Hand in the Cookie Jar

There’s much discussion going on about President George W. Bush wiretapping individuals in the United States without going through the proper channels. Some are deploring the actions of the president spying on the public without getting the ok from the FISA secret court, and calling for an investigation into the president’s behavior and his apparent ignorance of the FISA law and the fourth amendment. Others who back the president, are all upset because someone leaked the president’s secret spying to the press.

If someone hadn't leak that the president was wiretapping without permission, it wouldn't be such a big deal, would it? So who tattled this time?? Sounds a bit childish to be pointing fingers about who tattled about sneaking into the cookie jar, when the cookie crumbs are all over your own hands? What would your Mom do about that? Punish little Sally for tattling, or little Georgie for sneaking into the cookie jar without Mom's ok and taking over 30 cookies?

Sadly, if little Georgie had known, Mom would have given him a cookie if he had asked. --Just like Jesus said, "Ask and it will be given unto you." Whoa, George did ask and the secret court said no (FISA court has granted over 4,000 requests in recent years to the administration and denying less than a dozen). Well, Mom isn't going to let you have a cookie if dinner is just about done. Likewise, the FISA court won't approve of wiretapping that isn't appropriately substantiated.

But Little Georgie and his friends continue to lament: It takes too long to file with the FISA court. Technology is too fast these days, and FISA court just isn't fast enough. Yes, when hunger does hit, it does take a bit longer to ask Mom to have a cookie, but she can be understanding if you are desperately hungry and you just got home from school and Mom's not home from work yet. As long as you tell her when she gets home, she'll most likely be understanding as long as you didn't eat all the cookies in the jar. (In warranted instances, the FISA allows for unauthorized surveillance to happen as long as a request is filed with the secret court in 72 hours.)

There may be other reasons why Mom didn't want you to eat those cookies in the jar without her permission. They may have been made with peanut butter, and you are terribly allergic to peanuts and you throw them up (or you use the ill-gotten surveillance in court and it is dismissed because that evidence was obtained illegally), or she was making those cookies for the ladies club meeting that night and doesn't want you to eat them (or you use surveillance for the unintended purpose to spy on political enemies and personal dissenters).

See what would happen if you didn't ask Mom for the peanut butter cookies first? Ok, so you'd lose respect from Mom and she might punish you, no big deal, right? Unless, instead of being just terribly allergic to peanuts, you unknowingly were deathly allergic to them.