The biggest story this week I consider to be a victory for democracy in the US. U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor struck down the NSA wiretap program ordered by G.W. Bush, which she said violates the rights to free speech and privacy. A blow for Bush who always maintained his program was lawful and necessary to ‘protect US citizens’ from terrorists. The judge also declared that the program “violates the separation of powers doctrine, the Administrative Procedures Act, the First and Fourth amendments to the United States Constitution, the FISA and Title III.” Her ruling went on to say that “the president of the United States … has undisputedly violated the Fourth in failing to procure judicial orders.”
As I wrote in my January 28th Blog “Liar Liar”, Bush said that he was convinced he had the legal authority to execute such a program. So off course the attorney General Alberto Gonzales said the Bush Administration disagrees with the ruling and has appealed.
If you have seen the movie “V for Vendetta” you can see the parallels between that fictional situation and reality in the USA. Governments that do these things under the pretence of ‘protection’ have placed themselves ‘above the law’. And there is nothing more frightening than a government (or president) who thinks it’s own views are the only ones that a right. In that way there is no difference between them and what they consider their enemies: terrorists. On can only hope that another government – without Bush – will be more careful with civil rights.
I don’t think anyone could have described or said it better than Jack Cafferty from CNN. Watch this clip and judge for yourself:
“President Bush is breaking the law”