...But the Petraeus scandal could well end up teaching some very different lessons. If the most admired military man in a generation can have his e-mail hacked by F.B.I. agents, then none of us are safe from the post-9/11 surveillance machine. And if an affair is all it takes to force such a man from office, then we truly have lost all sense of proportion

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By JOE NOCERA

Published: November 16, 2012

Our civil liberties are under threat and our own government is the one putting those in danger.  Every time you turn around some bureaucratic politician or federal law enforcement official is asking for more power to snoop on the American citizen.  They always have very good altruistic sounding motives but their real motive is control over the American people.  If someone as powerful and knowledgeable as General Petraeus can be hacked and surveyed by our government without a warrant anyone can be. 9/11/01 was the beginning of the end to privacy and civil liberties and the government is never satisfied and always want's more power and control over the people.  In the name of fighting terrorism, safety, and protection our civil liberties are being stamped out right by right.  In a decade or two the Bill of Rights in our Constitution might not be worth the paper there printed on if this continues.  Welcome to America you are now added to the government's centralized databases and will be watched.  Ben Franklin would be rolling in his grave if he knew what was happening in this country.

A.C.M.