I was not surprised when USA Today broke the story that the Bush Administration has been collecting data on all the telephone calls made by American citizens since shortly after 9/11. Actually not all; one telephone company, Quest, had the guts to stand up to the Federal Government. I wonder how long it will be before the IRS investigates them?

Actually, the interesting story is not that the Bush Administration is collecting data on our phone calls. They have been systematically taking away our personal liberties since 9/11. This is just one more example and I am sure it will not be the last. Of course, it is all done in the name of making us safe.

The interesting story is found in a poll where 60% of those contacted said they did not care if the government was collecting data on them. While I find it surprising that this many people are willing to give up their liberties in the blind hope that this will help the government keep us safe, the distribution is even more interesting. The 60% is not weighted to the left (liberals) or to the right (conservatives). The 60% is in the middle. Liberals think this is bad and conservatives feel this practice is bad; but those in the middle think it is A-OK.

Benjamin Franklin said that those that are willing to give up liberty for safety deserve neither. While I hope there will not be another 9/11, I fear there will be and I do not think we should be willing to give up our personal liberties just on the off-chance it might keep us safe.