Happy Mothers Day!  I enjoyed receiving some wonderful handmade gifts from my two beautiful young sons this morning.  They are the lights of my life.

Many people are calling their mothers today.  Ah, yes...these will be recorded into the largest database in the world...the NSA's log of virtually all calls made through the U.S.  I thought I'd do a quick check on "mother" and "NSA" and see the various stories related to this...there were several!   Here is a short listing of some that were interesting:

• In the Quad City Times, by the Washington Post, "Agency blurring lines on privacy":
  • "Colleen Holmes, a stay-at-home mother in Portland, Ore., reported an exchange with a Verizon Wireless customer agent that illustrated not only the dismay some Americans feel about the newly disclosed domestic surveillance but also the fear of terrorism that, for many, more than justifies the program.  Holmes said she was so angry about reports that the government was collecting telephone calling records on millions of Americans that she called Verizon Wireless to explore canceling her service and switching to Qwest.  “It’s your constitutional right to voice your opinion,” she quoted the customer service agent as having told her. “If you want planes to fly into your building ... ”"

Hmm...interesting customer service!

• In the Decatur Daily, "Administration whittling away at Fourth Amendment":
  • "The theory of "Six Degrees of Separation" holds that any one person can be connected to any other person on the planet by a chain of acquaintances that has no more than four intermediaries. In other words: Somebody you know is familiar with someone else who knows another person who is acquainted with a fifth person who knows an al-Qaida operative. The goal of the government program is to "connect the dots.""

Yes, the NSA records, in conjunction with all the other gathered metadata, can certainly link basically anyone on the planet to anyone else...potentially providing a justification for anyone's phone records, and subsequently other personal information, to be monitored or examined?  Are you really calling Mom today...or someone else...?

• In the Twin Cities Pioneer Press, "Government has your number":
  • "So, when you are talking to your mother today for Mother's Day, the conversation is safe, if you want to look at it that way.  But we have no privacy."

Well, I'm not that skeptical...not convinced we have NO privacy.  We don't have privacy with regard to others knowing who we called and when.  However, there are many forms of privacy.  Not everything about each of us is digitally documented...yet...unless your name is Johnny Mnenomic... :)

• ABC News had some great NSA/Mother's Day funnies:
  • "Bill Maher: There are more calls made on Mother's Day than any other day of the year — or as the NSA calls it, "Our busy season.""

Ah, yes...and now...it's time to go do some laundry...dishes...cleaning...vacuuming...cooking...hey!  Reminds me of a cool tool I found...just in time for Mother's Day; to those of you who are also mothers, enjoy.  :)

The "Mom Salary Wizard"

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