All Hank, all the time.

[SlaveNoMore]

taxwonk
Given that you've apparently forgotten what this country was founded on and what those boys in Iraq are currently dying to protect, I sincerely doubt you have a clue any more what this case was all about.

A strong Executive Branch? Separation of Powers? A Judiciary that is supposed to use actual law, not a desired results, as the means for rendering decisions?

I know you took it way back in 60's, but perhaps you need to dust off that ConLaw college textbook.

[SlaveNoMore]

Adder
... we also need to pay attention when it turns out not to be.

No doubt. But far, far better to turn out a bunch of false positives to demonstrate the system is working than to let the real one through.

[Adder]

Originally posted by SlaveNoMore
Even the WaPo says the decision is a joke. And that's saying something.

I don't know, one could read this as a tacit admission:

• The Justice Department argued that the NSA program is well within Bush's authority as president, but that proving it would require revealing state secrets.

[taxwonk]

Originally posted by SlaveNoMore
A strong Executive Branch? Separation of Powers? A Judiciary that is supposed to use actual law, not a desired results, as the means for rendering decisions?

I know you took it way back in 60's, but perhaps you need to dust off that ConLaw college textbook.

Strong Executive Branch, yes. Executive that can disregard the other two branches, no.

Separation of powers? Good, you've spotted the issue; now go research the right answer.

Judiciary that's supposed to use actual law. Go refresh your recollection of the 1st and 4th Amendments, then look up FISA.

You just took the Califironia bar, didn't you? Did Arnold ban the use of any Con Law questions?

[Adder]

Originally posted by SlaveNoMore
A strong Executive Branch?

You may want to read what some originalist have to say about this.

Originally posted by SlaveNoMore
It's friday. What do we talk about:

War in Iraq? Or did we win that already? I haven't been on the boards for a couple of days and might have missed the announcement.

[SlaveNoMore]

taxwonk
Judiciary that's supposed to use actual law. Go refresh your recollection of the 1st and 4th Amendments, then look up FISA.

I take it that fear of the Feds were listening was preventing you from calling your spiritual Mufti in Cairo?

Right. I didn't think so.

[taxwonk]

Originally posted by SlaveNoMore
I take it that fear of the Feds were listening was preventing you from calling your spiritual Mufti in Cairo?

Right. I didn't think so.

No fear of the feds listening in on my calls to my Grandma is what's got me thinking that certain elements in the Republican Party ought to go take a refresher course on what makes America great.

[Sidd Finch]

Originally posted by ironweed
War in Iraq? Or did we win that already? I haven't been on the boards for a couple of days and might have missed the announcement.

Where have you been? We won that one years ago. "Mission Accomplished", remember?

Now we're busy winning the peace. It's expensive and time-consuming, but Iraq's war revenues are paying for it. And our soldiers think the sweets are great!

[SlaveNoMore]

taxwonk
No fear of the feds listening in on my calls to my Grandma is what's got me thinking that certain elements in the Republican Party ought to go take a refresher course on what makes America great.

Does grandma live overseas? Is grandma a suspected terrorist or member of a suspect organization?

Originally posted by Sidd Finch
Where have you been? We won that one years ago. "Mission Accomplished", remember?

Now we're busy winning the peace. It's expensive and time-consuming, but Iraq's war revenues are paying for it. And our soldiers think the sweets are great!

I must have been thinking of another war. What's the one where we're fighting one or more insular, indigenous guerrilla groups who blend in with and receive support from the generally hostile civilian population? It's the one that's sort of dragging along with no clear or achievable objective in sight, mounting casualities and less and less support among the voting public. I remember something about a helicopter, a rooftop, hearts and minds, but it's all a bit of a blur.

[Sidd Finch]

Originally posted by SlaveNoMore
Does grandma live overseas? Is grandma a suspected terrorist or member of a suspect organization?

Are those the limits of the wiretapping program? Given the complete lack of oversight, do you have any factual basis for saying that it is? Given Bush's assertion that he can do anything he wants in the terror fight, could the program be expanded from that without question or control?

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by SlaveNoMore
Does grandma live overseas? Is grandma a suspected terrorist or member of a suspect organization?

The program wouldn't be very effective if it were targetted at only suspected terrorists.

Indeed, they could do that now, under ordinary criminal search provisions, and certainly under the FISA procedures.

[Sidd Finch]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
The program wouldn't be very effective if it were targetted at only suspected terrorists.

Indeed, they could do that now, under ordinary criminal search provisions, and certainly under the FISA procedures.

It depends on your definition of "suspected terrorist."

Some appear to believe that it means "Muslim, from a Muslim country, or descended from the above."


eta: How they figure this stuff out from a phone number is a mystery to me. kick-ass software, i suppose.

[taxwonk]

Originally posted by SlaveNoMore
Does grandma live overseas? Is grandma a suspected terrorist or member of a suspect organization?

Without a warrant, it's nobody's fucking business if she is.