I’m a strong believer in privacy rights. I don’t see why Americans are obligated to give the government their bank account details and the holdings therein. Other revenue agencies in other free societies don’t require that level of disclosure. But, given that the people of the United States are apparently entirely cool with that, it’s hard to see why lists of phone numbers (i.e., your monthly statement) with no identifying information attached to them is of such a vastly different order of magnitude. By definition, “connecting the dots” involves getting to see the dots in the first place.
Sen. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) feels differently. “Look at this headline,” huffed the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee. “The secret collection of phone call records of tens of millions of Americans. Now, are you telling me that tens of millions of Americans are involved with al-Qaida?”
No. But next time he’s flying from D.C. to Burlington, Vt., on a Friday afternoon he might look at the security line: Tens of millions of Americans are having to take their coats and shoes off! Are you telling me that tens of millions of ordinary shoe-wearing Americans are involved with al-Qaida?
If the sanctimonious Democrats bellowing about civil liberties really wanted to do someting for the American people they would end the pervasive and real world intrusions in American’s privacy and lives by a multitude of federal agencies, not this NSA fantasy make believe crap!
Democrats freely give the federal government amazing powers to investigate your life if that invesigation is seen as supporting an environmental regulation, how you raise and educate your children or how you conduct your business.
THOSE issues are REAL. The NSA thing is PHONY!