...for years critics slammed George W. Bush from both the right and left wing of American politics over the Patriot Act and the response to 9/11 increasing government powers.. Candidate Barack Obama was one of them..

Fast forward to the presidency that began on January 20, 2009.. And fast forward to a story appearing on CNET news .. The meat of the story:

"In that case, the Obama administration has argued that warrantless tracking is permitted because Americans enjoy no "reasonable expectation of privacy" in their--or at least their cell phones'--whereabouts. U.S. Department of Justice lawyers say that "a customer's Fourth Amendment rights are not violated when the phone company reveals to the government its own records" that show where a mobile device placed and received calls"

No reasonable expectation of privacy..? Why isn't there one..? Why should the government be permitted to access cell phone records at their own whims ..?

David McCullagh goes on to write in CNET news,

"Those claims have alarmed the ACLU and other civil liberties groups, which have opposed the Justice Department's request and plan to tell the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia that Americans' privacy deserves more protection and judicial oversight than what the administration has proposed"

This question is not one for parties to disagree on .. as a matter of fact, it's a question for our modern age of technology: What degree of privacy is expected, and to what extent should the government be permitted to 'tread' on that privacy?

Both questions are going to be argued throughout lower courts, maybe even the Supremes will weigh in.. the appointees that Obama makes, if it's Cass, will have a huge impact on this question. If people don't have a reasonable sense of privacy with their cell phones, what about their home phone.. what about their mail .. What about their own mind and thoughts. The green police are on the march according to Audi, maybe Orwell's thought police are coming, too. The most chilling may be Obama's 180 degree turnaround on civil liberties.. chilling and upsetting, but reality. The presidency must change perspectives quickly.