Look, I suck. I get that.

[sabrina 1]

212. I am very, very familiar with the work of EFF and the ACLU on this matter down through the years.

But thanks anyhow. I certainly have followed the legalities from the moment the first Whistle Blower exposed what were clearly violations of the 4th Amendment.

Immediately afterwards in accordance with the current law at that time, hundreds of law suits were filed against the telecoms and anyone else involved in the violations of the law at that time.

Had you been following events and the obvious outrage, which most definitely did more than just talk on the internet, IT FILLED HUNDREDS OF LAW SUITS, I and many others, who were customers of one or other of the perpetrators at the time, learned that according to the law, should the Telecoms every violate the law were entitled to a settlement of at least $1,000. 00. That of course would have cost the collaborators quite a bit of money, not to mention those who were taking them to court.

So, you ask, why has more not been done by people like me and Manny?

Here is the reason why. No sooner did all the lawsuits begin than our Government decided something had to be done to protect, NOT THE PEOPLE, but the law breakers!!

They moved quickly to, incredibly, change the law, RETROACTIVELY, covering the period of the law breaking.

That little chess move became known as the FISA Bill Amendment! Instantly all of us who had, under the ACTUAL law, the right to sue or to claim settlements, millions of customers, suddenly discovered that Congress had removed those rights on behalf of the Telecoms.

So all the lawsuits went away as the law was now amended covering for the violators.

Imagine that. Being so powerful that when you violate the law of the land and get caught, you can go to the US Government and get them to CHANGE THE LAW on your behalf.

The people, including EFF the ACLU and many other Civil Rights organizations were outraged. And still are, see Manny, me and millions of others. And people will remain angry and continue to support those who are still working to try to restore the Rule of Law in this country.

I get that there are those who would like all of us to just 'move forward' from these egregious acts by our own Government to protect the law breakers, but that isn't going to happen.

Thanks for your 'advice' btw, but generally it is best to ask people what they are doing, who they are donating to, what they know before deciding to offer them advice they don't need.

As I said, your comment made me sad, not so much because of you, but because it demonstrated that they GOT AWAY WITH IT even with people who are generally more informed than the average person.

Because while people like me an Manny won't ever forget that travesty committed by Congress against the people, in order to undo the harm they did by covering up the crimes they KNEW were crimes, every person who is aware of what they did will be needed to try to restore some justice for the people in this country.

I never expected much help from the right on these Bush policies, they were too blinded by partisanship to even see the assaults on their rights, but I did, perhaps naively, think that our side would continue to fight those policies until the rights granted under the US Constitution were restored.

That is why your comment made me sad.