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I do see this along the same lines as the illegal domestic wiretapping issue that was and is still a huge problem that has yet to be resolved. The Constitution, as we all know, outlines what the government can do, and the Bill of Rights makes sure that the government knows what it cannot do. The Bill of Rights has been interpreted to include the right to privacy (in Amendments 9 & 10). Whether or not the access to AT&T records is directly harmful I cannot say. It could be very harmful to some people, but it's not likely going to ruin any lives directly. Of course, that can't always be the issue. Most illegal searches are little more than a neusence. When a police officer illegally went through my car back in high school, he didn't find any drugs or weapons. All he found was an empty taco bell bag and some gum. All he did was waste a few minutes of my time. The problem with something like this is precedent. While it was not directly harmful to me for him to invade my car illegally, it sets a precedent for the next time he wants to go through someone's car, or someone's house. I see this as "give them an inch, and they'll take a mile" in a way, because that's been happening for a while. Tha last big thing was the need for security. 9/11 scared the living shit out of people, so we asked for security. Unfortunatelly, we now have legal racial profiling, phone taps, being detained without trial, a war that seemingly will have no end, media bias, and a slew of other problems, and none of them are even bearing fruit.
If the US government can look at my phone conversations without me knowing it, what else can they do without me knowing it? Am I on a terrorist list? I probably am because of my other big post about 9/11. How do I ever know?
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