Big Brother To Police Itself?

A couple of years ago, the White House established a civil liberties protection board.

It's never met.

Says it all, no? Well now it may actually meet, but what (if anything) will actually be done is questionable...

Newsweek: Watchdog: What Ever Happened to the Civil Liberties Board?

For more than a year, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board has been the most invisible office in the White House. Created by Congress in December 2004 as a result of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, the board has never hired a staff or even held a meeting. Next week, NEWSWEEK has learned, that is due to finally change when the board's five members are slated to be sworn in at the White House and convene their first session. Board members tell NEWSWEEK the panel intends to immediately tackle contentious issues like the president's domestic wiretapping program, the Patriot Act and Pentagon data mining. But critics are furious the process has taken this long—and question whether the White House intends to treat the panel as anything more than window dressing...

And for an Orwellian look into the future, see this brilliant ACLU ad.

And tomorrow is a day of reckoning for this scandal. Details:
-Wiretapping Vote Expected on Tuesday-
Senate Intelligence Committee to Consider Whether It Will Investigate Domestic Spying Program (ABC News)

-One day left for the White House to squash an investigation (Glenn Greenwald)