FISA Judge: ‘If Americans don’t know they are being spied on, no harm’

Last week there was a Senate vote that got zero coverage. An effort to rein in the abuse of spying on America. The GOP had no interest in supporting it. Now we get a bit of insight as to the impartiality of the FISA court.

Vote Tally Count Senate NSA Data Spying restrictions voted down November 19, 2014

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked a sweeping overhaul of the once-secret National Security Agency program that collects records of Americans’ phone calls in bulk.

Democrats and a handful of Republicans who supported the measure failed to secure the 60 votes they needed to take up the legislation. The vote was 58 to 42 for consideration.

Now I give you this absurd argumentt.

“You can’t have your privacy violated if you don’t know your privacy is violated.”

“Oral arguments presented by Yahoo Counsel (Mark Zwillinger) and the US Solicitor General Gregory Garre” reveal a frightening new govt. argument.

Garre then goes on to explain why the govt. feels it should have warrantless access to US persons’ communications, routed through and stored at US servers.He refers to satellite communications — something in use when FISA was enacted in 1978.

. . .But all of this pales in light of the words of Judge Morris S. Arnold. If they sound familiar, they are. This was the argument made, and roundly ridiculed, by Congressman Mike Rodgers, chair of the House Intelligence Committee.

Vladeck: But who would be complaining?

Rogers: Somebody who’s privacy was violated. You can’t have your privacy violated if you don’t know your privacy is violated.”

Read more at Investment watch blog with legal documents and video.