So our President, who has vowed to appoint strict Constitutional Constructionists to the Supreme Court, because he abhors judicial activism, is now using the excuse that his legal authority to spy on American’s is derived from the Constitution. I don’t think constructionists believe that we should be deriving anything. Especially when there are existing legal channels with oversight that allow domestic wiretaps - not to mention the Constitution's expressed right to privacy? Dan Froomkin has a thorough overview here.Bush has also assured all Americans that domestic spying has only occurred against people with “known links to Al Qaeda and related terrorist organizations”. If that is in fact the case, which I find hard to believe, getting warrants to tap these phones would be a piece of cake. If we have taken the time to make sure that these people have known links, then surely there is time to petition the FISA court for a warrant to tap their phone. And, the argument that they might change their phone number is pathetically stupid. If N.S.A. officials have a warrant to spy on a specific individual connected to Al Qaeda – we are supposed to believe that the warrant could only apply to one specific phone number. How stupid would that be? Have you ever heard of the term "roving wiretap"? I'm sure the N.S.A. has.
Mr. Bush maybe you are dumb enough to believe this bullshit – but we are not! You have taken the Law into your own hands, trampled the constitution and lead us further away from our representative democracy. No amount of spinning or fear-mongering will change these facts.
Funny how the first thing I said when I heard Bush was considered a candidate to run for the presidency is the question you are asking now:
ReplyDeleteHow stupid would that be?
I think it is the definitive question of his entire presidency!
And the answer is: Pretty Stupid!
The real question here is - Who are we really spying on. It is only a matter of time before it somehow becomes public.
ReplyDeleteHere is a guess. What if Bush was authorizing wiretaps of the U.S. media? There are already reports that we have been spying on Al Jazeera al along.
That question needs to be answered!
ReplyDeleteAt this point there is no reason why the identity of the people we were spying on couldn't be made known to the courts who should have approved the actions in the first place.
Hopefully, Congress will insist on this.
Just heard Democratic Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia address the senate. He was brilliant. I'm sure he will be on again C-span.
ReplyDelete1240 is suggesting they send a hooker to the White House. It's the only way to impeach.
That media theory sounds like just what they would do. The press has been unreal for years. They probably knew what was going on, and were trying to avoid being hit.
ReplyDelete