Pruning Shears

• We’re spending millions on street cameras courtesy of the Department of Homeland Security.
• Since street cameras won’t give you the big picture we also need “broader domestic use of secret overhead imagery”, i.e. satellites spying on us.  Remember when doing that to our enemies nearly started a war?
  
• A post-mortem on how the FISA law happened, if you’re interested in that level of detail.
• When Bush unilaterally launches a war against Iran we won’t be able to say we weren’t warned.  Understatement of the year:  “Bush and Vice President Cheney take a broad view of executive power.”
• Here’s what can happen these days to a “US citizen arrested on US soil.” 
  

One follow up on last week’s post - Rick Moran at Right Wing Nut House had this to say about the satellite spying program:

I have recognized in the past that programs like the Terrorist Surveillance Program – if it is properly administered – is a distasteful but necessary price to pay to fight al-Qaeda and its offshoots in this country….I challenge any conservative to defend this anti-democratic, anti-privacy program in terms of classic conservative dogma. It cannot be done.

It’s good to know there’s one conservative upset about one program somewhere, and in general I think Rick is one of the few intellectually honest right wing commentators out there.  Having said that, his stated reason for generally supporting these power grabs seems almost naïve.  Any executive that cooks up the Terrorist Surveillance Program (or anything like it) will not be interested in its proper administration.  They are more interested in making extraordinary claims with a dismissive “it’s really not much of a change” tone and hoping to slip them by without protest.  Absence of oversight is built in and abuses are anticipated.  Please reserve your willful suspension of disbelief for the theater.