How Far Will The Government Under Bush Go?

Okay, I know I've been saying some things that could be considered politically stupid (to SOME people) but, I just read the following story, and felt the need to post a copy of it here. I came off of CBS2.com's news site.
You say "it could never happen here," huh?

It can and it is.

So, here's the story. Before you pooh-pooh it as some liberal bias of mine, just know that as a certain Vulcan once said, "I do not invent the legend. I merely report it."

Scientists Fight Background Checks Ordered By Bush
(CBS) LOS ANGELES Twenty-eight senior scientists and engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging what they call the federal government's invasive background checks into their personal lives, including their sexual orientations.

At issue is a 2004 executive order signed by President Bush requiring federal agencies and facilities to institute an identification badge.

The plaintiffs -- all long-term California Institute of Technology employees -- allege the Bush administration is requiring them to consent to broad written waivers permitting investigators to obtain records from their past employment files.

Investigators will also be allowed to question the employees’ friends and associates about their emotional and financial well-being, as well as their sexual histories, according to Dan Stormer, one of their attorneys.

"They're being required to give up every personal record they have," Stormer said. "It's just a despicable incursion into constitutionally protected rights."

The lawsuit seeks a preliminary injunction against implementing the background checks.

The JPL scientists and engineers, some of whom worked on the recent space probe sent to Mars, are not employed by the federal government, Stormer said. They have been informed they must comply with the background checks by Sept. 28 or lose their jobs a month later, he said.

Named as defendants in the lawsuit are NASA, the U.S. Department of Commerce and Caltech, which manages JPL for NASA. The Commerce Department contracts with Caltech for various services.

Stormer said in an interview that he is very confident the injunction will be granted, adding the background checks were "part of the Bush administration's assault on the Constitution."

Caltech officials did not immediately comment on the action.


(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. )

So, there you have it.

And, as a good journalist, I felt compelled to report it. That's part of what keeps America free, at least in theory. A free press, that brings a healthy skepticism and a powerful magnifying glass onto ALL governments, of all parties.
I am not profiting by this re-post. The story is the property of CBS, they own the copyright. No copyright infringement is intended or inferred on my part.
Just trying to help focus our attention on our "government" in the spirit of a free press.