Paranoia will destroya.
by T. Colin Dodd
Bush Signs Law to Widen Reach for Wiretapping - New York Times
WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 — President Bush signed into law on Sunday legislation that broadly expanded the government’s authority to eavesdrop on the international telephone calls and e-mail messages of American citizens without warrants.
Congressional aides and others familiar with the details of the law said that its impact went far beyond the small fixes that administration officials had said were needed to gather information about foreign terrorists. They said seemingly subtle changes in legislative language would sharply alter the legal limits on the government’s ability to monitor millions of phone calls and e-mail messages going in and out of the United States.
By Ryan Singel August 06, 2007 | 2:11:02 AMCategories: Surveillance
A new law expanding the government’s spying powers gives the Bush Administration a six-month window to install possibly permanent back doors in the nation’s communication networks. The legislation was passed hurriedly by Congress over the weekend and signed into law Sunday by President Bush.
The bill, known as the Protect America Act, removes the prohibition on warrantless spying on Americans abroad and gives the government wide powers to order communication service providers such as cell phone companies and ISPs to make their networks available to government eavesdroppers.
The great thing is that there’s absolutely no possibility of abuse, and not a shred of a chance that anyone other than the most extremely guilty party will lose any of their precious privacy. If I were a blogger (Oh, wait a minute…no…must not doubt…must…shake it off…) or a journalist, or an academic, or a political activist, or someone with family overseas, I would worry extra-less than ever now! 
Besides, what’s the big deal about privacy anyway? What? Are we a nation of teenagers who don’t want our parents reading our diaries? Grow Up.
August 8th, 2007 at 1:11 am
Man, this is depressing. Corporations like HP can spy on employees — at their homes! — and get away with it, and now everything that Bush did that was a felony under previous FISA law has now been made legal, and that little liar known as Alberto Gonzales gets to administer all the wiretaps he wants!
It also means that the 4th Amendent is obliterated. American citizens are treated like children, never asking our permission, assuming that we are so desperate to be “safe” from the boogeyman that we just want to crawl up in Big Brother’s big ole lap and snuggle up for a long sleep while they take care of all the “bad guys.”
Welcome to Amerikaland, a Freedom Theme Park Corporation, where Daddy says if you are innocent you have nothing to worry about. I feel so safe I can barely breathe!