If the NSA could *really* find terrorists via VoIP intercepts, it might look like this

On his Rational Rants blog, fellow ZDNet Blogger Mitch Ratcliffe writes a post he calls NSA Eavesdropping: Deep Inefficiency.

"President Bush like to argue for the NSA's warrant-less eavesdropping by saying 'If you're calling al Qaeda, we want to know why,' " Mitch writes. "It was a key argument during the State of the Union address. But now NSA sources are admitting that the program is yielding few or no terrorist connections."

Yes, but what if the program really worked?

Well, on the Huffington Post Contagious Festival, an animated entry entitled Al Qaeda Caller I.D. depicts the results of an apparently successful NSA (National Security Agency) intercept of a VoIP call to Al Queda.

Let's have some fun with this:

The caller I.D. says this overseas call is coming in from Al-Queda.

The phone is picking up. Osama, I presume?

A message is being recorded. Possibly instructions to call this number back and who to ask for.

Our nefarious terrorist has returned, and notices he has missed an incoming call. 

Time to call back and get the deets for the final plans. Dude, where's my car bomb? 

The terrorist is talking to his Al Qaeda task masters. But, as we will find out, someone is listening in... 

From the NSA with love, or in the words of Toby Keith, "brought to you courtesy of the Red, White and Blue." 

I took these grabs from an animation by Edward Current.  He'd love you to pass it on.

Now, let us look for some real terrorists...