HEROIC WHISTLEBLOWER URGES TECH INDUSTRY TO PROTECT CITIZENS
Speaking from Russia – but framed by an image of the United States Constitution – former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden addressed thousands of technology leaders at the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas this week.
The appearance of Snowden – whose heroic exposure of the NSA’s domestic spying network made him America’s No. 1 most wanted fugitive – was rebuked by several U.S. Congressmen. In fact one of them – U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo of Kansas – urged SXSW not to permit him to speak, arguing that Snowden’s “only apparent qualification … is his willingness to steal from his own government and then flee to that beacon of First Amendment freedoms, the Russia of Vladimir Putin.”
Wait … what?
First of all, government is the thief here – stealing our information and our liberties with neither permission nor justification. And as for the irony of Snowden being forced to camp out in Russia, perhaps Pompeo should consider what happened to America’s “beacon” of freedom before attacking Putin’s.
Anyway …
Snowden used his rare public remarks to encourage technology firms to enhance consumer protection.
“I would say South by Southwest and the technology community – the people who are in Austin right now – they’re the folks who can really fix things, who can enforce our rights through technical standards even when Congress hasn’t yet gotten to the point of creating legislation to protect our rights in the same manner,” he said.
“You guys who are in the room now are all the firefighters,” Snowden added. “And we need you to help fix this.”
Snowden said gadget-makers, app-writers, operating system inventors and other technology innovators needed to build on the progress being made with regard to data encryption technology – in which plain text data exchanges are encoded using an encryption key and then deciphered by authorized users using secret decryption keys.
“The bottom line … is that encryption does work,” he said.
And assuming encryption technology continues to make what Snowden termed “a lot of progress,” it could eventually render government mass surveillance activities too expensive and time consuming to conduct.
Speaking of encryption, precautions were clearly taken to protect Snowden – who according to event organizers used seven “proxy servers” to disguise his location. The result was a slow, often garbled or distorted audio feed – and a video feed that frequently froze mid-sentence as Snowden was speaking.
But the message was clear … America’s foremost advocate for individual liberty has no regrets.
“Would I do it again? Absolutely. Regardless of what happens to me, this is something we had a right to know,” Snowden said. “”I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution. And I saw the Constitution was being violated on a massive scale.”
Amen …
“They’re setting fire to the future of the Internet,” Snowden said of his former employer, the NSA. “We need public advocates. We need public oversight. Some way (to have) trusted figures, sort of civil rights champions to advocate for us, to protect the structure. How do we fix our oversight? How do we structure an oversight model that works? The key factor is accountability.”
Indeed …
However if hypocritical “national security” liberals and war-mongering “neoconservatives” only pay lip service to this issue … there will be little “accountability” to be had.
Which means more radical measures will be required.
To watch Snowden’s remarks in their entirety, click on the video below …
(Click to play)
What do you think of Snowden? Vote in our poll and post your thoughts in our comments section below …
160 comments
The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Thomas Jefferson
If you’re not using encryption today – you have nothing to hide.
If you have anything you don’t want people who have no business knowing it, to know, use encryption. Otherwise, you’re an idiot. – Euwe Max.
This right winger thinks he is a hero, flawed, but a hero nonetheless.
The biggest crime of our generation is the willingness to give over our privacy to the Feds and big business.
” If you’re not using encryption today”
Example of unbreakable encryption—-
Give the rigmarole to the clangery-whang if they care for such fiddlededee – but the thingumbob kiss of whangeery-bang keeps the higglede-piggle for me.
I am *not* that opaque!
Pretty good, huh?
Here’s the simple replacement key to my previously opaque message – tell no one I’ve set your feet on the path.
http://www.asciitable.com/index/asciifull.gif
Ok, Max — you win!
A new car?
President Obama will protect us from the NSA. You just have to believe.
http://i.huffpost.com/gadgets/slideshows/266290/slide_266290_1813659_free.gif?1354114715764
It is disheartening that the currently displayed poll numbers indicate only 11 votes that Snowden is a hero and 18 that he is a traitor. My guess is that those who voted him as a traitor are themselves quite willing to go against our Constitution and the protections it is supposed to afford citizens, or at least support those who do.
Mr Snowden, you have this citizen’s gratitude for what you have done and the privations you will endure for doing it.
Fans of Lindsey Olin Graham, a closet homosexual.
He’s not a homosexual, he’s just not into women… he still brown bags it.. probably gets tripped by the other senators.
Interesting this pathetic post remains at the top when more recent posts have been added (i.e. mine, which are not even showing?)
