'See Something, Say Something' Campaign Creates Massive Database Of Useless Info From Citizens Spying On Each Other

New FBI Director Thinks President Obama's Surveillance Program Is Great

from the well,-duh dept

Wed, Sep 25th 2013 9:58am — Mike Masnick

I imagine this will surprise absolutely no one, but new FBI Director James Comey has said that the administration's surveillance efforts are perfectly wonderful and legal all at the same time. Remember this is the same James Comey who refused to answer some of the questions about his views on the surveillance effort prior to the Senate's approval of his appointment. Now that he's in charge, apparently he has no problem admitting that he's not much of a fan of the 4th Amendment.

In an interview, Comey claimed that he's "comfortable" with the surveillance program and that the program is "lawful and appropriate." Furthermore, it appears he repeatedly talked about the supposed "checks and balances" of the program -- the same checks and balances that don't appear to exist in reality. It's no surprise that an FBI boss is going to obviously talk up his own power to spy on everyone, but it's rather shameful he tried to avoid those questions prior to getting the job.

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Filed Under: doj, fbi, james comey, nsa, surveillance

23 Comments

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limbodog (profile), 25 Sep 2013 @ 10:11am

A pop-quiz that should be asked of every candidate running for office is: "Where do you define the limits of the 4th Amendment?"
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Sep 2013 @ 10:12am

There's something new...
Evil henchman thinks his evil master's program is 'Great!'
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Sep 2013 @ 10:14am

Re:
ha ha ha... worthless, you judge a Candidate by what the did in their past, not by what they say or do now.

Obama was against the 'Bush Surveillance machine' before he became the Chief and took it over.
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Sep 2013 @ 10:20am

not them too!

I would never expect him, of all people, to think that
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Sep 2013 @ 10:20am

Re:
kidding of course
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Sep 2013 @ 10:34am

Re:
Pretty sure Obama has far gone past where he defined those limits as a candidate.
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Skeptical Cynic (profile), 25 Sep 2013 @ 10:38am

Bush haters rate Obama as better, not sure why.
So it seems that Bush was the pre-vanguard 1984 monitoring president. And Obama is a president that found good info in being a government that always and monitors...everything.

Elect those people you want, but enjoy the benefits and consequences of that choice.

Turn off that stupid, vapid reality tv show and find a way to understand what they want to do to you and your family. Or complain never again. You choice with or without information is your choice. But understand if enough uninformed people agree then the US becomes the USSR.
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Skeptical Cynic (profile), 25 Sep 2013 @ 10:42am

Re:
Really it would be useless unless it was while they were hooked up to a polygraph. Because all would lie to appease their donors.
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SolkeshNaranek (profile), 25 Sep 2013 @ 10:44am

Politician's and their continuing failures
It's no surprise that an FBI boss is going to obviously talk up his own power to spy on everyone, but it's rather shameful he tried to avoid those questions prior to getting the job

The bigger shame are the politicians that let him slide on those questions and approved his nomination anyway.
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Ninja (profile), 25 Sep 2013 @ 10:46am

If he loves such program he should voluntarily install taps on all his devices and cameras inside his home so the NSA can monitor all just in case. No?
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Sep 2013 @ 10:47am

Re: Re:
Polygraphs are bullshit.
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Nomis, 25 Sep 2013 @ 10:52am

USA, going down the crapper one amendment at a time.
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Sep 2013 @ 10:52am

Re:
Candidate: "The limits of the 4th amendment are defined by the size of the paper sheet you use. If the paper is too small, your 4th amendment will be very limited by the small size of that paper. That is why I propose that all 4th amendments are written on A3 size paper."

(turns and whispers to advisor)

Candidate: "How'd I do?"

(Advisor facepalms and starts to question his vocation)
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Skeptical Cynic (profile), 25 Sep 2013 @ 11:17am

Re: Politician's and their continuing failures
Washington is about gaining power not about representing the people that elected you. So the people elected only need to balance 2 points. What gains them power in Washington and what gets them re-elected. Nominations are not part of that equation.
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Rapnel (profile), 25 Sep 2013 @ 11:28am

Riiight
Color me shocked. New head of large domestic police/spy/goon agency defends practices making policing/spying/gooning easier.

It's almost as if the job is more important than the company. It's almost as if the company is a front for dealing drugs and raking profits. It's almost as if the company is above the law.

It's almost as if there is no law.
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Skeptical Cynic (profile), 25 Sep 2013 @ 11:42am

Re: Re: Re:
I know but some might not.
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Ninja (profile), 25 Sep 2013 @ 11:45am

Re: Re: Politician's and their continuing failures
Oh but they are. You please other powers to gain more power via nominations. Or you can nominate your own allies to grab even more power. Nominations are quite important in politics.
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Sep 2013 @ 1:28pm

shameful it is but stupid it is not. he wasn't going to screw up his chances of getting a massive salary whilst getting to screw up others lives as and when he feels like it, was he?
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Anonymous, 25 Sep 2013 @ 2:58pm

Does Comey rhyme with "homie" or is it like, "My hands are all comey"?
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Sep 2013 @ 3:15pm

Scandals...we need more of 'em
If not this FBI Director, it would have been someone else. Makes no difference.

On a side note,
I think it's interesting that the director of the CIA was brought down by the FBI reading private emails about a scandulous Affair and not by the fact that he was part of the illegal surveillance state.
So what I learned from that was, If you want to get rid of someone in power that is breaking the law, is you catch them in a scandulous affair.
That seems to be the only thing the public is concerned with.
Well, that and American Idol.
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Sep 2013 @ 4:48pm

Re: Re: Politician's and their continuing failures
oh they represent us but not in a good way. worse yet they do things in our name too.
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Sep 2013 @ 4:55pm

Re: Scandals...we need more of 'em
please tell me they're not still hooked on american idol. thank goodness I quit paying my cable bill all those years ago. there's nothing on there that's worth paying for.
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Sep 2013 @ 5:07pm

Stand up comedy!
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