Supposed to be reserved for cases where one of the callers is thought to have ties to terrorists.

Report: U.S. spied on Americans' intimate conversations abroad - CNN.com

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"It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory." -Barack Obama, November 4th 2008

They monitor everyone's calls these days and the Patriot Act gave them the legal right to do so. A girl from my high school had her phone tapped because her grandparents were Iranian and her dad worked at a power plant. Privacy? Psh, that is a thing of the past.

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I don't think that is right. I think there are some restraints, and that this report shows something illegal.

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"It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory." -Barack Obama, November 4th 2008

Just google "Echelon" to find out all about how average Americans are being spied on by the government.

The government says that they'll only spy on suspected terrorists, but I personally don't think the government is qualified to decide who should be considered a terrorist. But who needs their 4th amendment rights, right?

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"Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension of the weak, and that it is doing God's service when it is violating all his laws." - John Adams

"In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution." - Thomas Jefferson

"...the consolidation of the states into one vast republic, sure to be aggressive abroad and despotic at home, will be the certain precursor of that ruin which has overwhelmed all those that have preceded it." - Robert E. Lee

Many years ago the NSA located their listening station in West Virginia because that is where Ma Bell had her satellite uplink station. Believe me, they have been listening in for years.

Umm, my guess is that she was being paranoid. If they did tap you, you wouldn't know, and they can't without an Article III warrant (i.e. a domestic warrant),unless its an overseas call.

I honestly believe you give the Federal government way too much credit. Go look into the Patriot Act a little bit. I think you will be shocked at what you find. The government has a lot of leeway in deciding who to tap and who not to. The "War on Terror" has not been a good thing for our right to privacy. There is not much left and the sooner you realize that, the better.

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I really don't. I am the last one to be a fan of the federal government. But the patriot act has nothing to do with domestic to domestic phone calls. Look it up yourself, let me know if you can find anything there. It only has to do with foreign phone calls. The government does have a lot of leeway in deciding who to tap: but only in very certain circumstances.

The WoT hasn't been good for privacy, but there is still a LOT more left, believe me. If there is another attack on US soil, you'll see how much more you can complain about once they take away more rights.

You are being naive.

My ex had her phone tapped because she was involved in publishing a book about secret defense department info. Her phone had a double click on it, when she picked it up. She called the phone company and they said, "Yes, your phone is probably tapped. There's probably a guy in a van somewhere who is bored to death listening to your calls."

No, I am actually informed.

Umm, if you are publishing classified materials, an article III warrant to tap your phone won't be hard to do. They can tap whoevers phone, but they need a judge to sign off on it if it is domestic to domestic calling. A judge isn't going to sign off on tapping someone because they are Iranian. Because they released classified information, probably.

This is why you need to be creative if you're conducting illicit business over the telephone. For example, a call to your weed dealer might go something like this:

Dealer: Hello?

You: Hey Huggy Bear, this is Starsky, what up?

Dealer: How ya doin? Long time no see. What's it been, 5 days?

You: Yeah yeah, anyway, I'm gonna be in your neighborhood tomorrow and I heard you have some extra tickets for the rock concert, can you hook me up?

Dealer: Sure thing buddy. I got some great seats in row Z on the floor, those are $150 a piece. Or if you're on a budget, I got some balcony row Q seats for $50 each.

You: I'll take row Z, see ya tommorow, peace out.

Dealer: Peace.



Or so I've heard.

I've been Ayn Randed and I've been branded
A Communist cause I'm left handed
And that's the hand I use
Well, never mind.