I see your posts.. don’t get your panties in a wad… you’re not being ignored, you’re being marginalized.
If you’re talking about Mucinex being at the top – he got 15 people (myself included) to recommend his post for content by writing something original, thought provoking and/or entertaining.
Invest more time in your messages, and perhaps you’ll get into the slime light with the rest of us useless, sophomoric dumbasses.
Ha – interesting you can “see” them, but no one else can. I suppose being “marginalized” means suppressing free speech? Hmmm…I thought this sight was opposed to that?
Everyone else can see them too.. If you want to see if they’re really there, log out of disqus, and come back to the site, and you will be able to see them then.
Disqus has plenty of bugs, but one of them isn’t censoring you.
(and it’s “site” not “sight”)
I did just that – logged out and back again. My original comment, including link where RT anchor resigns online is in the abyss (sp?). My comment STILL is not here. No where I can find it? I am a home school mom via SCVCS, who has been reviewing “sight” cards all morning. But…hey glad to know the spelling police are about – I’ll be sure to proof articles and posts ;)
Listen more carefully.. I said log out and come back here to read your messages.. .not log out and log back in. Try again.
And let me help you out here… NEVER tell people the truth about your job, your sex, your pastimes, your family, homeschooling your dates – NOTHING… unless you can grow the appropriate thickness of skin to absorb the hate from the unfriendly posters.. it can hurt at first. You don’t have to lie, but you don’t have to tell anyone the details about you.
I don’t need internet advice from you or anyone else. I realize what is on the internet, stays on the internet (i.e.let me spell it out for you – it’s always there, no erasing and always available).
I am not insulted by you, that would mean I care – I don’t even know you, why would I care? Or do I (know you).
I admit to my weaknesses, when I type to the teacher I often use “site” vs. “sight” – there is nothing in my msg that might imply who I am other than my name. Anyone in politics already knows who I am. Good luck with that – it was a great diversion from core topic.
Snowden is still a traitor.
a traitor to what? The truth? The Democrats? The Republicans? The Pentagon? The CIA????
Who’s ox was gored? The public’s?
I don’t remember giving them permission…. did you?
And I wasn’t saying you needed internet advice – I offered my services – think of me like a homeless bum spitting on your windshield and cleaning it off with a newspaper for free.
To his family – America. I think we all (your audience) have a certain amount of loyalty to America, after all that is the county we live in. I would NEVER sell out my country regardless of political affiliation, country associations or anything else associated with America. I am proud to be an American and will never apologize for patriotism.
Charity starts at home, we care for each other and NEVER sell out. We are bound to each other and share common goals. Yes, liberty/freedom is a big one, but with liberty comes responsibility – Snowden was irresponsible.
Permission? Sure we did. There was a time that the president was a custodian of the country and IMNSHO that changed with I “think” Wilson, the first “permanent” income tax implemented. We shifted from POTUS being a custodian to a leader/director. Obama is the first to truly capitalize in a way that American people realize the freedoms we have given up.Those freedoms were given up long ago, we are just feeling the pain because someone was smart enough to exploit it.
Thanks spelling police/ “homeless bum” – it has been entertaining. ;)
I think we all (your audience) have a certain amount of loyalty to America, after all that is the county we live in.
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and the ideals for which it stands. How can we venerate Solzhenitsyn, and condemn Snowden?
You would compare America with Russia? Try living there for a while and then let’s talk ;)
IF you would post my video … HUGE difference in America and Russia.
Name ONE country you would rather live in. If you can name one, what is preventing you?
I’m loving this conversation, I’m sure many have noticed the number of people voting in the poll (not sure if they can vote more than once?), but that number keeps creeping up….
Jingoism is a monster whose blood is warmed by fuzzy thinking and “us vs them.”
Only a fool believes otherwise. I wore pink (even lighter than rose) colored lenses for years. I also found the “I” in team – dang it was right in front of my face the whole time. The question is, whose lies do you choose to believe?
whose lies do you choose to believe?
——–
Personally? God’s. If He’s lying, or doesn’t exist or whatever… I prefer the God Jesus spoke about… .His lies.
God never lied – we have no proof he ever even spoke. As for Jesus, what about the missing years? Talk about shifting topics – classic.
Personally I prefer to use the tool God gave me to discern right from wrong. I understand we have a difference of opinion, have enjoyed the volley. Peace be with you.
God never lied – we have no proof he ever even spoke.
——
speak for yourself white man.
As for Jesus, what about the missing years?
—–
Didn’t you notice how I put it? I said “I prefer the God Jesus spoke about” – that’s pretty fucking specific.
