>> The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has successfully convinced a >> federal judge to block the disclosure of where the bureau has attached >> surveillance cams on Seattle utility poles. > > If they had disclosed the locations, I'm sure they'd all end up being > vandalized. > Shot at, stolen, spray painted over...
That's not a legitimate complaint. The local mayor could still protest the installation of such devices on her/his city. If the directive to install such devices does not come from a higher up executive, there''s no reason not to protest if it's undesired. The FBI, like all law enforcement, isn't supposed to act like renegades, taking Justice into their own hands. They can be liable for CIVIL lawsuits (without the protection of the government) of acting on their own like that. (Those employees, to protect themselves, should make sure they have the request from the President in writing.). Here's another schizoid thing about it all. Quiz: The Department of Justice is under the Executive Branch or the Judicial Branch. Oh, the Executive, so it just want its own brand of Justice, is that it? Because what's supposed to happen is that people are to be charged with a crime by the executive, and THEN it goes in front of a Court to be heard. The other thing is, that the municipal, county, and state government can say NO to such installations. Don't complain about the federal government, complain about your local mayor. Mark http://wiki.hackerspaces.org/Hack_the_Law
