The imbecile “emperor” misses the point

The delusional “Emperor” Misha has drawn his audience primarily by being a hatemongering, potty-mouth borderline psychotic. His oft-repeated demands that policemen, judges, and district attorneys be murdered for one or another alleged outrage have been documented here in the past.

A recent outburst of ignorance from Misha serves handily to illustrate his cluelessness and mendacity. He quotes an article in New Scientist comparing governmental surveillance and privacy safeguards around the world:

Political shifts in Congress that were expected to bolster personal protection had little effect. The Bush administration was specifically called out for tapping international phone calls and emails without a warrant for those with suspected links to terrorists.

And here is Misha’s ignorant rejoinder:

Good HEAVENS! We’re actually listening in to conversations of foreign nationals who have as their declared goal to murder as many of our civilians as possible? Why, it’s almost as if somebody, not too many years ago, flew four jetliners into the ground and various buildings, murdering 3,000 people in the process. How do we live with ourselves, violating the privacy rights of cave-dwelling savages in the Middle East like that?

The massive disregard for reality here is truly awe-inspiring. Misha handily ignores that fact that at the time Bush ordered the NSA wiretaps of communications to which US persons were a part be conducted without warrants, the FISA Act of 1978 required such warrants. Bush’s order was, therefore, in violation of the FISA Act. And the Bush administration has admitted this.

There has never been a requirement that wiretaps of communications conducted entirely outside the US be authorized by court order. But the Bush administration was required to get court orders for eavesdropping on communications that took place in whole or in part within the US, and this they failed to do. The attacks of 9/11, and the nationalities of those who carried out those attacks, does not change the fact that even the US President is required to abide by the law of the land.

Part of the foundation of the American civilization is respect for, and adherence to, the rule of law. We allow gibbering demagogues like Misha to encourage us to ignore this fact at our peril.