Appeals Court OKs Warrantless Wiretapping
Source: Wired
The federal government may spy on Americans’ communications without warrants and without fear of being sued, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday in a decision reversing the first and only case that successfully challenged President George W. Bush’s once-secret Terrorist Surveillance Program.
“This case effectively brings to an end the plaintiffs’ ongoing attempts to hold the executive branch responsible for intercepting telephone conversations without judicial authorization,” a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals wrote.
The case concerned a lower court decision in which two American attorneys — who were working with the now-defunct al-Haramain Islamic Foundation — were awarded more than $20,000 each in damages and their lawyers $2.5 million in legal fees after a tortured legal battle where they proved they were spied on without warrants.
They sued under domestic spying laws Congress adopted in the wake of President Richard M. Nixon’s Watergate scandal. The government appealed their victory, and the appeals court Tuesday dismissed the suit and the damages.
Read more: http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/08/appeals-court-oks-wiretapping/
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We have to get together for coffee one day when I'm down in the big city. I hope all is well with you! 
So much has gone beyond since then. I think of those days as the HOPE...for something better where we might have had chance to stop Bush.
But...it was not to be...and Edwards imploded after that along with his "Two America's Message."
Still ...it's good to see Edwards Message Morph into 1% and OCCUPY. Even though Edwards was a dud with terrible personal problems......there's something still there out of the "message" that was created for him.
We have to hope.....
Good to see you.
Hope you can you can hold your breath for at least 8 years (Obama's 4 more, plus Jeb BushCo or another Re-Thug's first term).
The US Constitution is going down like the 
or perhaps I missed your 
20 grand for the plaintiffs, 2.5 million for the lawyers? Way better than the usual 30-50% split.
Regardless of the financials, this is a big hit against the 4th amendment. One more slap after the "Patriot" act.
