Whose Line is it Anyway?

The USA Today reported today that the National Security Agency has been amassing the largest database in history, logging every phone call that is made within the U.S. The NSA is using this data to monitor calling patterns in order to protect against terrorist activity, and they do not listen to or record any of the actual phone conversations from this database. This means that every call that Americans make using Bellsouth, AT&T, and Verizon carriers are being logged into a massive database. This program is more massive than the White House has ever publicly acknowledged. Last fall President Bush acknowledged that the government does monitor international e-mails, and international phone calls.

"In defending the previously disclosed program, Bush insisted that the NSA was focused exclusively on international calls. 'In other words,' Bush explained, 'one end of the communication must be outside the United States".

This clearly shows that there was purposeful deception on behalf of the White House, leading Americans to believe that domestic phone calls were indeed private. While Ramble On does not have a major problem with the practice of monitoring call patterns, we do take issue as to the secrecy, and covert nature of such a program. The White House had a perfect opportunity to let Americans know exactly what the procedures and practices of the NSA entailed last fall when the whole surveillance issue came to head. This secrecy feels dirty and makes Ramble On wonder if other such surveillance techniques exist without knowledge to the public. The timing of the story is also interesting, since the president has appointed Michael Hayden to replace Porter Goss as director of the CIA. Hayden headed the NSA for the last 6 years, and he no doubt would have headed up this domestic surveillance program. Not surprisingly Hayden choose not to comment on the issue, along with every other top official in the NSA.