The information isn't about contents of the calls:
The National Security Agency is currently collecting the telephone records of millions of US customers of Verizon, one of America's largest telecoms providers, under a top secret court order issued in April.
The order, a copy of which has been obtained by the Guardian, requires Verizon on an "ongoing, daily basis" to give the NSA information on all telephone calls in its systems, both within the US and between the US and other countries.
The document shows for the first time that under the Obama administration the communication records of millions of US citizens are being collected indiscriminately and in bulk – regardless of whether they are suspected of any wrongdoing.
This allows the government to see who is calling where and when. If we know phone numbers of terrorists, we find out if they are calling for pizza or their boss.
Now I don't find this odd since we are at war. Why the administration thinks it needs to do this is beyond me, given that they say the war is just about over--and is being done on our schedule.
When a similar program came out in the Bush administration, I'm sure I didn't complain then. We were at war. So unless there is something new that comes out that makes this worse, I'm not going to complain now.
But why aren't the people who then claimed Bush was shredding the constitution out on the streets complaining now?
UPDATE: I did a quick check, and I wasn't upset at the time when the facts came out. With a bonus reference to war measures and levels of outrage.
UPDATE: Related thoughts on war and war measures. I suppose the thinking is that if Bush "unilaterally" went to war, the anti-Bush can unilaterally end the war.
