#689 Universal Unconnectivity

Private enterprise to the rescue again. Read an interesting article the other day. And it seems that all the constitutional rights activists that were worried about illegal wiretapping can rest easy. Turns out the feds are their own worst enemy.
Am I surprised?
After a couple of lawsuits, some dithering, posturing, and ultimately caving in by congress when the Bush administration waggled the fear of terrorist bugaboo, the possibly illegal wiretapping seemed as if it could go on pretty much unrestricted forever.
Then the telephone companies got into the act. And started cutting off Uncle Sam’s ear. Or he cut off his own, possibly to spite his face or something.
The Washington Post reports that telecommunications companies are shutting down FBI wiretaps of suspects because of the FBI’s chronic (italics mine) failure to pay its phone bills on time. This was found by a Justice Department audit. Apparently, one field office owes about 66,000 smackers.
This is bad on so many levels.
First, how’s it gonna look to the kids? Efram Zimbalist Junior must be turning over in his grave. The FBI not pay its bills?
G-Men at war with repo-men?
All that’s good and right and trustworthy welching on a debt? I’m sorry. My image of the nation’s top law enforcement agency just doesn’t ring as true.
Second, are they not paying because they don’t have the budget? One of those unfunded mandate deals? Told by Homeland Security to catch the terrorists and then not given the wherewithal to do so?
What happened to all the cost savings from consolidation we heard about around Patriot Act time? What happened to the new efficiencies supposed to be part of the deal to make sure a terrorist attack couldn’t happen again?
Oh, that’s right. The money’s being used to intercept golf clubs and fingernail clippers at the airport.
Nothing guaranteed to drive fear into the hearts of flight attendants more than the threat of immediate damage to their French manicures by highjacking terrorists ready to snip.
So. What do you want to bet the federal universal connectivity charge on our phone bills goes up soon?
America, ya gotta love it.