Ok, The NSA has been monitoring phone calls since 2002, well THAT much of the story out there is correct. AT LEAST Blown thinks they are monitoring everybody. Here are the facts that you are not getting in the press (or from Blown's posts here)
#1 -- Congress was well aware it was being done. They were briefed 12 times since 2002 about it. This is even admitted to by none other than the mouthpiece Nancy Pelosi.
#2 -- The calls that were being monitored were originating from OUTSIDE the US. That's right, INTERNATIONAL phone calls, not local ones, not even domestic long distance ones.
#3 -- The calls were originating from known localles used by Al-queda (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, etc).
#4 -- The calls were being recieved by US citizens who are known to have contacts with Al-queda. These contacts have been found among the mass of information we get every time we capture a computer or cell-phone belonging to an Al-queda operative (terrorist).
#5, The NY Times has known about this story and SAT ON IT for over a year. Why? Ask the Times staff, I have no idea, wide open for speculation here. The timing of the release DOES tie in with both the publishing of a book about the monitoring AND the renewal of The Patriot Act.
Now, who figures they can explain to me (and everyone else) just why it is a BAD THING to monitor phone calls originating in areas known to have terrorists, to US citizens who are known to have had contact with terrorists and find out if anyone is hatching any plans for terror operatiuons to occur HERE in the US?
Has anyone here EVER traveled out of the country (no canada does not count, sorry)? You do NOT get searched everywhere roaming arround your home town, but return to this country by either sea or air and you are questioned, your posessions searched, your identity verified along with your status to be in this country. This is basically what is going on by the NSA phone monitoring.
Blown, you can skip this one, I already know you won't answer any questions, and no, I do not care how the Evil Jewish Israel Empire figures into it.