You're kidding, right?

The NYT has a big story today about NSA wiretaps on American citizens. Someone wasn't paying attention in eighth grade civics class. I now hate the Bush Administration more than I thought possible. What's next? Warrantless searches? Secret mass graves? I don't know what else this president can sacrifice in the name of expediency and keeping us "safe."

But here's what I really don't get:

According to officials, F.B.I. surveillance of Mr. Faris, the Brooklyn Bridge plotter, was dropped for a short time because of technical problems. At the time, senior Justice Department officials worried what would happen if the N.S.A. picked up information that needed to be presented in court. The government would then either have to disclose the N.S.A. program or mislead a criminal court about how it had gotten the information.

One, it's interesting that the best evidence they can come up with as to why we should support this program is Ayman Faris, whose master plan, if you will recall, was to go out on the Brooklyn Bridge and manually begin cutting through the steel suspension cables: a task that, singlehanded, I recall hearing would have taken him about three months with the equipment available to him.

Two, why the hell are we bothering with a judge? Obviously, we know the guy's guilty! We heard it on the wiretap! Just show up at his house and shoot him before he gets the opportunity to do any damage! For America!