Do you have privacy over phone calls and/or e-mail?

Although most people would think Big Brother is always there, the real answer may not be that straight forward, at least before George W became President.

So what's the big deal so far? The government can essentially listen to all your phone calls and e-mails whenever they want anyway already?

The difference is that they were doing it while breaking the law and now they can do whatever they want without any oversight.

The NY Times has an editorial on this issue, which can be found here.

Some excerpts:

"It’s not that FISA makes it too hard; the court approves virtually every warrant request. It’s not an issue of speed. The law allows the government to initiate surveillance and get a warrant later if necessary.

"Instead of answering these questions, the administration has done its best to ensure that everyone stays confused. It has refused repeated requests by Senator Jay Rockefeller, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, for documents relating to the president’s order creating the spying program, and the Justice Department’s legal justifications for it."
"If Congress once again allows itself to be cowed by Mr. Bush’s fear-mongering, it must accept responsibility for undermining the democratic values that separate this nation from the terrorists that Mr. Bush claims to be fighting."