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Octafish

(55,745 posts)
Fri Dec 27, 2013, 12:04 PM Dec 2013

GOP Surveillance Judiciary -- Can We the People Disband FISA Court? (Scott Horton)



The G.O.P.’s Surveillance Judiciary

Is it possible to simply disband the partisan FISA court?

By Scott Horton
Harper's, July 29, 2013

In Friday’s New York Times, Charlie Savage takes a closer look at the judges hand-picked by John Roberts for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court.

Ten of the court’s 11 judges — all assigned by Chief Justice Roberts — were appointed to the bench by Republican presidents; six once worked for the federal government. Since the chief justice began making assignments in 2005, 86 percent of his choices have been Republican appointees, and 50 percent have been former executive branch officials.

Not surprisingly, the Times review shows that Roberts has fashioned a court in his own image: movement conservative, Republican, largely consisting of persons who previously worked in the government. In sum, Roberts has picked a court that can be relied upon to quickly approve any government request for surveillance, through whatever instruments and according to whatever rules the government wishes.

The two chief justices who preceded Roberts, William H. Rehnquist and Warren E. Burger, were also conservative Republicans, and like Roberts they also ensured that a majority of the FISA court’s judges were conservative Republicans. However, neither of his predecessors was nearly so obsessive about it as Roberts — two-thirds of their selections were Republicans, while for Roberts, all but one have been Republican.

SNIP...

The special judicial body put in place by FISA to check government surveillance activities has been transformed by John Roberts into a cheerleader for such programs. This judicial adulteration leaves NSA critics in Congress with little alternative but to push for laws establishing further limits on NSA activities — though even if they manage to pass such a law, they must be wary of the demonstrated ability of the Justice Department, the NSA, and the FISA court to find secret “understandings” of statutes that justify unforeseen forms of overreach.

CONTINUED...

http://harpers.org/blog/2013/07/the-gops-surveillance-judiciary/
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GOP Surveillance Judiciary -- Can We the People Disband FISA Court? (Scott Horton) (Original Post) Octafish Dec 2013 OP
yes please G_j Dec 2013 #1
Yeah. Ever since Dulles hired the NAZIs and contracted the Mafia, there's been a problem. Octafish Dec 2013 #2
so how does the Constitution even allow for these agencies? G_j Dec 2013 #3

Octafish

(55,745 posts)
2. Yeah. Ever since Dulles hired the NAZIs and contracted the Mafia, there's been a problem.
Fri Dec 27, 2013, 12:24 PM
Dec 2013

When Jim Garrison pointed out its relevancy to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, President Lyndon B Johnson said he agreed that there was a conspiracy and CIA had something to do with it (note last paragraph):



http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=57085&relPageId=112

I would think this, too, would be on the front page and leading the newscasts every day until the surviving traitors, warmongers and banksters who've benefited were imprisoned. However, we are told to "Move on" and it's business as usual, meaning the rich get richer, our rights continue to vanish, and democracy falls victim to wars without end.

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