. . . is not negotiable. The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America cannot be suspended by the ruling of any court or by the executive order of any President, however much you love the taste of his ass when you lick it.
These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated.
— Thomas Paine, 1776
You are laboring under a misconception here, which is that the dialed number data that’s being accessed is your property. According to the law as it currently stands telephone records are the property of the telephone company, not the people who make the calls. This was determined in Supreme Court rulings over 30 years ago. If you believe the Constitution and the law as it currently stands will protect that information then you’re deluded. If you want to increase the sphere of privacy you’re going to have to change the law. It’s not as if that’s impossible; European countries give a much wider sphere of protection over personal information. Calling Obama names and making hysterical doomsday pronouncements doesn’t change the law. You’re not going to get what you want by waving the Constitution around or even going to the courts. You’re going to have to engage in political activity and enlist the support of the majority.
I will tell you though, if government agents were actually found to be reading encrypted e-mail without a warrant then there would be a shitstorm. A huge amount of business is being done by e-mail today. In the law firm where I work at least 90% of the correspondence is by e-mail.
You’re really reaching, Robert. I don’t own my home, I rent it, but the owners of the property can’t give the police permission to search it without a warrant. Even Obama feels the need to get a secret “warrant” to seize and search my phone records — though I can assure you he did not have probable cause to do so, as he was obliged to have under the Constitution.
Those who do not understand how to “govern” should not be doing so. His idea that because he is president he can circumvent everything is arrogant beyond belief.
Even if he’s acting with the best of intentions, he’s wrong.
Couldn’t agree more.