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Secret lawless surveillance alone is troubling. It differs from physical searches. It's hidden. Targets don't know they're spied on or why. Innocent people suffer. Constitutional protections are denied.
Reasons for doing so don't wash. According to Supreme CourtThink, Washington can deny victims standing.
Constitutionality doesn't matter. Actions can be kept secret. Challengers can't sue unless government agrees. Unfettered power is institutionalized. Rule of law principles don't apply.
FAA permits sweeping surveillance. Categories of people can be targeted. Millions are affected at the same time. No one know's what's going on or why.
Police state harshness is policy. Innocence is no justifiable defense. Due process and judicial fairness don't matter. What Obama officials say goes. They operate extrajudicially. High Court justices approve. Doing so makes them complicit. There's no place to hide.
Electronic communications can be monitored. Probable cause isn't needed. Obama officials convinced Ninth Circuit justices to dismiss warrantless wiretapping challenges earlier.
In Al Haramain Islamic Foundation v. Obama (August 2012), they dismissed plaintiff's challenge. They did so on what's called "sovereign immunity."
It prevents government, its agencies and departments from being sued without consent. It stems from earlier practice. It comes from notions that monarchs can do no wrong. It violates fundamental freedoms doing so.
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