Proof that Government Spying Is Not For Our Protection

The government claims that it is spying on Americans to keep us safe from terror.

Is that true?

Well, let's look at the facts:

• The government's spying on Americans began before 9/11 (confirmed here and here)

• The NSA spied on U.N. diplomats in their deliberations on the Iraq war (so that the U.S. could figure out which countries were against the war and their reasons, to gain an advantage in twisting arms and selling the war)

• The government has been spying on journalists from the New York Times, the Washington Post, and other publications for years

• Some 8 million average Americans are now listed in government threat assessment databases as potentially suspect

As one writer puts it:

"If we know of illegal administration spying on journalists and other non-suspects, and we know of pre-9/11 surveillance, then we for all intents and purposes know that these are not programs designed to fight some foreign terrorists threat."

Of course, the fact that the government heard the hijackers' plans from their own mouths - and yet did nothing to stop them - confirms that the spying was never about protecting us.