Patriot of the Month

For those of you eagerly awaiting PT's pick for Patriot of the Month, I have good news: you don't have to wait til the end of the month. This month's patriot wasn't hard to find. She blasted onto the scene with her court ruling last week. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Judge Anna Diggs Taylor...

Bush blasts court ruling on surveillance
By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer
Fri Aug 18

President Bush on Friday criticized a federal court ruling that said his warrantless wiretapping program is unconstitutional, declaring that opponents "do not understand the nature of the world in which we live."

"I strongly disagree with that decision, strongly disagree," Bush said, striking his finger on a podium to underscore his point. "That's why I instructed the Justice Department to appeal immediately, and I believe our appeals will be upheld."

U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor in Detroit on Thursday was the first to find the National Security Agency surveillance program unconstitutional. The program involves monitoring international phone calls and e-mails to and from the United States involving people with suspected ties to terrorists.

Critics say the surveillance program skirts the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which requires court warrants for domestic eavesdropping. The administration has argued that obtaining warrants from a secret court set up under FISA is a time-consuming process unsuited for the government's fast-moving war on terror.

The judge said the government, in defending the program, appeared to be saying the president had the "inherent power" to violate laws of Congress.

"It was never the intent of the framers to give the president such unfettered control," Taylor wrote in a 43-page opinion. "... There are no hereditary Kings in America and no powers not created by the Constitution. So all 'inherent powers' must derive from that Constitution."

I shouldn't have to give out an award for someone in government doing their job, but these days it's such a rare occurrence, that I feel compelled to do so. Please click on Judge Taylor's picture for a brief biography.