Catch-22

You know, that might be the answer --
to act boastfully about something we ought to be ashamed of.
That's a trick that never seems to fail
--Catch-22, Joseph Heller

There is no such condition as 'schizophrenia,'
but the label is a social fact and the social fact a political event
--R.D. Laing
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Like Lithuania, Ranger moves for a name change for the U.S. -- something like the U.S.S.A [United Secret States of America];the 4-letter acronym would also symbolize our kinship in the secrecy realm with the U.S.S.R. of yore.

The Supreme Court recently declined a challenge to the Bush administration's warrantless domestic wiretapping program because the plaintiffs could not prove they had been spied upon.

The ACLU brought the suit on behalf of a group of lawyers, writers and political organizations, which said the eavesdropping interfered with communication with clients and overseas contacts.

"But Bush's lawyers successfully invoked two legal doctrines making it difficult to challenge the government's anti-terrorism policies.

"First, they said, challengers must show that they had their phone calls or e-mails intercepted. Otherwise, they have no 'standing' to sue because they have no injury to complain of. Second, the government said, the entire program was secret, and under the 'state secrets privilege,' plaintiffs cannot obtain information on whether they were targeted for surveillance. When combined, the two doctrines make it almost impossible for most challengers to win a hearing in court.

"'They say you need certain information to proceed. And that is exactly the information the government won't give you,' said Jameel Jaffer, director of the ACLU's National Security Program (Supreme Court Dismisses Challenge to Bush's Wiretapping Policy.)"

In rejecting the suit, the Supreme Court is saying secrecy and spying trump the Bill of Rights and the legal process. If you think about it -- something not recommended in this Brave New World if you wish to preserve your sanity -- their stance is to construct of you a paranoid schizophrenic. However, because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you; they may be out to get you, you just can't prove it.

The Phony War on Terror (PWOT©) is being fought versus the corpus juris which used to protect the rights of the U.S. citizenry.