re: Brace for hysteria
Rich Noyes comments on that here, and makes a good point:
Today’s article does not allege that any calls are listened in on. Indeed, as USA Today describes it, the program seems like a thoroughly innocuous database of the same information that appears on your phone bill, but with your name, address and other personal information removed. Given that another government agency — the IRS — maintains information on American citizens’ employment, banking, investments, mortgages, charitable contributions and even any declared medical expenses, this hardly seems like a major assault on personal liberty.
We already have plenty of precedent for abuse of IRS records by politicians. I don't see anyone losing sleep over having these filed in computers.