NSA wiretaps

Saturday, August 19, 2006

In light of this administration's incessant demand for increased executive authority, U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker's ruling regarding illegal NSA wiretaps is a ray of sunlight in an otherwise gloomy outlook. Her decision was based on 1st and 4th amendment rights...freedom of the press and the limits of search and seizure. She also cited that the NSA had violated provisions of the FISA act. It would seem to be obvious that this administration HAS violated all 3 of these laws. The 1st amendment has been abridged in that one cannot exercise free speech with regard to correspondence overseas if the government is poised to intercept and read those communications. The 4th amendment provides protection against unreasonable search and seizure and the interception of the above cited correspondences without an appropriate warrant violates the law. And, in keeping with the provisions of those amendments to protect civil liberties, FISA was enacted SPECIFICALLY to enjoin the government from exercising unlimited executive power through secret wiretaps and other forms of surveillance. The Bush Admininistration KNOWINGLY and REPEATEDLY violated this congressionally enacted statute.

Our government has pushed the limits in every regard in its attempt to wage its illegal "war on terrorism". It has used the fear tactic incessantly, has illegally spied on its citizens and has illegally detained citizens with no just cause(see Rasul v. Bush, and Hamdan v. Rumsfeld). The provisions of the Patriot Act are draconian and are meant to severely limit our civil liberties. Even librarians have been up in arms after learning that they might be required to provide names and addresses and reading materials of their clients. The long arm of the law extends to ANY document transmitted electronically...so much for doctor/patient or lawyer/client confidentiality.

It took but minutes for Mr. Bush to declare that the federal government would appeal this ruling. In the mean while, it has no intention of suspending its activities. As we get closer to the midterm elections, we can expect the Karl Rove strategy of fear and smear to be escalated. We will learn how no one but this government can protect us, how we will be attacked if the Democratic party gets Congressional control, and the incidence of raised terror alerts will rise exponentially.

One more glimmer of light...the American public is no longer buying the conflation of the war on terrorism with the invasion of Iraq. Equally significant, the American public does not seem to be as susceptible to these incendiary tactics as it previously was and we can only hope that the Rove/Bush diatribes fall on deaf ears. This may be imperative if the administration's advisors get their way and convince Mr. Bush to escalate the war on terror to include an invasion of Iran.

It is significant that the propaganda machine is breaking down. We must remain vigilant, and adamant, and hold this administration's policy of unrestrained executive authority in check until we can reinstitute congresional oversight which both the Senate and House have allowed to lapse. Only then will we have the accountability that has been lacking and the responsiblity that is so desperately needed.

trickster108