Battleangel

As it turns out, the US government has been secretly tapping bank records and transfers of American and foreign citizens.

The Bush administration, relying on a presidential declaration of emergency, has secretly been tapping into a vast global database of confidential financial transactions for nearly five years, according to U.S. government and industry officials.

Initiated shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, the surveillance program has used a broad new interpretation of the Treasury Department’s administrative powers to bypass traditional banking privacy protections. It has swept in large volumes of international money transfers, including many made by U.S. citizens and residents, in an effort to track the locations, identities and activities of suspected terrorists.

And by shortly they of course mean practically the morning after, since the entire plot had already been scripted and needed but an equally scripted rationale. Because the program was “robust” and “on rock-solid legal ground” they government essentially says “trust us” and doesn’t disclose the existence of the program for five years. As the apologists for these sweeping and deceitful measures often say, “only a criminal would worry / care / fear …”, well if that is so, why all this cloak-and-dagger? Plus, a real “terrorist” would know better than to use money transfers.