Bush calls the leaking of the domestic eavesdropping program a "shameful act". Come on man, get a grip and stop acting all shocked and surprised over this revelation. Like this was a great big secret.
Judging by his remark, Bush doesn't seem so happy about the revelation that makes him appear like a dictator. Whatever the case, people (specially the terrorists he's trying to chase) have been well aware of this tactic for years. We've been hearing clicks and pops on our phone lines for a few years now and it's not due to technical trouble. There's been little doubt that someone has been monitoring the conversations. As a matter of fact, the static is eerily familiar to those who have lived in countries like Iran. The difference being that while the governments in that region do not admit tapping phone calls, it is common knowledge that they do, so they don't deny it either. You see, anyone (including the terrorists) who has lived under some kind of a harsh regime knows full well that governments are not to be trusted, and they would spy on anyone at any time. This information won't change matters much. They already knew about this anyways.
I am not sure how I feel about the spying itself. On the one hand I see some value in it. But on the other hand, what's to stop the government from archiving and analyzing every aspect of my life? It was easy enough for them to spy on the calls without a court order. Apparently shunting the law has gotten real easy these days. What would stop them from sharing information with insurance companies, credit companies, employers, and others? If I have a phone job interview with a competitor, will my employer find out about it? If I have an affair, will someone call my wife with the juicy details? Or perhaps try to blackmail me first? Once the information is there, at best it's an unscrupulous employee and a couple of bucks away from being publicized.
The point is that most people already knew about the spying. Bush's theatrics notwithstanding, we can hope that this news would at least lead to some sort of framework to protect the citizens' privacy. Wishful thinking, I guess.
bush,eavesdropping,phone tapping,privacy,shameful act
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