Domestic Spying Records Ordered Released

CokoBWare wrote to mention an eWeek report on the NSA's domestic spying program. A federal judge has ordered the Department of Justice to release records from the program by March 8th. From the article: "In ordering the Justice Department to expedite the FOIA request processing, Judge Henry Kennedy Jr., of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, said that the department's opinion that it could determine how much time is needed was 'easily rejected ... Under DOJ's view of the expedited processing provisions of FOIA, the government would have carte blanche to determine the time line for processing expedited requests,'"

Comments

Kick ass

[NickCatal]

A big tip of my hat to this guy... and a wag of my finger to the bush administration... bears are still the #1 threat at the moment...

Re:Something to remember

[nexthec]

Great, lets just wait until WE DECLARE WAR.........

Here come the judge! Here come the judge!

[ackthpt]

This judge is my new personal hero (temporarily displacing Alton Brown), and exactly the type of person who SHOULD be a judge. He actually seems like he cares about people and knows what kind of stuff gets pulled behind the scenes.

Hear! Hear!

Was this guy elected or appointed? Clearly these sort of judges will rub both parties the wrong way and therefore haven't a chance of being on the US Supreme Court, which isn't as it should be.

He may as well have come out and said "Sorry, guys, you're full of shit. Give us ALL the records, and soon."

Then he'll mysteriously die in his sleep or be invited to a "hunting" trip with Dick Cheney.

Re:I love this guy.

[Copid]

Not Cheney. He's been known to enjoy a "canned" hunt here and there. Why do the hunting when you can cut straight to the killing?

Interesting Separation of Powers Case

[sigalarm]

Does a low level member of the Judiciary branch have the ability to override the executive branch? We have a black program, that is protected by multiple layers of secrecy. This is a construct of the executive branch. Can the Judiciary proclaim this level of secrecy null and void by decree and order classified information released?

How many billions of dollars will be now rendered worthless as all of the programs that would be revealed by complying with this order would now be rendered null and void?

Does anyone believe putting our sources and methods on display to our enemies (the El Quesos) is going to make this country any safer?

Re:Grumble consistently, and about the right thing

[ScentCone]

Nothing you said addresses that fundamental issue

The fundamental issue: people sitting in other countries have acted to kill a substantial number of people in the US and abroad. They loudly proclaim that they want to do more, and work to that end. Part of that includes placing calls (regarding funding and operational coordination) to supporters and collaborators. When people make those calls, it's not only legal to follow the trail, it's an obligation to. The constitution not only permits it, but empowers the CinC to perform, in his role of defense against just such attacks, to act. So, if you're a known Al Queda franchise operator in Lahore, phoning your US-based finance guy on a disposable phone from overseas, get over feeling like your privacy isn't what it used to be.