>Back in the 80s I regularly saw those snooping vans parked on German streets. The government was listening in regularly looking for terrorists. The same is not true of Canada? Perhaps because Canada never experienced the same threat?

Oh, I suspect the same DOES go on in Canada, a-la-mode of "snooping vans" or their equivalent.
And I do know that we have official legal ways for security agencies or police to wire-tap and possibly open mail.

But here we have had not a single indication of anyone in government going "overboard" in interpreting the laws such that they can go ahead now and get authorization later. We have not been made aware of any general listening to phone calls (like yours from/to certian countries) or internet traffic reviewing going on.
Here we have laws against the government collecting "personal information" (as you do, probably stronger, in the U.S.) but I am relatively confident that our officials do not employ out-of-the-box MBA-style thinking to permit them to buy (and keep on file) - as opposed to "collect" - personal information.

We do have another thing here that amounts to being able to be 'snatched off the street'. It's called a "Security Certificate". But it has provisions that make them a LITTLE more tolerable, like
- they have to be approved on an individual basis by a Cabinet member;
- They have to be reviewed by the Cabinet as a whole within a certian period;
- They require that family be informed and that legal counsel be informed immediately (though it is true that no reason whatsoever need be given other than "under a Security Certificate").

Canada is by no means perfect when it comes to "freedoms". But I do think we are miles ahead of the U.S. generally, especially since 9/11.


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>>>>Well, if you can tell me any "freedom" which you have and we don't, I will throw in 2 "freedoms" we have and you don't for each you povide.
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>>>I am not fluent in Norwegian culture, but could you list some freedoms you have that we don't?
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>>I can tell you a couple of thing that you have there that make me cringe...
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>>1) Using "the mail" (and I think it includes telephone and other over-the-wire services) as any part of anything found to be criminal can lead to Federal involvement and big fat juicy sentences. Which I bet also leads to there being sanctioned FBI (or other) access to your mail, including opening it.
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>>2) Credit scores are way too integrated into daily life there. A change in your score (you are not even advised that it has changed, you have to go look for yourself) can result automatically in higher credit card interest rates or force higher loan rates. It can be used by potential employers as a job screening device. I bet that by now boy friends and girl friends check out each other's scores as a matter of course.
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>>Not to mention the "Patriot Act". It has provisions (we have a similar act here, by the way, but I believe our administrators who use it are not as paranoid as yours) that over-zealous administrators have already proven lets them go wayyyy overboard without breaking that law.
>>It also lets people be taken right off the street (apparently in foreign countries too) and stored away without benefit of representation or even informing families.