Talk about shifting topics – classic.
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I’m just explaining which lies I choose to believe. It is right on the thread you created.
I choose to find the truth, even if it crosses my personal beliefs. I do understand how you feel that way. Peace!
Kavorkian said “if the law differs with your conscience, don’t follow it.”
Good advice.
I’ve never spent a lot of time contemplating what Korvorkian said, but thanks for the advice.
Hitler was popular. That didn’t make him right.
Hitler didn’t allow people to vote ;)
(not sure if they can vote more than once?)
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sure – if they are unprincipled enough to sign in with a different IP address… say using the Tor Browser, for instance. But only Republicans would stoop that low.
What are you on? Meth? I haven’t said anything other than what any patriotic American would – that standing up for the ideals that the constitution is founded upon is the highest form of patriotism there is.
Snowden upheld the constitution how? Clearly confused, but you don’t worry I’m not interested in you Meth – you’re safe ;)
but you don’t worry I’m not interested in you Meth – you’re safe ;)
——-
always a comforting thing to know.
Snowden, whether intentionally or not, stood up for the First Amendment to the Constitution.
No, he lied. Please research it. His background was done by an outside company. He intentionally put himself in that position. He lied, he cheated, he stole from you and I. He is now attempting to flee to a country that will have no mercy once they have extracted the info they want or he is capable of providing. Watch and see – his life is over. Sad? Yes. The truth still stands.
which video? And I’m not comparing the two countries – I’m talking about human beings, basic human rights, and moral corruption in government.
This one, my first post on this thread: http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2014/03/05/rt-anchor-quits-on-air.html
I don’t have to post it, you just did. And it has nothing to do with the topic…. as if any of this shit does.
Agreed – “it has nothing to do with the topic…. as if any of this shit does” Seems you got caught up in as the spelling police, warning me against what info I should/should not post, made a weak comparison between Russians and Americans. I concur – it has nothing to do with the topic ;) Snowden is still a traitor :)
Basic Rights? Moral Corruption….name one country. I can understand how some feel that way about the state, but name a country – I can’t think of one.
Not the people – the ideas. You know who he was and what he did, right?
I could care less about Sen. Graham’s sexual preference and he is not my first pick for US Sen., however, there are those who aren’t war mongering but not stupid either and realize Snowden is a narcissist who cares about nothing but himself. Wonder how he will fare in this world when he has no where else to run? No one protects those who they distrust – what country has a reason to trust Snowden? None.
Snowden is a falsehood. If he were truly rouge, he would not get corporate media coverage.
Oh,, he’s rouge all right!
lol
He’s going tranny style.
La Cage aux Snowden! La Snowden aux Folles!
He is just a wanna be hero who is really the villain. Wonder if he knows the difference? Oh wait – both get media coverage ;)
He’s a f’ing traitor and a thief.
It’s particularly quaint that he’s hiding out in that bastion of freedom, Russia.
I’d feel better if Bush, Rumsfeld, Rice and Cheney were hiding out in Russia.
The irony of Russia protecting a truth teller from the US gov’t is interesting.
Do you really think they are protecting him, he is being used.
“Do you really think they are protecting him”
Do you really question that? Of course they are.
Now, as to your second proposition, maybe…but if could have counted on a fair trial then he wouldn’t be over there would he?
Yes I do question it, if he had stolen Green Eggs and Ham he wouldn’t have gotten asylum.
lol, you’re looking at it solely from Russia’s perspective…Snowden is simply playing Russia against the US…and move he really had no choice in if he was going to succeed in staying out of a Federal Pen for a few years before hitting the Kangaroo courts.
I can only SMH.
Telling the truth is never rewarded.
Answer this question: Did you or did you not vote for Obama?
The last Democrat for whom I voted was Jimmy Carter, when I was 18. Since then I have voted for: The Libertarian candidate in 80,84, and 88; GHWB in 92; Dole in 96; GWB in 2000 and 04; McCain in 08; and Romney in 12. Any more questions?
If you think this creep is a hero,you’ve successfully been brainwashed by blog ‘media’,talk radio,and the like.’News’ is dead.”Makes you wanna stop and read a book.”
My favorite book is “Mein Kampf”, next “The Prince”.
“Mein Kampf” — Lil’ Barry and his Prophets keep a copy by their beds.
Cheney was the architect of “the Strong President.”
The SOB is a traitor pure and simple. He should be executed.
