The Absurd Report

In applied mathematics, there is a technique of proving a theorem called “taking the contrapositive.” When you take the contrapositive, you don’t prove that the theorem is true, you demonstrate that the consequences of its being untrue are impossible. Perhaps surprisingly, this technique makes many proofs much simpler then they otherwise would be.

We can apply this to the NSA anti-terrorist wiretaps. President Bush’s political opponents and some civil libertarians are upset that he approved wiretaps without a court order. AT and other blogs have already demonstrated that doing so is (a) well within the letter of the law and (b) is in accord with practices of previous presidents. But for those still not convinced, let’s try the contrapositive:

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Tags: Need to Know

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