4 Monday, August 13, 2007 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com C be Aicbioan llailu TRAVIS SCHAU Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@umich.edu GARY GRACA EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR IMRAN SYED EDITOR IN CHIEF Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of irther utors. Listening in Congress expands spying and Bush's powers After seven years of trampling on the Constitution with an illegal war, illegal wiretapping, and tor- ture, one would think the last person the Dem- ocratic-controlled Congress would trust with our Bill of Rights would be President Bush. Or at least that's what the KELLYN JACKSON Democrats promised in last year's election. But as Con- gress acquiesced to Bush's demands to expand his admin- istration's use of warrantless wiretaps, they might as well have handed him the Constitution and a black Sharpie. I find myself fascii 4 Faked out 4 nated by The conveniently named Pro- tect America Act, which revises the Foreign Intelligence Act of 1978, was supposed to bring the old law up to speed with the Internet age. Because e-mails are routed through foreign coun- tries, conflicts have arisen about what constitutes a foreign com- munication, and the new law was supposed to fix this confusion. But instead of drawing a clear line, the law basically gives the president free reign to make these decisions as it sees fit. By allowing the executive to forego warrants and intercept any communication where at least one party is "rea- sonably believed" to be from a for- eign country, even petty e-mails between Americans and friends overseas are theoretically subject to government oversight. Worse yet, the only people allowed to decide when the administration is going too far are within the administration itself. The bill doesn't force the execu- tive branch to go to the FISA courts for warrants. This means that a president with a history of lying to the American people, a vice president who lurks behind the scenes and an attorney gen- eral who can't remember what he ate this morning are deciding if you should be tapped. Aside from being a gross viola- tion of the Fourth Amendment, this law is a striking example of the power of American fear. At the heart of this anxiety is Bush's refrain that the terrorists are always plotting to cripple our way of life. Although the government refuses to tell us who it has spied on or even how much intelligence has come from previous spying, we are supposed to trust that the president needs more conversa- tions; more e-mails and more authority to quell terrorism. Ironically, the fight against terrorism has become a bigger threat to American freedoms than the terrorists themselves. Sadly, the only ones able to stop this administration's abuses are the Democrats in Congress, who laid down at the president's first command. Although the bill is set to expire in six months, the 57 Democrats who voted for the hypocritical Protect America Act have already shownthey're just as spineless and immoral as the pres- ident they promised to oppose. The Democrats didn't just for- get the Bill of Rights. They forgot their responsibility to check the president. Perhaps their next act should be to do their jobs. Es not-so-new plastic surgery show, "Dr. 90210" - reality TV's version of "Nip/Tuck." While the show's cosmetic surgeons become famous in front of the camera, the women (and men) they work on become beauti- ful. The most common proce- dure performed on the show to achieve this beauty is augmen- tation mammography, or, more commonly, the boob job. Why? There are only three justifiable reasons I can think of for receiving one of these sur- geries: construction, reduction and reconstruction. Women who have little or no breast tis- sue whatsoever get the proce- dure to feel more feminine. For women who have had mastecto- mies or have been involved in an accident, surgery is necessary to replace what was lost. Lastly, for women whose breasts are large a reduction eases most physical pain and self-consciousness. But these three reasons are rare on the show. Instead, the most frequent scenario is when an already gorgeous woman desires a fuller bust just because. But is it reallyjust because? For some, bigger breasts equal success, both in the bedroom and theboardroom. Alarger bust or deeper cleavage is naturally attractive, but hopefully, it's not the reason he will propose or the reason you'll get a promotion. For others, it is self-esteem (or the lack of it) that drives their desire for new boobs. A new pair has the ability to boost confi- dence and improve self-image. If it is more valuable to invest in oneself intrinsically than to enhance oneself externally, why are women using artificial fatty tissue and milk ducts to garner glances from men and achieve success at work? The answer is simple: Although women have made tremendous progress in the last century, restrictions still exist. These restrictions subtly and psychologically impose upon women the idea that in order to succeed they need to accommo- date the wishes of men. But having the perfect body is unattainable. Humans never seem to have enough. Once they have attained something better they quickly adjust and find themselves wanting more and more. If a woman gets her breasts done she may soon want her neck, lips and tummy tucked too until her body is only worth what she is willing to put into it. On the other hand, if she invests her time, energy and money into improving herself as a person she may fair better in the long run. Things such as literacy, education and career improvement are invaluable. These are the things that should matter more than the cup size. Ifthese "reality" shows con- tinue to perpetuate this image of the perfect woman, we are going to continue to undermine the things that really matter. Kellyn Jackson is an LSA sophomore and a member of the Daily's editorial board. 4 4 LETTERS BLOGS Readers are encouraged Read more up-to-date atmichigandaily.com to submit letters to the opinion at michigandaily. editor. Send letters to com/thepodium tothedaily@umich.edu. Editorial Board Members: Cherri Buijk, Mike Eber, Kellyn Jackson, Jennifer Sussex, Kate Truesdell, Radhika Upadhyaya a