Who's That Tap, Tap, Tapping on My Phone*

posted by The Vidiot @ 5:30 PM Permalink

Will the Prez ever tell us, our rights he's denied us, our rights he swore to uphold?
Will he come clean, resign while demeaned, render his garments and atone?
I wondered aloud and started to post, lost connection to host, while dialing, dialing my phone.
'Tis just a bad connection, a reflection on my host, I told myself alone- a line must be down, lying prone.
Then a DHS maven, quoting the raven, said you won't be posting, posting while we're in charge of hosting, quoth the maven ... Nevermore!**

US Plays Terror Card in Hearing on AT&T Wiretap Lawsuit

A lawsuit accusing AT&T of illegally collaborating in government electronic surveillance will help terrorists communicate "more securely and more efficiently'' unless it is promptly dismissed, a Bush administration lawyer argued in a packed San Francisco courtroom Friday.
[...]
An admission either way by AT&T would betray "a state secret of the highest order,'' he said.
[...]
Also, he said, a confirmation of AT&T's role in the program would "immediately heighten the risk that the company and its facilities would be subject to attack.''
[...]
President Bush acknowledged in December that the federal agency has eavesdropped on communications between Americans and alleged terrorists abroad without the court warrants required by a 1978 federal law. His claim that he has the constitutional power to authorize the surveillance is being challenged in another lawsuit in Michigan.
[...]
AT&T's argument for dismissal was that federal law protects communications companies from being sued for taking part in government intelligence programs.

If the company had a role, which it refuses to confirm or deny, it was merely a "passive instrument of the government,'' said AT&T lawyer Brad Berenson. He also told Walker that the company had no obligation to consider the legality of the program because it was solely the government's concern.

So the government's position is that the 'terrorists' already know about this but if we confirm it they win. Oh, and AT&T will be a target. The first is pure Bushwa, the second ... uhh, if terrerists [sic] wanted to attack the infrastructure wouldn't they target AT&T anyway?

And AT&T claims they were just following orders ... I think we've heard that excuse before, and according to them if the government told them to jump off a bridge they would! Not a bad idea if Bush would go first.


*With sincere apologies to Edgar Allen Poe

** I'm sorry it doesn't scan,
Poe's a genius, not I am,
but it really shouldn't matter,
because if I was smarter I'd write it in iambic pentameter.