The NSA's phone record analysis program is a trend to be wary of, something that needs to be scrutinized to ensure that it is actually done the way it is claimed, but really people, this is not exactly open to much abuse. If the NSA really does get all of the phone records, a false positive would be very hard to get. Let's say that a known terrorist calls you up because your number belonged to his old buddy. The record would clearly show who called who. Do you really think a terrorist is going to risk exposing himself to the police by repeatedly calling to harass a law-abiding citizen who will call the cops on him or her?
The fact that this program has been exposed to public scrutiny has caused a number of bloggers to denounce the media as though they had just deactivated our entire nuclear arsenal in the midst of a nuclear standoff. Raise your hand if you really think that the major terrorist networks actually didn't assume that the NSA was doing this, especially to them? They aren't stupid, in fact I would hazard to guess that your average 9-11 hijacker and planner was more intelligent and educated than many of Bush's defenders who are crying treason over this.
The only thing that has changed is that the terrorists now know for a fact that the NSA is actively monitoring their phone records--and has the cooperation of virtually every company that matters in the United States. If they want to communicate safely, they have two choices: invest in a good flock of messenger pigeons or build their own alternative phone network. The college educated jihadi aside, the most we'd have to worry about then would be the infamous terrorist can-on-a-string network.
The message that the terrorists get out of this is simple: "the NSA has pwn3d you, bitches." Besides, it is only a matter of time before Qwest gives in and starts working with the NSA.
And in case any of my regulars are wondering why I could care less about this, I don't think this falls under the 4th amendment because it doesn't actually spy on or seize any property. It's just information that corporations collect. The federal government is charged with providing national defense, and this is the most benign example of them using intelligence that we have ever seen.
Others:
"Do you really think a terrorist is going to risk exposing himself to the police..." MikeT
Sigh.
Benign or not, Mike, this is just yet another of the (thousands? millions?) violations which constitute the continuing rape of what used to be our Republic. No, it's no surprise, any more than I'm surprised that the FBI Crime Lab fabricated evidence to get the "bad guys" (Waco survivors, et al.)
Do you really think a terrorist (ie, government agent acting in violation of his oath) is going to risk exposing himself ... to the law? Or that one of them WOULDN'T use this database to "get you" or me if it made their job easier?
Sorry, I'm too cynical...
Well, I suppose there is that. If they do create enough false connections in the graph structure. However, I think that could be accounted for.
At some point, you can't be cynical and just have to trust them with one eye looking over in their general direction. We are at war with Islam and it's a new kind of war, unfortunately.
It's a very tought call. Where do we let the federal government look over some of these things? We have to pick our battles, and I for one see less danger here than in the USA PATRIOT Act and the power to detain indefinitely if deemed a terrorist.
What I was getting at is that this is not the horrendous surveillance program the Democrats make it out to be. It is actually very benign compared to things that are technically feasible at this point. Making a big deal out of this would only serve to distract people from the bigger issues.
[...] I wrote earlier about the NSA phone record system, and didn’t make much of it. Now I want to explain why even though I think it is not bad in and of itself, it is a system that could be used for some very bad things if we (and when) we get a president like Hillary Clinton in office. [...]
Monkey pooh smells...
but ape shit, that's gold.
but ape shit, that's gold.