While I'm at PBS, their NOVA Program just a few short weeks ago aired a program entitled: THE SPY FACTORY. The entire first part of it was, imnsho, a bunch of the same ol' AlQaeda boogie man lies. But about 40-45 minutes into the program was the BEST part. They showed how telcom data comes from Asia and where it enters the USA, under the surfers off San Louis Obispo, CA.
Then it travels up the coast to a particular AT&T Building in SAN FRANCISCO, located at 611 Folsom Street (611 = a nice mirror inversion of 911, I noticed). Then it goes up to their 7th floor. And this is where the "funny" stuff begins, per the ATT Whistleblower who said he could tell something was not right about how they had done the wires and stuff, and eventually he figured it out that they were "MIRRORING" not only the Asian telcom data (emails, faxes, phone calls, etc.), but they were also mirroring ALL INTERNAL USA telcom data from ALL OF US, doing this on the 7th floor, and then rerouting the MIRRORED copy down to the 6th floor (ehhh, as in 666?) And it is on this floor where the spying of our data is taking place.
They interviewed a lady who works there and has to listen in on American citizens phone calls and she said they feel very very uncomfortable having to do that, etc.
PBS does great graphics. It was a fascinating little part of the program. I was glad I caught it on TV and taped it.
PBS NOVA's
"THE SPY FACTORY"
website:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/spyfactory/
WATCH THE PROGRAM:
...which is one hour, but divided into five "chapters" so it's really only chapters 4 and 5 that were any good; chapter 4 starts with Bush signing away privacy rights via the Patriot Act and it then goes on to the ATT building info:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/spyfactory/program.html