Are you scared yet? You should be.

Because now we’re starting to scratch the surface of the scope of this administration’s assault upon our civil rights. As you may already know, it has now been revealed that the NSA has been compiling a database of all of the phone calls made in this country since shortly after 9/11. Not just international calls. Not just calls made by suspected terrorists. ALL PHONE CALLS. Billions of them.

All that is, except customers of Qwest Communications. The three major phone companies, AT&T, Verizon, and Bell South have happily handed over the information requested by the NSA. Qwest, on the other hand, said, “let’s see your court order.” Bravo for Qwest. It’s nice to see that some members of the corporate community have some scruples, or at least can’t be intimidated.

Defenders of this recently revealed program (yes, believe it or not, there are those defending it) have said that it does not violate the law, and that the contents of the phone calls and identities of the callers are not being collected, just the “external data” (phone numbers to and from, time, date). But quite frankly, that’s not the f*cking point!! It’s like saying, “We followed you everywhere you went, but we didn’t see what you were doing while you were there, or who you were with.” In other words, our government is stalking us. As for the argument that only “external data” is being compiled, and therefore not identifying the callers, GIVE ME A BREAK! Anybody who has used a “reverse lookup” on the web knows you can usually identify a person by name and address if you have his or her phone number.

Meanwhile, a Justice Dept. inquiry into the ethics of Justice lawyers involved in the original NSA wiretapping program, was abruptly closed. The inquiry, conducted by the department’s Office of Professional Responsibility (professional & responsibility – two words that are never seen in the company of “George W. Bush”), was stopped because they could not get the security clearance necessary to determine what role Justice Dept. lawyers played in the controversial (and illegal) program.

I have one question: If the Justice department is unable to investigate this program, and the Congress (thanks to goose-stepping, kool-aid drinking Republicans) is unwilling to investigate this program, WHERE IS THE OVERSIGHT of the NSA? Can this agency simply do what it pleases; let the laws and the Constitution be damned? ‘Cause it sure appears that’s what they think.

War on false pretenses. “Faith-based” government. Corporate rights trumping citizen’s rights. Cronyism running rampant. Questionable elections. “Signing statements” to usurp the power of Congress. Government-run gulags. Sanctioned torture. Massive spying on the public. And the hits just keep coming.