Smelling the Sweaty Armpit of Big Brother.

I just read that the American Senate has voted in favour of allowing the NSA to monitor everybody’s private phone calls. Supporters say that it’s a useful tool in the fight against terrorism, and must continue in order to keep Americans safe.

Well, maybe it is, but it raises two questions:

1) What else are they using it for, or what else might they use it for if and when it suits political or military exigencies?

2) How far should Americans allow their privacy to be invaded in the fight against the bad guys? Will it one day come to the point at which every room in every private dwelling will be fitted with audio and visual monitoring equipment, so the intelligence services can see what everybody is doing while they’re at home. Will it one day come to the point at which everybody will be electronically tagged at birth, so the security forces can know where everybody is at any given time? No, of course not. I’m being ridiculous, aren’t I? Paranoid, even. Am I? The fundamental question is this: what is the right point at which to draw the line, and who is qualified to make the decision?