Is he a hero in the strictest sense of the word, no. Is he a traitor no to that as well. Whistle blower seems to fit, but the mainstream media has been asked by their handlers to not use that word. He discovered abuses of the NSAs surveillance capabilities through his work with Booz Allen an NSA contractor and made that information public.
To those that say he should have went to congress, the DOJ, etc. etc. They wouldn’t have listened. Look at the reaction of McCain, Graham, Peter King and others. They didn’t want to hear about or likely already knew about it, knew it was illegal and didn’t care. For what ever nonsense reason they give today protecting us from”terrorism” is more important than obeying The Constitution of the United States. This flies in the face of logic, since your chances of being kill in a terrorist attack are about half that of being struck by lightning. The FISA court is a rubber stamp, so there is effectively no over site of these capabilities. The can issue an NSL for any information to any company or person and the person has to comply and cannot discuss it’s existence. Stasi anyone?
He fled to China and Russia because that’s the only place he can be safe at the moment. If he stayed here he’d be tried and convicted in some kangaroo court with 90% of the evidence against him classified as state secrets, so no one would be able to review it. If he wasn’t tried he’d likely be assassinated by the secret police, in some car accident, fall from a building, or a two to the head suicide.
Whistle blowers have a protocol to follow – he didn’t follow that protocol. He chose to steal information and flee with that info to give to the enemies of this country seeking refuge. Look up Whistle Blower and see the path, nothing I can say will convince otherwise. The information he stole was not within his scope of work nor knowledge – he doesn’t even know what he has. To the best of my recollection he was an IT guy. Imagine sifting through info on a server and trying to decipher it. I have no doubt other countries will find a way to do that, but I have strong doubt he was even capable of interpreting it.
Hero.
It was time.
Had he followed whistle-blower protocols…. nothing would have happened.
Mike@the Beach, TBG would be interested in your opinion, Amigo.
That’s creepy…I was writing as you posted that. We need time apart… ;-)
I’m a little agnostic on this one, actually. Snowden gets on my nerves at a personal level because he’s such a little bitch, but of course I am keeping a wary eye on the NSA. I’m no big gov’t guy, that’s for certain, but my time working (peripherally) with the NSA for years influences my thoughts, I guess. They weren’t some monolithic catacomb of faceless bureaucrats trying to steal our data and spy on Americans- every guy (and gal) I ever worked with on missions involving the NSA were just like the guys on my team. Not cookie-cutter perfect John Wayne heroes, but decent, hard-working folks trying to keep America safe. My agency would occasionally screw up and take beatings too, so I can relate. It’s the hyperbole that wears me out, I think. No one at the NSA is stealing a damn thing; if there’s a problem (and there may well be) it’s with the law. My 1.5 cents would be this- have the debate at the Congressional level and let’s make the law clear (or, depending upon who sues who, the SCOTUS could end up chiming in as well), but understand that contrary to what the Ronbots believe, no nation can succeed in this world without a few secrets. That’s a muddy position, I know, but that’s just where I am my friend. Namaste.
Yes, the Ronbots are annoying with their distrust of government.
“No one at the NSA is stealing a damn thing; if there’s a problem (and there may well be) it’s with the law.”
Of course, we’d not be having this debate if Snowden kept his trap shut and went through the proper channels.
A healthy distrust of government is not annoying in and of itself. I maintain that distrust myself (and did even during all those years I was part of it). I only say that the Ron Paul crowd gets annoying when the hyperbole gets to about a 9 on the Richter scale (which is where it stays on some issues all of the time). I concede your point on the debate as a byproduct of Snowden’s actions, but will only say that we should remember that plenty of folks knew about these programs, including selected members of Congress tasked with oversight. There were very likely other ways he could have ensured that elected oversight was fully aware of the programs without risking all that he did. My only point really was that we should all take deep breaths; this thing will shake out, and the NSA doesn’t give a rat’s ass about our cell calls unless we’re talking to the wrong folks (REALLY wrong folks). Even then, there’s a process. For most folks, therein lies the actual point of disagreement (the process for obtaining warrants for the stored metadata). That’s what gets lost in the tin foil hattery that sometimes accompanies this debate.
Ron Paul fucks everything up that he touches. Especially when he’s right…. wing.
Well said!
If I was pulled out of a ditch by a little bitch, I’d still buy him a beer, and let him know I appreciated it – even if he did it for the beer.
And I wouldn’t want him to go to jail for working on Sunday.
I can still call him a little bitch, though, right?
It’s about the ideas, not the people.
“We need time apart…”
There is someone else, ISN’T THERE?
*Accusatory stare*
I-it’s Grand T-tango…ISN”T IT????
