NSA - Data Mining - Poindexter's Information Awareness Redux?

Wikipedia on the public opposition of John Poindexter's now defunct Total Information Awareness program:

Extensive criticism of the IAO in the traditional media and on the Internet has come from both the left and the right -- from civil libertarians and libertarians -- who believe that massive information aggregation and analysis technologies lead to a form of dataveillance that can threaten individual liberties. To some, these developments are seen as another step down the slippery slope to a totalitarian state. (Emphasis added). Others believe that development of these technologies is inevitable and that designing systems and policies to control their use is a more effective strategy than simple opposition that has resulted in research and development projects migrating into classified programs.

The NSA program reaches into homes and businesses across the nation by amassing information about the calls of ordinary Americans — most of whom aren't suspected of any crime. This program does not involve the NSA listening to or recording conversations. But the spy agency is using the data to analyze calling patterns in an effort to detect terrorist activity, sources said in separate interviews. Sound familiar?

The point is this: The Defense Department’s Total Information Awareness Program, sought to gather a “lifetime paper trail” of all citizens and centralize the information on a giant database. Although Congress stopped funding for this program in 2003, the signature of Poindexter's TIAO is on this latest NSA revelation. We all know that Poindexter has been creative in the past in funding projects that Congress rejected (Iran-Contra for example). The former National Security Advisor under Ronald Reagan was convicted of conspiracy, lying to congress, destroying evidence in the Iran Contra scandal, and defrauding America.


The revelation by USA Today regarding the NSA secretly collecting the phone call records of MILLIONS of American citizens has once again brought the NSA Wiretapping issue to the forefront. President Bush rushed to quell any furor over this supposed "leak", today. He claims that everything the NSA is doing is legal. That in fact the government does not listen to domestic phone calls without court approval. he also said that no data mining was taking place. My first question is this: Why the heck should we believe the President NOW? When has he ever been truthful with the American People?

I have no doubt that convicted felon, John Poindexter is behind the scenes conducting these clandestine NSA spying operations. It seems the Bush Administration is very comfortable with convicted felons in their midst. The last five and a half years have given us a clearer picture as to WHY they are there.