Wanna Call Me Paranoid Now?

So, the big telecoms were helping Big Brother Bush monitor American citizens. Anyone rolling their eyes and crying, "tinfoil hat" at those worried about privacy, inappropriate government surveillance, and well, the constitution, can now, very appropriately, STFU. From the NYTimes:

“Under the president’s program, the terrorist surveillance program, the private sector had assisted us, because if you’re going to get access, you’ve got to have a partner,” Mr. McConnell [director of national intelligence] said in the interview, a transcript of which was posted by The El Paso Times on Wednesday.

AT&T and several other major carriers are being sued over their reported role in the program, which permitted eavesdropping without warrants on the international communications of Americans suspected of terrorism ties. The administration has sought to shut down the lawsuits by invoking the state-secrets privilege, refusing even to confirm whether the companies helped conduct the wiretaps.