Judge tosses lawsuit over FBI surveillance of California mosques

[cbayer]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/15/us-usa-mosque-lawsuit-idUSBRE87E03Y20120815

By Dan Whitcomb
LOS ANGELES | Tue Aug 14, 2012 11:35pm EDT
(Reuters) - A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit charging that the FBI violated civil liberties by sending an informant into several California mosques to spy on U.S. Muslims, ruling that allowing the case to proceed could risk disclosure of government secrets.

U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney wrote in a 36-page order that he was reluctant to toss out the case before it could be litigated but was forced to weigh national security against individual liberties and an open judicial process.

In the decision, Carney compared himself to the fictional Greek hero Odysseus, who while sailing home from the Trojan War faced navigating his ship between a six-headed monster on one side and a dangerous whirlpool on the other.

"Odysseus opted to pass by the monster and risk a few of his individual sailors, rather than hazard the loss of his entire ship to the sucking whirlpool," he wrote. "Similarly, the proper application of the state secrets privilege may unfortunately mean the sacrifice of individual liberties for the sake of national security."

more at link

[atreides1]

1. Another coward in black robes

So this "judge" is willing to sacrifice the guarantees of the US Constitution instead of telling the government it's wrong!

[cbayer]

3. Odysseus he is not.

Cowardly or under duress, he is.

It's unbelievable that he is dismissing this and I am glad to see that ACLU will appeal.

[Ezlivin]

2. "...could risk disclosure of government secrets."

That's the magic phrase that allows the government to do whatever the fuck it wants.

This has been claimed a thousand times and there's no way to say "Prove it." We have to take them at their word.

The coup on 9/11 was quite successful.

[rug]

4. I compare him to Adikia.

[cbayer]

5. Had to look that one up. Throttled by Dike!

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

6. I suspect that the government could have survived the disclosure

My father, who was a former regular navy officer, said that a major reason for classifying documents and reports of acts by the government was to save one or more officials from looking like idiots or criminals.