Letters to the Editor
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I would happily wager my left testicle
That Elephantman and/or Shooter would find the very best lawyer they could buy if they thought they had a shot at winning a high dollar lawsuit.
They both revere corporations and corporations sue one another constantly..
It is only when the little guy has a shot at winning a suit that the like of Shooterman derides lawyers.
It's OK If You're Wealthy And Powerful you see.
IOIYWAP.
Definition of a golfer: Someone who yells "fore", takes seven and writes down five.
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@ Bill Keller?
Even today, John McCain, cowardly old fool, a hero once
I'm not so sure I would apply either of those terms to him. Even he has denied being a hero, but some consider that modesty. He was a naval aviator. That is an accomplishment to be proud of. OTOH, he lost five planes and spent most of the war as a POW. His most heroic act, no mean feat, was refusing to accept early release because he was the son of an Admiral. A coward would have. He isn't a war criminal, either, and I tell those on the left and right that. Some on the right think he is but that's another story. You could call him a little crazy. Many combat pilots are. Some might call him a warmonger, but some call William Timbeman, commenter here, a warmonger. I suppose it depends on how crazy you are.
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@ L.W.M.
Why isn't the location of server they reside on at the receiving end the key? Like with websites that can be viewed (received) from anywhere in the world.
I think that the locus of intercept is (or should be) incidental to the situation.
The folks claiming that FISA needed updating made much of the (alleged) "fact" that satellite telephone calls could be intercepted (by dint of their accessibility from off-shore locations) while the ones carried by underseas cable made it more likely that the intercept would have to be done domestically. I rejected that logic (and those facts) in posts here, and also at my blog entry linked below; also at my sig. I don't think the vagaries of method of transport ... or route ... should affect whether the communication is privileged.
I think that the original "geographic locus of intercept" (50 USC 1801(f)(2) provision) was intended at that time to reduce the likelihood that a large percentage of the traffic would be purely domestic, and thus reduce the likelihood of incidental or inadvertent interception of such.
http://tinyurl.com/2v5xmb
Similarly, for e-mails, in such a "store and forward" system, the temporary location of the communications should not be dispositive, nor the routing through domestic Internet facilities, because these are generally not in the control of the user (you may have no idea that your ISP has decided to place your e-mail server in some server farm being run and maintained in India)
If we want people to know what to expect, we should say that U.S. companies (as determined by domain name registration, and by Internet suffix, if possible) are afforded protections that are no longer available when sending to destinations overseas.
The intermediate SMTP servers (if you need an idea, just click on your header info, and look at the SMTP forwarding history) should not determine the privacy.
Cheers,
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Thanks, Arne
It's always fun to watch the law play catch-up with technology.
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Goldfarb is an Ass
The government shows up at your office just days after the 9/11 attack and asks for your help in the war on terror. What are you going to do? According to Glenn Greenwald, you should call a lawyer (isn't that always what the lawyers say). But telecom executives did the only thing they could do -- assist the government in whatever way possible. . . .
Perhaps someone should explain to him the Rule Of Law:
- The Law does not change with the circumstances.
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Congratulations all around
I was on the road for the celebration today although I was able to watch the vote. Everyone who has taken part in this effort deserves a hearty round of applause. As things stand it is of course very unlikely this bill will become law while Bush is in office, but the turning of the tide that has been noted should not be discounted.
If the true patriots who care about the Constitution had not acted on this issue, we would have read Glenn's depressing post on FISA revision last fall, as retroactive immunity and other atrocities easily would have passed.
We have a bit of time to regroup before the Senate revisits the issue after the recess. Thank you ondelette for your very useful guide to Senate votes on the various FISA amendments last month. This will be very helpful as we craft communication with those Senators who may be receptive to the innovations in the new House bill.
Party on, friends. But let's continue after the celebration with renewed enthusiasm. Let's make this the proverbial camel's nose entering the tent. Momentum may be moving to our side. Let's make sure it does, and make sure it accelerates.
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Blowback
Congratulations, Glenn, on the work you've done on this issue.
The best we could hope for, short of outright defeat of blanket immunity for telecoms, would be a hold on this issue until a new president and a new Congress are elected.
That would be just fine - and great for the Constitution.
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re: I would happily wager my left testicle
That Elephantman and/or Shooter would find the very best lawyer they could buy if they thought they had a shot at winning a high dollar lawsuit.
I doubt your left testicle has any value in a wager. I also suspect it's the only one you have remaining, perhaps you shouldn't be so cavalier with it's future. But I can certainly appreciate your willingness to assume everyone is on board to get something for nothing. It's the liberal way of life.
Definition of a golfer: Someone who yells "fore", takes seven and writes down five.
That's how Clinton scores his card. In actuality, golf is the last refuge of the honorable sportsman. One can tell much about a person's character by how they play the game. Clinton is the perfect example.