Re: Verizon Reprieve-Keep Fighting

I don't even know where to begin.

Initially, yes, there is an expectation for privacy on phone calls. The purpose of requiring a warrant for a wiretap is that, exactly.

That said, ever heard of Echelon? The intelligency-gathering international network started in the early-to-mid nineties? Its the mechanism that has been used to gather phone calls for years. Before Bush. During Bush. After Bush. It gathers intelligence, not evidence. It's not going to cause a case against someone for embezzlement or murder or drugs. Because it does not produce admissible evidence. It does, however, collect details of anything of interest. Not unlike the FBI under Hoover. This simply isn't the first time conversations (and, though not mentioned as often, faxes and emails) have been collected.

But beyond how minor the evesdropping issue is, in reality, how naive does Mr. Baca need to be to be concerned about it, but not investigate it, not realize how widespread it is, and to just simply except the single-sentance explaination?

Today, Verizon denied ever giving phone records to bush.

Thats all Mr. Baca needs to be sure of Verizon's integrity? What does he need, by association, to relent on:

fight bush and his policies every second of everyday until we are rid of him

lets get rid of republican congressmen and women who are his mascots

Let's knock off a few republican Senators on election day

If all Mr. Baca needs is a generic, blanket statement to completely reverse his position on what is clearly such an important issue to him, then the same can certainly be arranged on his other points, as well. Unless he's simply that partisan.

Say it ain't so, Jim!