He ain't heavy, he's my (big) brother

Fresh from the Jefferson office raid controversy, U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has stepped back into his fascist uniform by urging telecommunications officials to record their customers' Internet activities for as long as is legally possible.

In a private meeting with industry representatives, Gonzales and other senior members of the Justice Department - as well as FBI Director Robert Mueller - said Internet service providers should retain their users' network data for two years. Soon they could be forced to anyway, with moves to legally mandate data retention by the Bush administration. Currently, many ISPs delete their logs after only a day or two of rotation.

In a speech last month at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Gonzales said ISPs must retain records longer. "I will reach out personally to the CEOs of the leading service providers and to other industry leaders," Gonzales said. "Record retention by Internet service providers consistent with the legitimate privacy rights of Americans is an issue that must be addressed."

Supporters dress the obvious invasion of privacy up by claiming it will help prosecutions of child pornography. Those with a mind of their own see it as just another step towards a national security state, right along with the apparently necessary government wiretapping as well as the Patriot Act.

Gonzales has recently limped from one controversy to another.