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In reply to the discussion: White House Defends NSA Collection Of Phone Records [View all]JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom of assembly are all implicated.
If you know that your government keeps or gathers information on who you call, that chills your freedom of assembly. How can independent people organize meetings or assemblies, whether political or religious or simply romantic rendez-vous without fear, without checking who they call or what they say if the government is permitted to track the calls or worse yet listen in if it wishes?
We have no freedom at all if we don't have freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom of assembly.
Tracking our phone calls is the end of our most basic freedoms.
And just what percentage of us are terrorists?
Think of how a Nixon-type (and who knows how many of those we have had since Nixon) could use that information against people who organized a campaign or had information that would stop his re-election?
Can't the Supreme Court figure that one out? And can't the Obama administration understand it?
Maybe we should go on strike and refuse to make any calls for any reason for a day or two? Maybe we should silence the internet for a day or two? Or maybe we should all get on the phone and call absurd numbers over and over for a few days? How about the local zoo? Or your husband's or wife's phone when you have unlimited calling? What if many, many
Americans just left their phones off the hook over and over? Just overwhelm their stupid spying apparatus. Would that even be possible? Would it be somehow illegal? Is my even suggesting it maybe illegal? I have no idea in this day of nosy, repressive government.