Reply #30: Well prolesunited, I hate to be the bearer of bad news.

[robertpaulsen]

I went searching and found the truth which makes me sick:

In First-Ever Ruling, Secret Appeals Court Allows Expanded Government Spying on U.S. Citizens (11/18/2002)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON - Ruling for the first time in its history, the ultra-secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review today gave the green light to a Justice Department bid to broadly expand its powers to spy on U.S. citizens.

"We are deeply disappointed with the decision, which suggests that this special court exists only to rubberstamp government applications for intrusive surveillance warrants," said Ann Beeson, litigation director of the Technology and Liberty Program of the American Civil Liberties Union.

"As of today," she said, "the Attorney General can suspend the ordinary requirements of the Fourth Amendment in order to listen in on phone calls, read e-mails, and conduct secret searches of Americans' homes and offices."

At issue is whether the Constitution and the USA PATRIOT Act adopted by Congress after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks permit the government to use looser foreign intelligence standards to conduct criminal investigations in the United States.

more...

http://www.aclu.org//privacy/spying/15189prs20021118.html

While this is disgusting that three Rehnquist rubberstampers were able to reverse FISA's ruling, Dumbya is not out of hot water by a long shot. But I don't think the FISA ruling is the smoking gun I hoped it would be, considering how the ACLU was shut out of the appeal.