Nixonland Revisited?

Any discussion of the NSA secret database containing the phone records of tens of millions of Americans must include a reminder of the following:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for redress of grievances."
-- First Amendment

The Whistleblower Protection Act protects whistle blowers who work for the Federal government, and is enforced by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC).

The Military Whistleblower Protection Act protects whistle blowers in the U.S. military, and is enforced by the Department of Defense Inspector General.

Before the Watergate became famous for "hooker & poker" parties, it was the site associated with the beginning of the end of the Nixon administration. "Watergate" became a defining moment by which all future "gates" would be measured.

"Travelgate" ... "Nannygate" ... even "Hookergate" just didn't seem to measure up to the original "gate" ... Watergate.

Nixon had his enemies list, that included members of the media. It seems the Bush administration has resurrected this ugly ghost from the past.

ABC News reports:

On its blog, The Blotter, ABC News reports that a senior government source has told its reporters that the reporters’ phone calls with sources are being tracked by the U.S. government “to root out confidential sources.”

USA TODAY reports:

Bush has argued that he has far-reaching authority to approve NSA activities under his constitutional role as commander in chief.

Among the controversies over the database, however, is that it was built without court warrants or the approval of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, a panel of federal judges established to issue secret warrants, according to people with direct knowledge of the arrangement.

Some critics questioned whether the administration's warrantless programs violate the Constitution's Fourth Amendment, which bars "unreasonable searches and seizures" and requires warrants for searches, as well as the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that established the secret court.

Anyone not concerned about the actions of the Bush administration should be! According to Benjamin Franklin:

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.