"Everybody in the country" was Subject of Illegal Wiretap

The Washington Post drops this bomb, in the middle of the page:

"I think the administration would be very loath for folks to realize that ordinary people were being surveilled," said Kurt Opsahl, senior staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which filed the lead lawsuit, against AT&T.

A prime goal in the litigation is to find out who the decision makers were, said Don Migliori, a partner with Motley Rice in Providence, R.I., a plaintiffs' attorney who is working on the lawsuit against Verizon. The plaintiffs intend to request not just government documents but also e-mails, including who contacted whom and when -- the very sort of "meta-data" that the administration is accused of mining as part of its surveillance program.

Peter Eliasberg, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney involved in cases against AT&T and Verizon, said that if the cases proceed, the plaintiffs could submit an interrogatory to the carriers seeking answers to the questions: Did you turn over customer phone records en masse to the government? Did you receive a warrant or a subpoena?

Answers to those questions, he said, might reveal that "everybody in the country" has had their phone calls "combed through, and lots of people will be outraged."

The uncertain, high-stakes nature of the litigation -- in which the plaintiffs are seeking not only disclosure to a judge of internal documents that might prove their allegations, but also a court ruling that the surveillance and collection of call records harmed millions of people -- helps explain why the administration is so adamant in supporting a Senate-passed bill aimed at strangling the lawsuits before they can proceed, according to government officials and privacy advocates.

There's a small part of me

[rk]

that's frankly thrilled that the government is combing through my telephone calls. That they're wasting any resources listening in on me calling my wife to ask what she'd like to do for dinner or calling my mom to listen to her litany of medical problems and doctor's visits is just further proof that they are the completely worthless incompetent morons I've believed them to be and that I am completely justified in the sneering contempt I hold for them.

Re:

[Jeremiah Cornelius]

Yeah.

Then, there's the awful prospect of winding up like the Buttle family, in Brazil.

Re:

[rk]

This is also true. Of course, it was a "small part of me." :-) I do believe I'm going to start answering the phone "Allahu Ackbar" from now on, though.

Proof of many Anti-American Activities

[OldHawk777]

Most all politicians, C*Os, and clergy (plutocrats) are alike in betraying the nation, subverting The USA Constitution, and hiding like sissy-brat traitors behind the skirts of god and flag. They not only do USAll a great disservice they dishonor all that is holy in this world for billions of Citizens.

If the cases are allowed to proceed...

[iminplaya]

A presidential pardon will most assuredly put it all to rest.

Look ma, no congress! But with "friends" like them, who needs enemies?