Since Bush's use or abuse, depending on your perspective, of executive powers has been in the news, as if government spying and such on people was something new, I thought a bit of historical questioning of the famous MK-Ultra program might be in order.
This program, highly illegal, consumed as much as 6% of the CIA's budget at times and reportedly was particularly widespread, affecting at one time every major research hospital in the nation. Innocent civilians were kidknapped, tortured and tested without their consent, and this went on for at least 2 decades, but probably longer, and similar programs might still be going on.
Certainly, no one was ever held accountable for MK-Ultra, and the CIA claims to have destroyed it's records in 1972 (without punishment I might add).
Now, considering that a very large and widespread government program, we know existed, devoted itself to testing Americans with mind-control techniques with or without their consent, and did so for at least 25 years, if not longer, why are we surprised that the government has decided to use it's power to spy on suspected terrorists without a court order?
In fact, isn't the Big Lie here that this is all something new?
Btw, ever wonder on the timing of Watergate? Sure let the CIA off the hook for destroying thousands of documents and records of their abducting and torturing and experimenting on thousands of unsuspecting American civilians.
wika link for reference (not saying it is the whole story)
MKUltra - Wikipedia