NSA Building Giant Database of Americans' Phone Calls, Newspaper Reports

Fox News ^ | May 11, 2006 | AP

[CrawDaddyCA]

WASHINGTON — The government is secretly collecting records of ordinary Americans' phone calls in an effort to build a database of every call made within the country, it was reported Thursday.

AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth telephone companies began turning over records of tens of millions of their customers' phone calls to the National Security Agency program shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, said USA Today, citing anonymous sources it said had direct knowledge of the arrangement.

[Realism]

This data has always been available both locally and nationally.

Didn't authorities one upon a time need a judges approval to access your records from the phone company?

[TexasPatriot8]

And when Samuel Adams said that, I somehow doubt that he would have said that citizens who are willing to tolerate increased scrutiny to help preserve the country and it's freedom, are somehow chained servents. The preservation of freedom takes sacrifice, and allowing random checks of phone calls and emails to help stop islamo-fascist terrorists wanting to destroy the country, is the least that any American can do, if they're really interrested in preserving the country. What good is liberty if you are dead? Sometimes, to protect real freedom and liberty, you have to sacrifice a little bit of both. Better 200 million Americans have their calls and emails monitored, than one muslim terrorist not, and go on to kill thousands of Americans, because the government was too afraid to see who he was calling, or read his emails. Especially if you are one of the thousands who would be killed because of that lack of government monitoring.

[Realism]

And, so what???

Some would say having a gun in your home is more of a danger to your family than a terrorist attacking you. How many rights are you willing to give up for your own safety. That is, if you actually had a choice in the matter, which you don't.

[Realism]

What good is liberty if you are dead?

Sad, when you think of how many Americans have fought and died for liberty.

[microgood]

It reminds me of the parents that have a hissie fit about their kids being subjected to random drug testing because it violates their rights. What about the fact that using controlled substances is against the law? If the brat isn't doing drugs, they have nothing to be afraid of, just shut up and pee in the cup.

It is better to die on your feet than live on your knees.

Emilio Zapato.

[TexasPatriot8]

The misleading nature of that title would seem to indicate a bias that is typical of the media. Knowing that only records are logged, not actual conversations, which would be technologically cumbersome at best, I have to modify my original comment and say "BIG TIME SO WHAT???" I'm not calling anyone that I wouldn't admit to publically, just like I'm not saying anything to anyone I call that I wouldn't admit to publically.

If people can't handle a little bit of scrutiny for the sake of security and saving lives and preventing terrorist attacks, beyond their priorities being screwed up, I would suggest that their activities might by questionable, and wonder what they have to be afraid of. But then, I also have no problem with cameras in public places. I don't go places I shouldn't, or meet with people I shouldn't, so what do I care. "Cheese!" I say.

Some people are so radical when it comes to this whole privacy and violation of it thing, they really consider that maintaining 100% privacy and annonymity is more important than saving lives. And THAT is why people like that are disconnected from reality. I'll get over having my phone records logged by the NSA a lot quicker than I'd get over being dead from a terrorist attack because it wasn't done to some muslim that ended up being a terrorist. No one's going to get over being dead anytime soon, so I saw, log those phone records like crazy Mr. NSA man.

[skepsel]

My point was that first class mail is private and closed to inspection by others than the addressee w/o a court order/warrant, regardless of the contents.

[TexasPatriot8]

Boy talk about apples and oranges. Where as the 2nd Amendment gives the express right for me, a citizen to keep and bear arms, there is nothing in the Constitution that even remotely or vaguely guarantees that the government can't conduct non-invasive measures to guarantee the safety and security of the country and its people. Further, in a time of war, the government is authorized to take whatever measures necessary to guarantee the safety and security of the country and its people. I have a Constitution and the Amendments I keep with me and no where is there anything that would even remotely suggest that it is unconstitutional for the NSA to log phone records to try and identify patterns dealing with people believed to have terrorist connections. Sometimes this civil libertarian crap goes way too far. The NSA isn't trying to take my guns away. And chances are, unless I start calling Abudul Damazcus or Teharan, they're not going to by logging my phone calls either. And since no phone conversations have actually be recorded, there is no violation of anyones "rights" real, or imagined. Saying otherwise is really going to far, and presuming that the NSA is a bigger threat to our Constitutional Rights than the islamo-fascist terrorists, and last time I checked, the NSA hadn't flown any planes into any American buildings, and the NSA hadn't been going to Afghanistan and Iraq trying to destroy the democratic governments there. The muslim terrorists did that, not the NSA. At least that's my understanding of the current situation on planet Earth.

[Beckwith]

AMERICAblog just bought General Wesley Clark's cell phone records for $89.95

You can also Google "phone records" and find your own sources.

AMERICAblog just bought General Wesley Clark's cell phone records for $89.95

You can also Google "phone records" and find your own sources.

[TexasPatriot8]

Yes, and those that fought and died for this country, like my family members, did so because they didn't want foreign powers doing exactly what was done on 9-11. Go find a WWII vet and ask them if it puts them off that the NSA is monitoring phone logs to try and recognize patterns of calling from islamic terrorists. I have, several in fact, and quite frankly, not one of them could care less. My father served several tours in Vietnam and he's made it clear he thinks it's a stupid thing to worry about.

