Judge dismisses telecom wiretap suits

Judge dismisses telecom wiretap suits

rawstory.com

A federal district court judge in San Francisco has dismissed more than three dozen lawsuits filed against the nation’s telecommunications companies for their role in the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping program.

Judge Vaughn Walker ruled on Wednesday to uphold legislation passed by Congress last summer that retroactively protected the companies against liability for their participation in what was then an illegal activity.

That legislation overruled Walker’s previous decision that a lawsuit brought by the Electronic Freedom Foundation (EFF) against AT&T in 2006 could

(visit the link for the full news article)

That's interesting. So the Obama administration is refusing to release documents with the wiretapping. That's no surprise.

I recommend you read the book Shadow Factory. It's all about the NSA's wiretapping program and their sponsors and that kind of stuff. This is some pretty heavy stuff. The telecom companies were actually doing this even before the legislation was passed. The legislation was just giving them the ability to be immune from any of the lawsuits what-so-ever.

And it's not odd at all how the Obama admin is withholding documents about their warrantless wiretapping.

How about that change? And that transparency?

rawstory.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Everyday it seems like a better Idea to give Cali back to Mexico. Hollywood could relocate.

Heck a good portion of the population of Mexico already live in Cali already so I don't see what the difference is.

Edit to stay on topic.

Where exactly does congress get authority to grant immunity to companies for what is a clear violation of the 4th amendment?

[edit on 3-6-2009 by Hastobemoretolife]

reply to post by Hastobemoretolife


No, the 4th amendment just says we cannot be unlawfully searched and seized or something like that without a warrant.

And as for the rest of your post... I don't see what Cali has to do with this. The point is that Obama campaigned as a person who knows the law. And now it seems more and more that he doesn't really care about the law at all. Oh well. So much for change.

reply to post by Frankidealist35


Well Cali's policies is where Obama is taking the rest of the country. They are also the 8th largest economy in the world(if they were an independent country). Second seeing how Cali is so liberal it makes sense that a liberal judge made this decision.

Any judge in their right mind would have accept these lawsuits so they could be challenged all the way to the supreme court. Instead he threw out the lawsuits.

If you read the constitution Congress does not have the authority to grant immunity to businesses. This is a clear violation of the 4th amendment because we are being monitored, it is an invasion of privacy. It is pretty much the definition of Illegal search.

This is what the 4th amendment states,

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

Electronic communications easily falls into the category of papers. Just like the post office can't open your mail and read it because it is a felony if they do so.

But who cares about the constitution. This right has been slowly eroded for decades, just like when the supreme court ruled that the cops can search your trash because you are throwing it away. It isn't that great of a leap in logic to figure out that it is still yours even when it is at the dump.

reply to post by Hastobemoretolife
"Where exactly does congress get authority to grant immunity to companies for what is a clear violation of the 4th amendment?"


Everything congress does and I mean everything is for money. Those big coorperations donate millions to their campaign and in return congress grants them immunity for what ever they do. It's been going on for quite sometime now and it stinks. Nobody on capitol hill is working for the average joe American.

reply to post by kenton1234


Nope and the worst thing is that people keep voting them back in.

It's sickening. They only hide behind the constitution when it is time for them to get re-elected and it serves a political propaganda, but as soon as they are elected it all goes out the window. It's sickening.

reply to post by Hastobemoretolife


Your right. We do keep voting them back in for some reason. I am stunned at the apathy of our culture. And Europe and the rest of the world is wondering where the heck is the American spirit? Why do we allow a few business men to run roughshod over us like this? It amazes me. They've distilled a fear into us that is eating our souls and enslaving our minds. Have you seen an elementary history text book? There a joke. Some of our kids text books even have coorperate product ads in them. Unbelievable.