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http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/04/01/nsa/index.html



TL;DR version
Apparently a number of Federal judges have ruled that the wiretapping undertaken during the Bush administration and continued under the Obama administration are unambiguously illegal, no matter what "state secrets" might be used to shield the practice. What I find most disturbing is that neither administration took the time to bother formally defending the practice beyond saying that it was illegal for the courts to tackle the issue.



Time to shrink the executive branch back down to size. Go find a group of friends and all call your congressman and senators together!

lol, wut?

Core of defense:

"President
-----------
Law"

and this is new how? if the news media dont care and your average joe dont care then nothing will happen same as always... its always bn known that it was illegal now some judges finally speak up but knowing doesnt shines the spot light on the administration.

they can create a news media at waco and special grand openings and events but they cants post this on the 6, 8, 10, 11pm, 4, 5, 6am news?

this country deserves what it gets for its apathy.

Originally posted by Wild Shadow
and this is new how?

It isn't, what's worth noting is that now people high up in the judicial system are making some noise about it. That's a start toward ending this sort of stuff, so long as people are willing to do something.

if they want to do something about it they need to put a arrest warrants whether they can enforce it or not based on the rule o law... which would be the right ethical thing to do and would create some kind of news media... and start holding trials...

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos




Time to shrink the executive branch back down to size. Go find a group of friends and all call your congressman and senators together!

I have written and encouraged other people to write to our Congressman for the First District of Florida. Jeff Miller, however, has refused to even consider bringing attention to it. He concerns more of his time in the House Armed Services Committee, but this topic doesn't spark his interest at all.

I as a person can only do so much, and as Wild Shadow said if Joe-Sixpack doesn't know and/or doesn't care about the issue Joe Six-Pack aint doing a damn thing about it.

At least 3 judges agree that the practice is illegal

So basically they're applying the Groom Lake/Area 51 Defense first used as "yeah, you sick farmers who are dying can't sue us cuz we have unspecified national security reasons for burning chemical weapons and waste in open pits at this military base that's not supposed to exist but does. Now shut up before AFSAC makes your whole family disappear."
Look, can we just stop the program and shove the whole Bush administration and their coconspirators in those nice glass cubicles that Adolf Eichmann made look so stylish?

This will probably end up like the pentagon papers. A complete embarrassment for the feds.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/04/01/nsa/index.html



TL;DR version
Apparently a number of Federal judges have ruled that the wiretapping undertaken during the Bush administration and continued under the Obama administration are unambiguously illegal, no matter what "state secrets" might be used to shield the practice. What I find most disturbing is that neither administration took the time to bother formally defending the practice beyond saying that it was illegal for the courts to tackle the issue.



Time to shrink the executive branch back down to size. Go find a group of friends and all call your congressman and senators together!

Man, that's crappy. I've always been against that.

Originally posted by Darth Jello
Area 51

duh, its because they have aliens there

why else would it be so secretive?

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
Go find a group of friends and all call your congressman and senators together!

They're on vacation. I cant afford a call to Tahiti.

Originally posted by Darth Jello
So basically they're applying the Groom Lake/Area 51 Defense first used as "yeah, you sick farmers who are dying can't sue us cuz we have unspecified national security reasons for burning chemical weapons and waste in open pits at this military base that's not supposed to exist but does. Now shut up before AFSAC makes your whole family disappear."
Look, can we just stop the program and shove the whole Bush administration and their coconspirators in those nice glass cubicles that Adolf Eichmann made look so stylish?

But it's now the Obama administration. Obama can save the world. He can make all this just go away, and turn it into flowers.

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
But it's now the Obama administration. Obama can save the world. He can make all this just go away, and turn it into flowers.


He sort of can.

He was supposed to pull out of Iraq...he's sort of doing that.

He was supposed to shut down Guantanomo. He's mostly done that.

He was supposed to reduce nuclear arsenal for both the US and Russia. He just signed a new agreement on that.

He was supposed to open up domestic sources of oil production as a means towards energy independence. He has started on that.

He was supposed to improve US relations with the rest of the world. He has done a REALLY good job at that, thus far.

He was supposed to help create subsidy for foreign energy productions like batteries, electric cars, etc. He has definitely started/done that.

He was supposed to NOT raise taxes on those that make less than $250,000 a year. Depends on how much of a lawyer you want to be about it: he both lowered and raised. I'll let others debate that.




Now, these are just things that I remember him promising, right off the top of my head. He seems to have at least earned a C, from me. He could be doing better and make me much happier, but, he is at least delivering on many of his promises and breaking a few. I could be overlooking some things, and I am more than open to others adding to that list.


Now, why did I go through all of that? Easy: he can make this illegal wire taping business go away by getting rid of it.