FISC Chief Judge: We Can't Effectively Oversee the NSA

[DamianTV]

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/13/08/16/2058238/fisc-chief-judge-we-cant-effectively-oversee-the-nsa


"According to the Washington Post: 'The leader of the secret court that is supposed to provide critical oversight of the government's vast spying programs said that its ability to do so is limited and that it must trust the government to report when it improperly spies on Americans. The chief judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court said the court lacks the tools to independently verify how often the government's surveillance breaks the court's rules that aim to protect Americans' privacy. Without taking drastic steps, it also cannot check the veracity of the government's assertions that the violations its staff members report are unintentional mistakes.' President Obama said in June, 'We also have federal judges that we've put in place who are not subject to political pressure. They've got lifetime tenure as federal judges, and they're empowered to look over our shoulder at the executive branch to make sure that these programs aren't being abused.' Not so much, Mr. President."

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[Kotin]

o rly??

[DamianTV]

Yeah no shit huh?

[Occam's Banana]

President Obama said in June, 'We also have federal judges that we've put in place who are not subject to political pressure."

BWAHAAHAAAHAAAAAAAAA! That's pretty funny, Big O! Tell me another one ...

[jdcole]

Best comment from the Slashdot thread so far:


So, your honor, please tell us why you didn't bring these concerns to our attention before somebody with more guts than you'll ever have brought the matter up?

Hell, you probably could have brought these concerns up without even revealing anything classified, or breaking any rules. They probably didn't remember to make it a state secret that you have no oversight powers worth mentioning, so it would have been entirely licit for you to complain about that.

We might as well be honest here: Every day that you knew you had no oversight; but remained as a FISC justice, much less chief justice, you knowingly operated as a rubber stamp and a pitiful facade of rule of law. A rubber stamp for a program that you cannot have been stupid enough to think was entirely on the up-and-up. Unimpressive. Cowardly. Unworthy of your office.

[DamianTV]

Wowsers! Front Page of the RPF site with this one! I feel proud! No, not proud of the NSA or FISC Chief Judge either...