The Fourth Amendment is Our Friend

All of us on the sane side of the blogosphere have been worried by the news about Pres. Bush authorizing the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans' international phone calls and e-mail communications without a warrant. The latest news is that the NSA's net is much wider than was thought: They are basically monitoring the international communications of all Americans, not just those suspected of having connections to Al Qaeda.

But John at AMERICAblog has found reason for hope, and even an end to our fears. The NSA website tells us why we should feel confident that the NSA does not violate our constitutional rights:

Americans expect NSA to conduct its missions within the law. But given the inherently secret nature of those missions, how can Americans be sure that the Agency does not invade their privacy?

The 4th Amendment of the Constitution demands it... oversight committees within all three branches of the U.S. government ensure it... and NSA employees, as U.S. citizens, have a vested interest in upholding it. Respecting the law is only a part of gaining Americans' trust.

I don't know about you guys, but I feel an enormous sense of relief. They are the government. I trust them.