In 2001, when the Patriot Act passed, I assumed privacy died.
and I'm not that smart. So why is the punditry at large and the righter side of Americana so shocked, SHOCKED! I say, that all this spying is going on? Oh, I'm sorry. Information gathering.
The right to spy a little bit is a delusional idea. As soon as the ink was dry on the paper our privacy rights were gone. Anyone in Congress, the White House, FBI, NSA, or Homeland Security (that name still sounds totalitarian to me) can request information about us and get it as long as that magic work Terrorism! is used to justify the intrusion. And more Americans than I'd like to admit think it's okay because it keeps us "safe".
In my most pessimistic moments, I think the terror knocking at the door is less threatening than the surveillance state we have allowed in our house.