Have you calmed down enough to realize that there is no threat to liberty by collecting a bunch of phone numbers?
They are not collecting phone numbers. They are recording the conversations based upon "key words in context". The audio is passed through a battery of DSPs, which pick up the WORDS. The words are processed and the conversation is analyzed for content. The source and destination information, time-stamp, and audio is preserved if certain screening criteria is met.
The original system was Echelon. The latest one is even better.
Sink, we don't agree at all on this. And I really don't care whether the American public doesn't see a problem with this - they don't see a problem with a lot of the stuff that the fedgov does that is beyond their Consitutional powers.
All I see is the government getting data that they have no business having without due process or a subpeona. And now I see that Hayden doesn't even realize that the words probable cause are in the 4th Amendment. So excuse me if I don't join you in chewing cuds.
"Have you calmed down enough to realize that there is no threat to liberty by collecting a bunch of phone numbers?"
Are you ready to be honest and say that they are not collecting phone numbers but calling records, or do you not see the difference?