The problem with lying is the fear of someone eventually finding out about it. And with a White House as deceitful as Dubya’s, it only takes one reporter to make that nightmare come true. With that in mind, the Justice Department has instructed the FBI to step up their spying on journalists so that leaks can be plugged before anything embarrassing gets out.

According to one of those said leaks, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has put together a plan to have the FBI increase wiretaps, communication intercepts and monitoring of the daily activities of reporters as part of the Republican policy of eradicating freedom and privacy. Even more disturbing is that the FBI has turned to third-party contractors to ease their workload and create a break in trails that could lead back to the White House. Arrangements include trading info with U.S. data brokers, who then sell the FBI-obtained information for their own profit.

Among those concerned with the new paranoia is the American Bar Association, who feel there isn’t enough policing of the government to prevent abuse and constitutional violations.

» Scott Saxon