…Philip Branton..??
Et tu, Brute?! I am alone, but unafraid. How the dogs turn on the innocent…
The blood is in the water!
Leave me be, knave! Nothing a few laps in brown liquor won’t cure! I refuse your duel conditions on the grounds that certain contracts with which I am still involved subject me to random urinalysis.
LSD is not detectable in urinalysis.
I know, but they are constantly switching up on me. One quarter I pee in the bottle, the next time they’re clipping hairs off my dam head (they throw the hair in occasionally to catch the hallucinogens and other fringy stuff). How ’bout Nerf guns in the hardware section at the Lexington Wal-Mart?
Urine Test: 8 -24 hrs
Blood Test: 3 hrs`
Saliva Test: 1-2 days
LSD, like like many other drugs, can be detected with a hair follicle drug test for up to 90 days.
If they clip the hair, it cannot be detected.
They do both if the agency buys the full hallucinogen panel. I keep my hair super short, so to get the required weight, they have to snatch hair off of me like a damn scene from The 40 Year Old Virgin. If they didn’t pay so well I’d tell ’em to suck it. I guess that makes me a prostitute!
all right, then – Heaping Soup spoon of Cinnamon at 20 paces.
Now we’re talking!
Gentlemen, choose your spoons!
You should take a bath in depilatory, and shine your head just to fuck with them.
Damn that would be funny. I actually asked the nurse one day what would happen if she was unable to get enough hair (I’m not a very hairy dude). She said there’s a clause that the lab could invoke that would require me to provide a mouth swab or blood in lieu of hair. I’m afraid they’ve got me. It’s funny, though, the money they spend on this stuff. Not only do I not smoke weed or take any type of dope, I don’t even drink (well, maybe 3 beers annually). I guess they have to go with the odds. I think maybe right before I quit I should drop a little of your 12-way, snort a few lines of Ravenel’s powder, and smoke a little Horry County Ditch Weed just to keep them on their toes.
She said there’s a clause that the lab could invoke that would require me to provide a mouth swab or blood in lieu of hair. I’m afraid they’ve got me.
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Dude… did you forget we were talking about LSD?
No…I already mentioned to you that my gig is pretty sensitive. They order (randomly, supposedly) the additional screens to test for LSD and other hallucinogens not detected by the cheaper, mass market tests. I’m glad I am blessed by an utter lack of desire to imbibe in any of that shit, because I’m telling you- I would be screwed!
there’s only so much a microgram can diffuse.
So you have to stay away from seeded buns, and all that shit? Prescription medicine…etc.
I saw the two of them together.. they were hiding behind a full cart near the refrigerator doors at the grocery store, giggling over erect nipples.
You defame me with your lies!!! I must now, in order to defend my
gentlemanly honor, challenge you to a duel, suh!
Name your weapon of choice and appoint a time and place. I will
strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would
attempt to poison and destroy my fine reputation. May a thousand cannons from Lieutenant Governor McConnell’s Confederate Army blast you into irrelevance!
12-way acid at 10 paces.
Dude. Words hurt, man. Tango? Really?! I need some time alone. Maybe pour a nice hot bath, throw in some expensive foofy-smelling bath beads, drink some nice white wine, and just have a good cry. It seems to work for my wife…
How about hiring Snowden? Who did that? How about the NSA being at fault?
Stipulated! You are correct, sir (in booming Ed McMahon voice). The Agency and the NSA pooched that royally, by doing what most of the fed groups are doing now- contracting out the backgrounds to private companies who are making a mint shoveling through as many clearances as they can. It’s a great racket, since 90% or more of folks pass anyway, and the majority of the rejects are glaringly obvious (criminal histories, financial drama, etc.). That’s got to be fixed, but since there’s money involved, I wouldn’t hold my breath. “Back in the day” when I got my first TS-SCI (with a full-day lifestyle and National Security polygraph- good times!) my background was done by a retired guy from my agency working as a contractor. He got paid by the day, not by the clearance, and he had a vested interest in protecting the agency where he had spent 30 years chasing demons. We need to go back to those days, even though it would cut the corporations out of the money pile. yet another piece totally ignored by our intellectually incurious, sound-bite driven mainstream media.
This goofy little narcissistic clown is no hero, nor is he the biggest villain since the Six-Fingered Man in The Princess Bride. We can all sit around in our tin foil hats and wail and gnash our teeth about the government being a “thief” as Will incorrectly states, but I’m pretty sure that no court has ruled that to be the case. We are a nation of laws, and our slack-ass Congress could write legislation tonight to make the metadata storage truly illegal (which it now is not). Cry about the big bad NSA and government if you want, but this one’s on us…
I’m glad he did it… so I don’t want to see him suffer for it… but that doesn’t make much difference.
