How can illegal wiretaps be used as evidence against an American?

[wtmusic]

If the administration didn't have authority to tap someone's phone, wouldn't the evidence be ruled as inadmissable? I know there is someone here tonight who can answer this...:shrug:

[unblock]

1. you presume the shrub administration wants actual, legitimate convictions

if they can simply declare the "guilty" party to be an "illegal combatant", they can send them off to gitmo, or render them to egypt, or do whatever they want. perhaps they can even throw them in the pits of the bastille or lock them in the towers of london.

[wtmusic]

3. they haven't done that with US citizens yet

to the best of my knowledge.

[BuyingThyme]

9. They have. Padilla.

He was declared guilty and did hard time before any charges were brought.

[GemMom]

11. Jam Echelon Day

Does anybody around here remember the Jam Echelon days from the 1990's?

http://www.jamechelon.org/

[Punkingal]

2. I would think...

If they don't hesitate to collect the evidence illegally, they won't hesitate to just hold people without charging them, or even go so far as to send people to these secret prisons they have in Europe. I wouldn't expect them to have regular, lawful court proceedings.

[wtmusic]

4. true

they would probably just hold them indefinitely like they did with Jose Padilla (which was, ironically, in violation of the PATRIOT Act that Dubya fought so hard for).

[Punkingal]

5. Right...

I was thinking of him, but the name escaped me. What a nightmare this is. And I don't like the way it is playing in the media. It seems like they are going to let the asshole get away with this.

[wtmusic]

8. Kinda like the second set of torture photos

interest in which seemed to vanish like a puff of smoke.

[shanti]

6. nah

they'll just spirit you away and you'll never be heard from again

[FlaGranny]

7. In addition

to what others have said, they DO need information they can use to "control" (blackmail)people.

[Trillo]

10. Even if all the other poster's ideas do not come into play,

and I don't mean to discount them, they very well could--

Have you ever fought a legal battle against the resources of the state? A few have, and won, but at what cost? Is that just the tip of an iceburg of state cases?

Taking an entirely different tack, why would they need evidence? They just do what they want. It's all well and good if you're a senator, representative, of even a lawyer and who can defend onself against a legal attack, but most, no, nearly everyone is not so able to defend themselves. And what if the attack is illegal in nature. Then whatcha gonna do when they come for you?

[ashling]

12. Oh, sure - in court!

but we don't use courts anymore. No, we believe in good old vigilante national security. :sarcasm:

[ConsAreLiars]

13. Do you actually think that they even want this for such a trite purpose

as bringing people to trial? Blackmail, destroying people, disappearing them, identifying their political challengers and knowing their weaknesses. You are quite naive if you think they are using these illegal methods with any plan to bring legal charges. They are above the law. The law is only for commoners.

(edit tense)