Liberty is nothing without common sense. Anyone who believes their liberty is being violated because the NSA is logging calls, not the conversations, just the calls, needs medication, or some kind of reality check. It's a ludecrous assertion to make. And the overwhelming majority of the American people in every poll taken have said they have no problem with the NSA wire tap program, and logically they wouldn't mind simple phone logs being recorded. The American majoriry to the turn of 80%+ in every poll on the issue, especially when such monitoring is focused on trying to identify terrorists and stop attacs.

And it's funny, in the 90s, clinton ordered the NSA to monitor phone calls and emails to and from European corporations to their employees in the U.S., to try and give American companies a leg up, and this was in peace time. It's pretty pathetic that the people who are so put off at this NSA program, don't seem to mind that abuse of the NSA in peace time being used against our allies. Talk about hypocrisy.

[TexasPatriot8]

Another good saying, but hardly applicable to this situation. It's even more annoying because all the people whining about his this is unconstitutional and a violation of civil rights, if there was an attack that killed thousands, and it was proven that it could have been prevented with this very kind of subtle non-invasive surveillance, and those killed in the attack were the families of those against such activities, suddenly, they'd want heads to roll because "the powers at be didn't do all they could". Supreme hypocrisy.

[defenderSD]

What's the big deal? AT&T has had a giant database of phone call records for fifty years.

[TexasPatriot8]

Priceless. That's just gold. If we can get such things for a little money, and have no reason to do so but can, why should the NSA not be able to do the same thing, for the express purpose of national security and preventing possible terrorist attacks. This is such a stupid argument. Great post you made. :) The NSA isn't doing anything that any of us couldn't do with a few dollars in Pay Pal or with a Credit Card. Hillarious.

[defenderSD]

Like almost all technology, the issue isn't the existence of the technology. The real issue is the potential misuse and abuse of the technology by people in powerful positions in government, such as HRC and WJC.

[ElPatriota]

I think I am as "normal" of a human being as you can find. Not a saint by any means, but I am not a "pervert" or a criminal or have anything to be afraid of, as far as the law goes.

In this new era after 9/11, we all have to be a bit more flexible with our privacy if we want the bad guys to be caught!

SO... If someone checks on me, because they suspect that an "active latino" in FR (and other forums)... who disagrees strongly with the president on his Immigration policy... and somehow, they feel the need to check, *** THAT'S OK WITH ME ***, as long as they have a valid reason to do it (i.e. there is a reson to suspect that radical latinos, participating in forums, blogs, plan an attack somewhere...LOL - the key work here is REASONABLE suspicion..., and.. most importantly! that do not use whatever iformation they find for other purposes (like the IRS :), or tell my wife about it! if I had one - LOL)

[TexasPatriot8]

Well that's just it. It isn't a big deal. There are some people who are so disconnected from reality and so paranoid in their distrust of "big brother", they think the government is a greater risk to life and liberty and the Constitution than the islamo-fascists who are actually killing Americans. That is ironic because the liberals who are so paranoid like this and always cry about how the Republicans are violating Constitutional rights, are the same radical liberals who believe the Constitution to be a "living breating document" that should change with the times and constantly want to change it to suit their agenda at any given moment. But when it comes to surveillance and preventing attacks, using legal and Constitutional, means "ohhh, no no no, tsk tsk tsk" sais the good lib democrat "that violates civil liberties.". It's so bogus. You could fertilize a lot of fields with the arguments against this NSA program.

[cyberaxe]

.....when it comes right down to it.....

.....i would be really p!ssed off.....

.....if the government was not doing these types of things.....

.....come on people.....

.....i pay out the wazzoo in taxes every day.....

.....it better be paying for somebody or some computer.....

.....looking through any information it can dig up on me and everybody else.....

.....to make sure we aint trying to kill Americans.....

[TexasPatriot8]

THAT is spot on right. I very much appreciate your common sense rational comment. You clearly "get it". :) Thank you.

Also, like you, I too disagree strongly with Bush's immigration stance. So if they want to start looking at white guys that don't tan who like country music and BBQ, let em. :) And my wife does know about that so they can even tell her! :)

[Joan Kerrey]

I knew this was happening so years ago I purchased 150 homing birds and I have been communicating through these birds. I pay my bills, send mother's day cards and communicate with my friends only through these birds. The problem I'm running into now is the government's bird flu conspiracy designed to counter my communications and frighten my receivers.

I'll tell ya folks, we can't win.

Folks watch out. Don't send those mother's day cards as the government is monitoring them.

[liberty_lvr]

I have an anti-tiger amulet. Since I started wearing it, I haven't seen a single tiger.

That's because, other than in zoos, there are no tigers in North America.

Do you think we're stupid enough to fall for your juvenile analogies? Or are you saying there have been no further attacks here because there is no real threat to begin with?

Your Michael Moore mentality is the result of a libertarian bent coupled with a small, probably atrophied, brain. Jeez, my 16-year-old drama queen daughter has better reasoning skills than you - of course, I'm not surprised. You're just another pathetic product of our stellar publik skool system.