To those who say "if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to worry about" It's not about hiding anything, it's about protecting our privacy. If we give the Govt. the right to do this, what's next? Pretty soon they'll want to install video cameras in each of our houses to make sure we're not constructing bombs. Would you say the same thing then? If so, move to a dictatorship so that reasonable people like myself can maintain our democracy and our rights.

During World War II, Dutch citizens had to keep their window curtains open to the world at night, to demonstrate that no secret meetings or other activities the Nazis wouldn't like were going on. It it STILL their custom to do so. Paranoia does not wear off easily.

"Through history, tyranny has not always foamed at the mouth. In the beginning, it often wears an earnest, sincere face. Eventually, though, it begins to harp incessantly about threats and enemies; it comes to treat dissent as treason, and civil libirty as an unwise luxury.

"Our nation's founders had lived through such a sequence of tyranny. That's why they were at pains to fashion elaborate checks on the chief executive's power; they saw power's innate tendency to view whatever it wants to do as just, necessary, and subject to no outside control."

"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
--Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759

I don't want the money spent on this method if it does not work. Put in the system for a small test immediately. Start with the executive branch and see if all messages are available for Congress to review or whether some messages disappear. If they disappear, then Congress should not approve the money for a system for everyone not in the White House.

Problem with all this, all that, and the other is pointless. I think the meat of this article is, once again, ABC IS GIVING OUT SECRET INFORMATION IN ORDER TO GARNER RATINGS.

That's all this is. I got no problem with my phone records being reviewed, kept by a law inforcement agancy. I take issue to a news orgaization making the determination to release "Secrets" for the sake of ratings.

Actually thats its not true that if your innocent oyu have nothing to hide. Thats a fallacy that many in the former soviet empire found out the hard way. Thats not to mention those that had the hand of the stasi or the nazis before them. We have become complacent, but the fact remains that the government is not always a benificient entity.

Perhaps german ancestry becomes illegal today, or being a relative of a former nazi becomes a death penalty offense, perhaps your child recevices a random spam email from an al qaida linked group. They could round you up for being associated with those groups. They could wisk you to gitmo or any other black site, and noone in your family, or normal government would have any knowledge of it.

Privacy is a primary right. The government has no need to look into the records, communications, or intentions of free citizens. We have documented, repeated proof, that once that pillar of freedom is broken down, the rest are soon to follow.

another reason to fear this is ot look at the government that we just toppled in iraq. Saddham used similar tactics to find his political rivals. One day your talking bad about bush.. or your talking him up to someone in your family.. perhaps the opposition feels that they need to eliminate a few key votes in your area and decide to have you shot.

Far fetched.. sure.. but its happenned in other countries, and I would put it past the fanatics of bush/cheney character to do something along those lines. Maybe they wouldnt have you shot, but having all your credit cards denied and your bank refinance your mortgage to a not so friendly rate would get the point across.

privacy is a tool to keep the government from abusing its powers over its citizenry. We must keep it intact.

To those who say "Who cares if they keep my info" I have a few words for you. You think you are safe and that you do not pose a threat with your activities. Since they have your info, the moment you oppose anything that the "government" want to pass, it is too easy to use anything against you...even modified information. It is another civil liberty that is removed from my children's rights, and one day when you wake up you will find you have no rights. Period, end of story. You pay your taxes, you vote, you are a good American, but if you do not "live up to" their idea of what they want our country to be, you are now the enemy. Your ignorance and your lack of action will cost ALL OF US our country.

The ntent of the database is to skirt the law. Doesn't matter if DoJ or contractors manage it: Same illegal acdtivity.

Shut down DoJ Funding. Zero-out their budget.

Nothing to worry about if there's nothing to hide???

Bush believes he can lockup anyone-
Don't like the war, don't like his immigration plans, maybe your child was left behind, maybe you're a democrat! Look out! You could wake up on the wrong end of Cuba!

I wonder if those who claim they have nothing to hide goes to the bathroom with the door open? changes their tampons with one leg hiked on a restaurant chair? and has hot monkey love on playgrounds in the middle of the day? I bet they have some things they would prefer to "hide."

Get Congress together on impeaching Bush and Cheney. Call Bush and tell him adios.

next it will be our right to own and bear arms so that we will not be able to stop the tyranny of our government

The far right Constitution haters are dancing in the streets.

I am a standing declarant for an organization in a lawsuit against a government agency. Many people thought I should not take such action, many people declined to take such a position, out of fear we would be put on a "list". Maybe I will, maybe I won't but if people are afraid that they will be spied on or put on "a list" such spying or lists do not even have to be real for them to be effective.

To this story one must understand...there is no true privacy as I have learned on this land...this is why the saying has been"if you can't say anything nice don't say it" my friend...we are humane but to much has gotten out of control...so we loose our right for good and bad, evil looms in every humane...but discipline, and good teaching doesn't always correct itself, we have become so overly smart we can't even tell who is real and who is not...we are in a race war, a religion war, a culture war, and a overseas war...why! I once relied on the Detective, and the Spy for good intent on thy brother, but when its to shift power for another, I do not believe that this populus who breeds...is so powerful that we don't see, but we have Leaders, followers, and hired help to each of corporations to be the best...why is it that none of us can put our heads together and come to the table with ego's left outside the door, take your shoes off before crossing the floor, and do like the Japenes, bow your head, speak civilly or this America will loose what we hope for in the aftermath of our Men and Women so far from home.....Drugs, Sex, Corruption at best, it begins in the minds of men...The soldiers who are at home bring this to the forefront so we will know...will it change our votes to come, if we do not wake up there will be nothing left to hold on too, this is just a request. Apache

To those who have nothing to hide and say this sort of intrusion is necessary to maintain our security, I remind you that we are free and have our civil liberties not because everything was OK, but because we declared it so, and took those rights. We learned about that in elementary school.

Since it is our government's job to do whatever we tell it, I am asking it to keep me safe without taking away the rights upon which our country was founded in the first place. To those who are too afraid, you need to buck up--not me.

Gee, and none of us saw that coming. I mean, it isn't like it's the new standard operating procedure or anything, is it?

What's that again about fascism being the merging of government and business?

Looks like good old nanny government is up to her unethical violations of our civil liberties again. All in the name of Homeland Security...