Feds move to dismiss lawsuit challenging spy tactics

[struggle4progress]

By DAVID KRAVETS

The Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO

The Justice Department said Friday it was moving to dismiss a federal lawsuit challenging the Bush administration's secretive domestic wiretapping program.

The lawsuit, brought by the San Francisco-based Internet privacy group, Electronic Frontier Foundation, does not include the government but instead names AT&T Inc., whom the group accuses of colluding with the National Security Agency to make communications on AT&T networks available to the spy agency without warrants.

The government, in a filing here late Friday, said the lawsuit threatens to expose government and military secrets and therefore should be tossed. The administration added that its bid to intervene in the case should not be viewed as a concession that the allegations are true.

"The fact that the United States will assert the state secrets privilege should not be construed as a confirmation or denial of any of the plaintiffs' allegations, either about AT&T or the alleged surveillance activities," the administration wrote in its court filing. <snip>

http://www.pe.com/ap_news/California2/CA_Domestic_Spying_Lawsuit_234993CA.shtml

[Don Claybrook]

1. pathetic and entirely predictable

Their methods are so worn. They want to kill a lawsuit that will potentially expose the fact that they've been spying on millions of Americans for years because they consider us the enemy.

I thought it was a really nice touch to add the part about this not being a concession that the allegations are true.

ITMFA. and then convict.

[MissWaverly]

2. I can't believe they got away with this

since when did the Justice Department turn into the Anti-Justice Department, is it global
warming or what, they are supposed to be protecting us not abusing us.

[atreides1]

3. It's not the Justice Department

It's the Department of the Inquisition, and Alberto Gonzales is playing the the part of the Grand Inquisitor.


The lawyers for the Inquisition are doing there jobs.

This is the problem when a president selects Cabinet members who are more loyal to him then they are to the country, every member of this Cabinet is a traitor, remember that always.

[MissWaverly]

4. Well, I believe this: ***scandals will break open!!!***

I think for a while, Bush was very powerful, people were so afraid that they ask no questions
but now they are asking questions, the more that goes wrong, the more they ask.

[rodeodance]

5. yes, seems like the Pandor's box is open--but i hate this slow drip!

Just tooo toooooooo slow for me.


.......The government, in a filing here late Friday, said the lawsuit threatens to expose government and military secrets and therefore should be tossed. The administration added that its bid to intervene in the case should not be viewed as a concession that the allegations are true.

"The fact that the United States will assert the state secrets privilege should not be construed as a confirmation or denial of any of the plaintiffs' allegations, either about AT&T or the alleged surveillance activities," the administration wrote in its court filing. <snip>

[MissWaverly]

7. the saddest thing is the government consider it has immunity

to break the law and spy on every day citizens, when did this all start, and why if Bush is polling at 32% doesn't the infrastructure of the government get the message that this is not okay.

[UpInArms]

6. U.S. Steps Into Wiretap Suit Against AT&T (eavesdropping on US citizens)

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/29/us/29nsa.html?ex=1303963200&en=e5ab04af3266d144&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

SAN FRANCISCO, April 28 — The government asked a federal judge here Friday to dismiss a civil liberties lawsuit against the AT&T Corporation because of a possibility that military and state secrets would otherwise be disclosed.

The lawsuit, accusing the company of illegally collaborating with the National Security Agency in a vast surveillance program, was filed in February by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a civil liberties group.

The class-action suit, which seeks an end to the collaboration it alleges, is based in part on the testimony of Mark Klein, a retired technician for the company who says Internet data passing through an AT&T switching center in San Francisco is being diverted to a secret room. There, Mr. Klein says, the security agency has installed powerful computers to eavesdrop without warrants on the digital data and forward the information to an undisclosed place.

<snip>

Elsewhere in the document, however, the government said President Bush had explained that after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, he authorized the security agency to intercept communications into and out of the United States by people linked to Al Qaeda and related organizations. The agency is ordinarily prohibited from intercepting the telephone and digital communications of American citizens without a warrant from a special intelligence court.

...more...

[flamingyouth]

8. kick

[digno dave]

9. Bush to shield AT&T from lawsuit (re. spying on US citizens)

http://blog.wired.com/27BStroke6/

"The federal government intends to invoke the rarely used "State Secrets Privilege" -- the legal equivalent of a nuclear bomb -- in the Electronic Frontier Foundation's class action lawsuit against AT&T that alleges the telecom collaborated with the government's secret spying on American citizens."

Who woulda thought?


edit to add text

[msongs]

10. Bush is the american sadaam hussein nt

[The Backlash Cometh]

11. Boy, these white boys. You just can't keep up with their criminal

behavior and cover-ups. Where do you find the time?

[shance]

12. Guess that answers who he's been illegally spying on.

As if we didn't know.

[NoodleyAppendage]

13. One can only hope in the existence of Karma. Picture of Bush punishment.

Here's my vision of Bush's karmic punishment.