Great article by Greenwald. What cases like this really illustrate is the impact of political officials over the judiciary and institutional oversight. The fact that this program is illegal is only relevant insofar as politicians demonstrate a willingness to speak out against it and prosecute those responsible. So long as the White House remains mum (which, in an election year was pretty much a slam dunk) and local politicians stay supportive, comparable agencies throughout the US will feel empowered to begin surveillance programs of their own (that is, if they arent already in place).....
Yes, it's completely a sad state of affairs. It's ludicrous that belonging to a religion is now seen as probably cause.
Dark, dark times. I was thinking of this thread yesterday when I received an ominous envelope at work. It was from something like "Office of Federal Investigations," and had "open immediately" or something like that stamped on it. It really got me a little scared, genuinely, even though I'm a squeaky clean US American from kindergarten on up. But holding that letter, I just viscerally felt their complete lack of oversight, checks and balances. It's just so blatant. (It turns out, the letter was just asking me to provide a reference check for a former employee of mine who is applying for a security clearance. But it just made me sad to feel my own reaction to getting a serious looking communication from "the gubmint.")
Predictably, US appeals court rules you cannot sue the US government for warrantless wiretapping, reversing the only successful challenge of Bush's post-9/11 program. More at the link.
Yeah, at this point the democratic process can't solve these problems - the powerful at every level just use their power to get more power.
I honestly don't see how people can do and say these things with a straight face, and get to sleep at night. We have become almost exactly what we were brought up to think we were better than.
What a rotten horrible turn of events. To take a citizens right to seek justice at wrong doing by the govt. is absolutely horrible.
I'm not sure we were ever "better than". We're just really good at hiding it from ourselves via a myriad of channels and/or rationalizations. Heck, that's precisely why you're taught as a kid this sort of propaganda-esque "glossing" of our nation's history and ideals...ram it into a kids head enough and he/she will seek to doubt it. Might even actively avoid information to the contrary, a la Orwell's famous quote.
I agree, but it's amazing how far we've let ourselves go considering what we were taught when we were younger about our freedom and balance and democracy as compared to other nations and governments, most notably communism. Freedom Fries for the win.
I still don't get though why this ends the plaintiffs' attempt to sue? Is there a reason they can't petition the USSC?
The article indicates the lawyers are considering it. I highly doubt the USSC will "come to the rescue".
It's perhaps a long shot but I don't think we can all this end of the road for the plaintiffs. Possibly a longer shot there is still the possibility of Congress changing the law to allow for suits.
You didn't but from the article it sounds like the judges did, "This case effectively brings to an end the plaintiffs’ ongoing attempts to hold the executive branch responsible for intercepting telephone conversations without judicial authorization,” a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals wrote.". That seems rather self-serving of the the Appeal Court judges to say so.
