Court Says Spying Program Constitutional

From al-Reuters, via Drudge:

Court says eavesdropping program can continue

CHICAGO - The government can continue to use its warrantless domestic wiretap program pending the Justice Department's appeal of a federal judge's ruling outlawing the program, an Appeals Court in Cincinnati ruled on Wednesday.

The ruling overturned District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor's decision last week to deny a lengthy stay in the case, which is expected to end up with the Supreme Court.

In August, Taylor ruled that the National Security Agency's five-year-old surveillance program, implemented as part of the government's war on terrorism, violates the civil rights of Americans.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed the suit in March on behalf of scholars, attorneys, journalists and non-profit groups that regularly communicate with people in the Middle East.

Two things: 1) Thank God there is at least one court out there with any sense. Can you imagine this program being declared unconstitutional during WWII? Where were these high and mighty liberals when Clinton was tapping every phone in the country with Echelon and every email with Carnivore? You don't hear a whole lot about that these days. and 2) I can understand that the difference between civil rights and civil liberties can be confusing, but you'd think a judge such as Taylor would know that it's not even conceivable to say that this program violates citizens civil rights.