We’re all entitled, as “they” say, to our opinions, and I respect yours. I disagree, although I will say that he is no jackass like that little Manning fairy. That asshat got people killed (good guys who were doing the right thing). Snowden may have hampered our CT efforts a bit, but as I tell my little kittens when I teach the occasional terrorism course, what self-respecting jihadist doesn’t know not to conduct their business on a damn cell or sat phone?! I’m pretty certain that little secret’s been out for a while.
Jackass might not be an appropriate term, mine would be harsher. I don’t consider him any cleaner than Manning. BOTH will result in lost lives. Let’s just hope it isn’t OUR families.
You may be right; I may have split that hair a bit too fine. Part of my bias against Pansy Manning, though, is my old Army blood. Manning was a soldier and swore an entirely different oath than the silly National Security clause that federal contractors sign. The government’s heavy use of contractors to play with budgets and hide employees is part of the problem, and has a lot to do with how a loser like Snowden fell through the cracks. That’s especially true in the IT geek world- those guys cycle through there like a revolving door. It was less so in my old world, where most of the contractors were retired operators who came back as contract instructors or fill-ins on teams that were short due to attrition. At any rate, despite whatever legitimate debate may have come from Snowden’s grand narcissistic scheme, both he and Manning are (at least) jackasses.
“I’m pretty sure that no court has ruled that to be the case”
Cause we know the courts always get shit right. Just ask the FISA courts.
I understand where you’re coming from bro, but the FISA courts are, well, courts, not secret societies or star chambers. This thing will wind its way slowly through the process and shake itself out. Either Congress will shut it down legislatively (easy to do with enough votes) or SCOTUS will render a decision depending upon how that plays out. I may dig that decision or I may not, but such is life in a democratic republic. I’m not in charge (yet). See also my reply to Mash above…
Nation of laws? No, we are a nation of convenience. If the law is convenient, we apply and enforce it, but if it isn’t convenient to those responsible for upholding it, they are ignored, broken, and the offenses are hidden from public view so as not to draw national outrage. Because that would be horribly inconvenient.
I hear you, but I’ll stick with the courts. Of course they fuck things up on a regular basis! Jesus, look how long it took us to shake slavery, courts notwithstanding. Similar (although not quite as slow) process throughout the civil rights movement, no? Courts are slow and often screwy, but our wacky system is the best thing going. Besides, the alternative is to run into the streets and start screaming every time we disagree with a ruling or law, and that seems a little over the top to me. I picture poor Will sandbagging his house, meshing up a Faraday cage in his bedroom, and using a series of drop phones to get the grocery order from his lovely wife. I’m just not there yet…
The abuse is regular, and by conservatives who want to “look strong on security.”
And others who choose to think real threats don’t exists, therefore do nothing until it shows up on your doorstep. Yes, let’s all be fools and think the world is a safe place for those with good intentions. Unfortunately it does not work that way.
”Those Who Sacrifice Liberty For Security Deserve Neither.”
”People willing to trade their freedom for temporary security deserve neither and will lose both.”
”If we restrict liberty to attain security we will lose them both.”
”Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.”
”Those who would trade in their freedom for their protection deserve neither.”
”Those who give up their liberty for more security neither deserve liberty nor security.”
Ben Franklin
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I guarantee you the society of our founding fathers did not spy on one another – the government did not have a record of every single conversation between every pair of individuals, nor would they have allowed such a society to exist.
Those who would trade liberty for security deserve neither – Ben Franklin.
We are a nation of laws, and our slack-ass Congress could write
legislation tonight to make the metadata storage truly illegal (which it
now is not).
It is worse than that. There were very serious warnings when the Patriot Act was passed that are being proven to be the case now. Congress knows what they are doing, they aren’t just slack or stupid, they absolutely know the possibilities, and worse, they are complicit with the results.
I agree, I just think there more stupid and lazy than duplicitous. Duplicitous takes effort, and even a little smarts (sometimes).
I always think of Joe Wilson or Joe McCarthy when I think of what stupid and lazy regulations allow to occur before anyone realizes what doors precedent opened.
Sorry, I have no respect for the man, two wrongs don’t make a right.
It’s not about respect, but truth. I don’t care if he’s a horrible poker player… he let us in on shit in our food.
If you didn’t know there was shit in our food before Snowden, you needed to get out more.
