The court ruling on NSA wiretaps means EVERYTHING

[berni_mccoy]

The fact that a high court (albeit, not the highest), recognizes that Bush overstepped his authority is significant. If it wasn't, the justice dept. would not be appealing the decision. If it wasn't important, Congress would not be considering changing the law to suit the illegal behavior. If it wasn't important, Bush's approval rating would be much higher than it is.

It is so very important to our democracy that we recognize ALL of the U.S. Constitution, not just the parts that server one person or one groups needs. And this decision by the court is important because Americans are waking up and they will see the COURT TELL BUSH HE IS WRONG.

I believe this is an extremely important decision. It's so important, I'd K&R this thread for Justice if I could.

Note: this thread was inspired by the naysayers of this thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1929537

[adarling]

1. yes but Jon Benet is important too ;)

we must focus just on that one little girl for as far as we can go with it.

Those poor people though, but i am tired of seeing it on the news 24 hours now.

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

2. It's Important, Sure...

But I doubt it will change anything or stop them. They always figure out a way around pesky "laws" they do not wish to follow.

But at least for now, it's a victory for the good guys. Won't be long before they get a higher court to rule in their favor, with the eventual goal being a victory in the Supreme Court, especially if King george can get another rubber stamp appointed in the next 2 1/2 years.

[flyarm]

3. i agree, and i believe it will be harder now for the rethug congress

to change the law to cover up the illegal spying this administration has committed on US citizens!

congress will be hard pressed to get away with changing a law or an illegal activity that has been ruled unconstitutional.

but then again, the rethugs think the constitution is toilet paper!

fly

[Laelth]

18. Changing the law wouldn't help.

As I understand it, Judge Taylor ruled that the administration's actions violated the 1st and 4th Amendments to the Constitution. No law passed by Congress can override the Constitution. It'll take a Constitutional amendment to do that. This is why Judge Taylor's ruling is so significant. Congress will not be able to change the law to cover-up the administration's wrongdoing because the Judge ruled that the Constitution has been violated.

:dem:

-Laelth

[bryant69]

4. I don't know if it means EVERYTHING

I doubt, for example, it will improve our national salsa making capability. But it is quite important.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[berni_mccoy]

6. Heh... lol

word chosen for shock / backlash factor... not for accuracy. :-D

[napi21]

5. I think it's important too! This is a Federal Court Judge!

Much diff. than some local yokel somewhere, and she also cofirms the ruling of a SF judge who ruled the same way.

I'll be interested to see what the SCOTUS does with this. I know, most of you think they will automatically side with Shrub, but I'm not so sure.

Very recently even Scalia ruled against Shrub.

I really don't think this is such a difficult case. There is LAW (FISA) that states the guideliines for performing searches, and a Prez who says he can ignore the law because "he's a WAR Prez!". To me, this sounds more like a case for or against executive powers than performing searches.

We'll see, and I'm reasonably sure it won't be long.

[berni_mccoy]

8. The SCOTUS has a vested interest in maintaining this ruling

If they overturn it, they are giving up their very own powers and saying the court system isn't necessary.

[Nothing Without Hope]

11. I disagree - the four Bushie SCOTUS judges have already shown that they

support unlimited powers for the "wartime" president. I don't doubt that they will oppose this ruling, though it is obviously the correct ruling. Just ONE MORE BUSHIE JUDGE on the SCOTUS and they would have a majority for the forseeable future and the rule of the Constitution would be destroyed.

This is why the stakes have never been higher for Congressional elections. Every single GOP senator voted FOR ALito, and all too many nominally "Democratic" senators did also, despite Alito's known enthusiastic support of the "unitary executive" (AKA "The President Is the Emperor") doctrine, which stands in opposition to the current ruling on the NSA wiretapping and much more. Lieberman, of course, voted for Alito, but he was not the only "Democratic" Senator who did. Here's the roll call on that cloture vote:
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=2&vote=00001

[cascadiance]

13. Not only that but if they overturn it, it might fuel THEIR impeachments...

They might refuse to hear it or sustain it. If they overturn it, if and when the Democrats take power, this could be a case that gets looked at with other investigations on whether certain parts of the SCOTUS are facilitating the administrations' breaking of laws, coverups, etc. that could lead to their impeachments, and then subsequently a more liberal court too. This might keep them from ruling this way, and probably also fueled the earlier ruling they had against the President too.

[ThomWV]

7. You Are Absolutly Right. The Straw Was Laid On, The Camel's Back Broke

This is actually it - he has clearly broken the law, he's been stopped, and it will take an act clearly in defiance of the Constitution to undo the Judge's order.

IMPEACH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[AntiFascist]

16. I agree, if we are really a nation operating under the rule of law...

then impeachment needs to be the next step, not kowtowing to the perp-traitors of an illegal war.

[bowens43]

9. I home you're right but

I think the administration will win the appeal and the judge who made the original ruling will be labeled a 'left-wing moon-bat'.

[Spearman87]

10. She's a Jimmy Carter appointee to the bench

......and yes she is already being labled as a Leftwing moon bat in some quarters

[berni_mccoy]

12. And her ruling agrees with 2/3rds of the U.S. Population.

[Spearman87]

15. Perhaps I should let they culprits know

Then they will have no recourse but to call her an "average American" moonbat. They'll probably say she should turn off the TV.

[berni_mccoy]

17. "Average American Moonbat"... has a catchy ring to it...

:-D

[Dunedain]

22. But that doesn't matter

It's all based on precedent and statue. This is far from over, or settled.

"The Truong court, as did all the other courts to have decided the issue,
held that the President did have inherent authority to conduct warrantless
searches to obtain foreign intelligence information.26
It was incumbent upon the court, therefore, to determine the boundaries of that constitutional authority in the case before it."

[Imagevision]

14. The courts must inform Bush he's breaking the laws...

BUSH: you're either with us or against us mentality is too GD. old!!!!

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

19. Hear Hear! To Proclaim It Means Nothing Is About As Ignorant A Thing One

can say.

No one is claiming it has the power to bring the planets into alignment, but to dismiss it as meaningless/worthless is just attention seeking in my opinion.

[Generic Brad]

20. But will the ruling make any difference?

Does anyone here think the NSA stopped their illegal activities today because some judge they claim is an activist told them they had to? If I were a betting man, I would wager that the law breaking continues on unabated this very evening. The Bushies have been violating the constitution for at least five years. Why would they listen to a judge they disagree with today? The executive office is supposed to execute the laws. Who is going to make them execute this order? The Attorney General?

Oh, and I almost forgot.
:hi:
Hi, Agent Mike. Working hard or hardly working?

[berni_mccoy]

21. But it's official now... those in the NSA who continue know

they are violating the Constitution.

They may have been told otherwise by the Administration... especially Gonzales who seems to make shit up on the fly.

They know now that anything they've been told by the Justice dept on the legalities of what they are doing are complete bunk.