Deserving neither

Billmon has two substantial posts on the surveillance state in which we live. In the second, he quotes a Pew pollster's assessment about the public's acceptance of this situation:

"A solid plurality, around 50 percent" continues to say they would rather the government went too far in restricting civil liberties than not going far enough in protecting the country.

That's pretty sad by itself. But even more maddening is that the Cheney-Bush regime's actions have nothing to do with protecting the country.

Update May 15: And the proof of that isn't long in coming... Brian Ross and Richard Esposito report:

A senior federal law enforcement official tells ABC News the government is tracking the phone numbers we call in an effort to root out confidential sources.

"It's time for you to get some new cell phones, quick," the source told us in an in-person conversation.