On May 11th, George W. Bush gave a speech that included the following words:

After September 11, I vowed to the American people that our government would do everything within the law to protect them against another terrorist attack.

As part of this effort, I authorized the National Security Agency to intercept the international communications of people with known links to al Qaeda and related terrorist organizations.

In other words, if al Qaeda or their associates are making calls into the United States or out of the United States, we want to know what they’re saying.

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First, our intelligence activities strictly target al Qaeda and their known affiliates. Al Qaeda is our enemy, and we want to know their plans.

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Fourth, the privacy of ordinary Americans is fiercely protected in all our activities. We’re not mining or trolling through the personal lives of millions of innocent Americans. Our efforts are focused on links to al Qaeda and their known affiliates.

Last night on Air America Radio’s Majority Report, host Sam Seder was talking about this blog by ABC investigative reporter, Brian Ross, where Ross mentions that he has been told by a senior federal law enforcement official — in person — that “It’s time for you to get some new cell phones, quick.”

Why?

According to the article, “Other sources have told us that phone calls and contacts by reporters for ABC News, along with the New York Times and the Washington Post, are being examined as part of a widespread CIA leak investigation.”

The CIA is reportedly pretty ticked off that someone leaked the story about its secret prisons in Romania and Poland. How dare someone further illuminate our continuing downward ethical spiral on human rights!

So Bush says we’re only using the records to track Al Qaeda, and here we have the CIA using the records NOT for Al Qaeda, but for surveillance on private citizens. This is exactly why a majority of American object to the NSA obtaining or keeping records of their personal phone calls. If you don’t believe that poll, here’s another, and another.

So who knows what your records will be used for some day? All you need to know is that unless you’re a customer of Qwest Communications, the government does have your phone records. They know who you called, and when, and they know who called you, and when. It’s that last bit that you have little control over. Heaven forbid that someone the government is looking at calls you via a wrong number. You could have the CIA knocking at your door.

Actually, I guess they don’t need to knock at your door… They can just… Call you.