I figured a certain number of rat hair and bugs per million, but human dung? I wasn’t ready for the scale!
So you were talking about food, I thought it was a metaphor.
it *was* a metaphor…. not as colorful as Damned Tango’s dick sucking metaphors.. but a metaphor nonetheless.
The rat hairs were like – oh, tapping my phone because I was talking to an Iranian dissident, or talking to someone in Iran, long distance… or maybe capturing text because I had inadvertently typed “I’m going to kill the President with anthrax as soon as I finish blowing up the Dallas arboretum!” and alerted Carnivore….
Then I found that my phone conversations – all of them – and my emails – all of them – and my comments – all of them.. .are targets of NSA snooping. That’s just bizarre.
I don’t recall that being part of a referendum… I thought we were done assassinating foreign heads of state and turning America into a photo copy of Stalin’s Russia.
It *was*, really.
:)
Rule #3
I’m not ignoring you guys who have replied to me or asked a question, but for some weird reason I cannot see or reply to the comments (in Chrome or IE). I get the email, but when I click to get here the replies no longer show. Weeeeird, especially in a conversation about the NSA. ;-) I’ll get it fixed and hopefully get back in the mix shortly.
I’ve got the same problem
Agent Provacatuer’s er TBG’s is working fine,thank you.
It’s a Disqus thing – I logged out and back in a few times (I could see the replies when I was logged out), and it cleared up. Had to do it again this morning. Could be the NSA, could be that Disqus sucks, or could be that TBG has finally been able to hack in to Will’s site code…
It’s Snowden — he’s trying to figure out what Fitsnews is and why we are here.
I tried all that, and it didn’t work. I sent an email to disqus… let’s see if their support is any good.
whew! They fixed it.
Yes they did. Good call reaching out to their support folks.
Man! This is a merry-go-round!
You back down? Mine is working now. I think it’s Snowden.
Dear Edward,
I was only kidding; you’re not a high-school dropout punky ass who wants to be famous and idolized by Dungeons and Dragons players in basements across the country. You are an American hero. Now can we have Disqus back? This is kind of a pain in the ass. I try to limit myself to 10-15 minutes of FITS a day, and you’re little hack is slowing me down considerably. I apologize if you took my comments out of context (that’s my “Goldfinch apology”).
Your friend in SC, Mike at the Beach
I hope that works!
I think it did…I’m back up, and have been for a few hours now. Note to self- stop pissing off angry hackers who currently reside in major nation-states which may not be friendly to US interests and would assist said hacker with nefarious, blackhat activities.
Ah… looks like it was associated with the alerts. I didn’t clean up my alerts for a month, and they built up beyond the first display chunk. There was also a problem with the Snowden topic that prevented me from clearing them out – I had to go to another topic.
I think I’m now back in where I can read and reply to the comments. This through inherited genetic genius combined with stubborness. Will watch this for several days to see if this still works. Also glad that I wasn’t the only one not getting in. My feeling was that Will picked me to be the first commentator to be BANNED..!!
I would think that if Will went on a banning spree, I would be pretty high on that list too (maybe behind Tango if that’s not really another one of Will’s alter egos). Maybe if we lay off of his boy Ravenel a little he’ll let us all back in…
We’re all entitled, as “they” say, to our opinions, and I respect yours although I disagree. I will say that Snowden is no jackass like that little Manning fairy. That asshat got people killed (good guys who were doing the right thing). Snowden may have hampered our CT efforts a bit, but as I tell my little kittens when I teach the occasional terrorism course, what self-respecting jihadist doesn’t know not to conduct their business on a damn cell or sat phone?! I’m pretty certain that little secret’s been out for a while.
——–
Manning was a punk…. he might have accidentally released something good, but unfortunately helicopters machine gunning reporters was old news.
Snowden’s claim to fame was not warning jihadists that we’re listening, but proof positive we are being watched and listened to in violation of our Constitutional (and moral) rights against all of the intents and purposes of our form of government in the name of “safety” – and they are lying about it. They’re doing this in our name, as though we authorized it. I don’t think we did.
Without this proof, we couldn’t have this conversation.
What he did, no matter how goofy he is, is worthy of a thank you.
