Obama sued for 'despicable' snooping

It didn't take long coming.

Larry Klayman, founder of Freedom Watch, has launched a lawsuit against Barack Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder, NSA chief Keith Alexander, Verizon Communications chief Lowell McAdam and their agencies over the government's massive data-mining project utilizing the private phone records of Verizon customers.

"There is no doubt that this massive illegal seizure had to be authorized and approved at the highest levels of the executive branch, which necessarily leads to the president, attorney general and the director of the NSA," Klayman said.

"These violations of free speech, prohibitions against unreasonable search and seizure, and due process rights are unprecedented in American history. They make the fictional scenarios depicted in the literary works of George Orwell's 'Big Brother' and Ayn Rand's 'Atlas Shrugged' look tame, particularly when coupled with other burgeoning government scandals concerning the IRS, the equally illegal seizure of phone records of Fox News and AP, and other abuses of power."

The complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia alleges violations of the First, Fourth and Fifth amendments to the U.S. Constitution by the powerful individuals.

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The complaint demands a jury trial and reserves the right to seek to make the legal challenge a class action case.

"Plaintiff demands that judgment be entered against Defendants Obama, Holder, Alexander, McAdam, Vinson, Verizon, the DOJ and the NSA, each and every one of them, jointly and severally, for compensatory and actual damages because [the] actions causing this demonstrable injury to plaintiff."

Want to know how and why America has so rapidly come to resemble the totalitarian society described by novelist George Orwell in "1984," one characterized by universal surveillance? It’s all exposed in a special issue of Whistleblower magazine – titled "ONE NATION UNDER SURVEILLANCE: Big Brother is watching in ways Orwell never dreamed."

The complaint states the damages as "in excess of $8 million."

"It would appear that Obama and his government 'yes men' know no constitutional bounds, and the courts are no longer 'independent' such that they will protect American citizens from this tyranny," Klayman explained.

"This is why Roger Vinson, the judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, has also been sued in his personal capacity. As an Article II jurist, who is supposed to protect the people from the tyranny of the other two branches of government, his actions are as despicable as those of Obama, Holder and Alexander. It is high time that judges are held accountable as well to the rule of law and the edicts of our constitution."

The complaint explains that it was Vinson who ordered Verizon to give up customer records to the Obama administration.

"Vinson's order shows for the first time that under Defendant Obama's administration, the communication records of millions of U.S. citizens are being collected indiscriminately and in bulk – regardless of whether they are suspected of any wrongdoing," the complaint explains.

"Defendants have not issued substantive explanations to the American people describing what has occurred herein, as criminal charges are likely as they obviously do not want to incriminate themselves in the criminal conduct," the lawsuit alleges.

It claims violations of the Fifth Amendment, First Amendment, Fourth Amendment and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

The snooping, according to the complaint, "abridge and violated plaintiff's First Amendment right of freedom of speech and association by significantly minimizing and chilling plaintiff's freedom of expression and association," the complaint said.

"By reason of the wrongful conduct of defendants Obama, Holder, Alexander and Vinson, plaintiff suffered and continues to suffer from severe emotional distress and physical harm, pecuniary and economic damage, loss of services, and loss of society accordingly," the complaint says.

"The violations are compensable under Bivens v VI Unknown Named Agents of Federal Bureau of Narcotics … as a direct and proximate result of the intentional and willful actions of defendants Obama, Holder and Alexander."

"The only purpose of this outrageous and illegal procedure is to intimidate citizens and keep them from challenging a tyrannical administration and government, a government which seeks to control virtually every aspect of plaintiff's and other American's lives, to further its own 'agenda.'"

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