Ever since USA Today broke the story on the major phone companies turning over phone call data to the NSA some folks have wondered what the big deal is. The simplistic argument of “if you’re not a terrorist you have nothing to worry about” has reared its ugly head yet again. The problem with such databases, though, is that once you have it you’re inclined to use it for stuff other than what it was originally intended for. Stuff like finding out who’s leaking news to the press:
A senior federal law enforcement official tells ABC News the government is tracking the phone numbers we call in an effort to root out confidential sources.
“It’s time for you to get some new cell phones, quick,” the source told us in an in-person conversation.
ABC News does not know how the government determined who we are calling, or whether our phone records were provided to the government as part of the recently-disclosed NSA collection of domestic phone calls.
Other sources have told us that phone calls and contacts by reporters for ABC News, along with the New York Times and the Washington Post, are being examined as part of a widespread CIA leak investigation.
The CIA is certainly not happy with some of the news stories that have come out lately not to mention the Bush Administration in general so it wouldn’t surprise me in the least to find out they were data mining the phone calls of various journalists in an attempt to figure out who’s blowing the whistle.
Meanwhile Fox News again displays their ”unfair and unbalanced” stance during a report on the stock market by calling the anonymous whistle blower who broke the phone call database story “a puny little traitor.”
RUDER: Many thought this was the week the Dow would hit an all-time high. We seemed well on our way and looked like Thursday could be the day. Well guess what? Then came the headlines in yesterday’s papers. A leak about national security. The president saying the country is less safe and stocks sell off big-time. A coincidence? So when national security is compromised, how closesly does Wall Street watch? With us now, the Cost-of-Freedom All-Stars, we’ve got Brenda Butler, she starts it off on Saturdays, the host of Bulls and Bears, along with Stormin-Mike Norman and Charles Payne. So Mike, a coincidence? I don’t think so.
…RUDER: We saved the best for last. Brenda?
BUTLER: Let me tell you something. Wall Street knows, we are winning this war on terror. They are not afraid that we will win it. They are so secure in President Bush’s winning it, they are not going to let some puny, little traitor, some leaker who went ahead and compromised our national security, take down this, take down our market, take down our country, there is no way.
RUDER: Do you like this guy? I am not sure.
BUTLER: There is no way this is going to happen. Absolutely.
Hat tip to Think Progress.
The Bush administration has increasingly justified the more paranoid libertarian views I hold. If they can weed out the people whistle blowing their BS, just think what else they’d do.
“Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not after you”