Thursday, August 17, 2006

Interesting Political Developments Today

Remember the wiretapping program that President Bush instigated without getting judicial approval? In case you don't it is a program which allows the government to listen to any phone calls deemed necessary without getting a warrent. They can listen to anyone - American, visitor, Legal Alien, democrat, republican (sure)....

Well today, a judge determined that the program is unconstitutional.

According to the Washington Post,

Federal Judge Orders Halt to NSA Wiretapping

By Dan Eggen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 17, 2006; 6:50 PM

A federal judge in Detroit ordered a halt to the National Security Agency's warrantless surveillance program, ruling for the first time that the controversial effort ordered by President Bush was unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor wrote in a strongly-worded 43-page opinion that the NSA wiretapping program violates privacy and free-speech rights and the constitutional separation of powers between the three branches of government. She also found that it violates a 1978 law set up to oversee clandestine surveillance....
- Read the rest of the article.

Interesting, very interesting.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I dunno if I completely agree - how are we to erradicate terrorism? How is it unconstitutional to protect us from these idiots? That'd be like stopping the airports from doing security checkpoints because it is unconstitutional to make us wait in line for hours while they search our bags.

My information was that they listened mainly to key words, like bomb, white house, and certain other key phrases that are in the context of a conversation.

But then I guess I mainly try to live my life peacefully and try not to let this crowd me too much, if I did, it'd be letting the terrorists win, and I ain't about to do that.

=) She says gently.