Some of that stuff’s a little over the top friend. I hate to be “that guy,” but I was there (8 times) and spent a few years of my life that I’ll never get back looking at that fucked up war up close and personal from a very unique perspective. There were occasional ROE violations to be sure (there always are) but it was nowhere near as rampant as all of that. My guys worked very closely with the military, especially the Tier 1 units operating in theater and we were ridiculously careful about putting the warheads on the correct foreheads. You’re dead-on right about the Saud – Persian thing that so few Americans even get, but most of the relatively few incidents of horrible collateral damage and civilian casualties were easy to pick apart on Monday morning but much less clear in the thick of things. Hell, one of the closest times I came to getting whacked there was when a scared-to-death National Guard kid saw me and my two other beard-wearing USG compadres rolling up to his checkpoint near Ramadi and started lighting up our little pickup truck with his crew-served. Hit the truck a few truck a few times, but not the ass I value so much. We straightened everything out (he said he “saw” us pointing weapons out of the window- stress makes you “see” weird things), and he was more amazed that we weren’t that pissed at him than anything else. I saw my first combat at 21, too (many moons ago). We’d all been there before so we shrugged it off. War is just a really shitty deal for everyone involved. In my opinion, both Manning and Snowden could have been more selective in their releases, selected better venues, and avoided some much of their own collateral damage. It’s pretty obvious to me that both of them had other issues and other other agendas, even if a little good comes from the Snowden debate.
Some of that stuff’s a little over the top friend.
——
I *know*, right?
They should be hung for that shit.
If that punk Manning had been in my division on an aircraft carrier in the Caribbean he would have received a dry shower with a deck brush, then have a rope tied around his ankles, and then have his bony ass dropped over the side and dunked about a dozen times while we yelled “SHARK! SHARK!”
After that every time anyone walked by him with a brush in his hand Manning’s puckered asshole would have eaten his seat cushion without leaving his chair.
DAMN! — I can be sadistic..!!
DAMN! — I can be sadistic..!!
—–
If only being sadistic was … wait a minute – it is!
This right winger thinks he is a hero, flawed, but a hero nonetheless.
The biggest crime of our generation is the willingness to give over our privacy to the Feds and big business.
——-
the willingness? Or the apathy?
I’d love to know exactly what oath this dirt bag is referring to – I don’t recall one for contractors and you just sign the statements for your security clearances.
Maybe he’s referring to his oath as a Coast Guard officer. I wonder if he ever contemplated the meaning of that part that says “…defend [the Constitution] against all enemies foreign and domestic…” since he now both of those.
Dear Edward Snowden,
We feel certain that you have a lot of time in Russia to read Fitsnews from time to time. If you can video teleconference then you can obviously read the fluff that Wil FOlks is handing out in this piece to his readers. Its a SHAME isn’t it. Considering that you have read the SPAWAR Chronicle from time to time for your duties at the NSA, we wonder what question you would have had for Nikki Haley when she visited. http://www.public.navy.mil/spawar/Atlantic/Press/Pages/Chronicle-Winter2013-14.aspx
So, Edward, dare to wager what WIl Folks would tell his wife after reading through this “presser”…?
Dare to wonder what questions Wil Folks would ask any WORKER or civil SERVANT concerning this well publicized meeting…?
Edward………..what questions would you have for this LADY if you were in front of her in this conference room…??
Dare to wonder if the readers here in FITSNEWS would be smart enough to call the switchboard of SPAWAR and ask why the Post and Courier did not ask certain questions…!?!
{Boomerang 101, 404, 901, move Wil Folks to Crimea Gold Toilet, wager 3 Fort Sumpter cannon bitcoins, Facebook Captain Burn, Pintarest Brian Hicks, }
http://www.mercurynews.com/celebrities/ci_25319268/president-obama-trades-barbs-zach-galifianakis-between-two
Would to God we had 1,000,000 such traitors!
Or that we had the courage to welcome him home with a parade.
This man is a traitor. Look at RT – one of their anchors quit online: http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2014/03/05/rt-anchor-quits-on-air.html. They sell a bunch of crap to make Americans distrustful, yet look at how they treat their people. Snowden lied to get his clearance. Snowden cheated to get information and he doesn’t even KNOW what he has – he was in charge of IT if memory serves. He STOLE information and made a weak attempt at putting it together. He has IMHO stretched the truth so far it is incredible.
I am a liberty lover, but I also love America, my home land. How many lives has he put in jeopardy? Why not be a whistle blower vs. a traitor? He had a choice. IMO he made the wrong one. Who knows how other countries will use this information? The damage they can do to our own? We can’t have it both ways, a strong defense and freedom, they simply don’t go hand in hand. A strong defense requires a strong offense – unfortunately Snowden has given information to the world at large and specifically a country who would like nothing more than to see America fail. He isn’t a hero – he IS a traitor IMSHO.
a ha – my apologies Max. I had it sorted by most popular, not most current. Please forgive.