I wonder if this is part of the funding for the military...we, the taxpayers, pay for the military to be invited to spy on us. We pay hard-earned tax money to lose our freedom. Perhaps there might be some questions on the new funding allocation and if it means we should pay for an attack on the Bill of Rights.
The Pentagon has been using a little-known power to obtain banking and credit records of hundreds of Americans and others suspected of terrorism or espionage inside the United States, part of an aggressive expansion by the military into domestic intelligence gathering.
The C.I.A. has also been issuing what are known as national security letters to gain access to financial records from American companies, though it has done so only rarely, intelligence officials say.
Banks, credit card companies and other financial institutions receiving the letters usually have turned over documents voluntarily, allowing investigators to examine the financial assets and transactions of American military personnel and civilians, officials say.
The F.B.I., the lead agency on domestic counterterrorism and espionage, has issued thousands of national security letters since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, provoking criticism and court challenges from civil liberties advocates who see them as unjustified intrusions into Americans’ private lives.
More:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/14/washington/14spy.html?ei=5065&en=d84fecd8f4b5e4cf&ex=1169355600&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print
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