under U.S and International Law, which
they both endorsed the policy by voting yes, in the name of their
constituents. With this understanding, we believed we had the civil and
legal right to ascertain and publish the conversations regarding this
issue.
Below are the statues for New York and New Jersey, the states in question.
- New Jersey
N.J. Stat. 2A:156A-3:
Interception of any wire, electronic or oral communication, or
disclosure of the contents of such communication by someone having
reason to know of the interception, is a crime. The disclosure of
intercepted information is not a crime, however, if the contents of the
communication have "become public knowledge or public information."
In addition, an interception is legal if
the interceptor is a party to the communication, or one of the parties
has given prior consent, so long as no criminal or tortious intent is
present.Nonetheless, even if a person is a subscriber to a particular
telephone, that person cannot consent to the recording of conversations
on that telephone to which he is not a party.
- New York
N.Y Penal Law 250.00,250.05: It is a Class E felony to overhear or
record a telephonic or telegraphic communication if one is not the
sender or receiver, or does not have the consent of either the sender
or receiver. It also is a crime for someone to overhear or record any
conversation or discussion without the consent of at least one party to
that conversation.
In both instances, we adhere to the
letter and spirit of the law. What we asked was public information from
a public official, which is the property of the public. We asked for no
secret information and disclosed no classified information.
It is fundamentally wrong and unfair
that Google Video decided to ban these videos.
the original story
The ongoing problem of the U.S. allowing people from around the world [including from within the U.S.] to be disappeared and tortured while having no proof of guilt is a problem everyone should understand the importance of. In this phone call, URNEKST put his questions on this topic to Sen. Menendez's staffer. Although we understand staffers can do nothing but quote statements given to them, it's still important to add another voice and message to Sen. Menendez, especially since he voted for the Military Commissions Act.