I was born in the mid sixties. As a teenager I grew up with pride in my country knowing that we were free from the oppressions of communism and governmental overreach. The Soviets were the enemy in a cold war. Today I wonder what country I live in. My country seems to view it’s own citizens as the enemy now. I no longer recognize America for what it once was. Here are some stark contrasts to the “red threat” when I was young and how our country is behaving today.
It was the Soviet’s that secretly spied on it’s own people and criminalized those that the government didn’t like. Not whistleblowers on the NSA.
It was the communists that would gather information on telephone calls and communications on it’s own citizens without a warrant and without probable cause. Not the NSA spying on it’s own citizens.
It was Pravda the Russian state run newspaper that suppressed accurate reporting and was used as a propaganda tool. Not a Fox News reporter being accused by the US government of espionage for doing his job.
It was the wealthy, privileged and powerful in the Kremlin who forced their politics onto the people. Not the IRS targeting political groups who have views that differ from the current regime.
Cover ups only happened in places like Chernobyl. Not at American consulates in Benghazi
Twisting of the press and the denial of the Holodomor famine only happened in Communist controlled Russia. Not with the US Department of Justice’s massive data gathering of AP reporters phone records, and having their emails monitored.
Secret puppet courts only existed in communist countries. Not in the US where over 160 witnesses are expected to testify against Bradley Manning in a secret military court.
It was only Soviet leaders that could murder it’s own citizens without probable cause and without due process. Not the United States using drones against its own citizens.
It was only in Soviet Russia that there was no constitution which allowed the government to wield absolute power. Not the so called Patriot Act that subverts due process, probable cause and can force indefinite detainment by just an accusation of treason or terrorism.
It was the KGB that could “stop and frisk” any citizen at any time without probable cause. Not the NY police department.
It was the communists that had armed troops in the streets and performed military style house to house searches. Not in Boston Massachusetts.
It would only be communists that would claim that people complaining about their situation are terrorists. Not the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation accusing their citizens of being terrorists when they complained about their water quality.
Only in Soviet Russia no one dared speak his mind, when fierce, growling police roamed the streets and the citizens watched as their comrades were torn to pieces after confessing to shocking crimes. Not in Bakersfield California where nine officers and one police dog were “needed” to subdue an allegedly drunk man who died after being beaten repeatedly by the police. Then the witnesses to this event had their cameras and cell phones confiscated as “evidence” and these were returned to them with the videos being deleted.
It was the Politburo that created vague laws making simple common actions criminal. Not the CFAA that makes it a federal crime to “access a computer without authorization or in a way that exceeds authorization” thus making it possible for prosecutors to jail a person who violates a website’s terms of service.
It was in Soviet Russia where a person was guilty and had to prove their innocence. Not America where there are so many unknown and ridiculous laws that possessing a lobster of a certain size is a federal crime.
In Soviet Russia you feared everything because any action could be twisted as against the law if government didn’t like you. Not in America where ignorance of the law is impossible to avoid because lawmakers themselves are not really sure how many criminal laws there are.
It was the KGB did not require any recording of the testimony of the witnesses they were interviewing. Not in America where the FBI’s no recording policy allows for the statements of those they interview to be falsified, editorialized or reinterpreted.
In Soviet Russia everything was owned by the state. Not in America where when the IRS was audited for inappropriate expenses they then claimed they could not find the receipts.
In the Kremlin was where everything was kept secret and there was no transparency. Not in America where the current administration claimed to be the most transparent administration in History and has in fact become the exact opposite.
I guess you have a point. The military I guess had to pretend to do something so it could at least look like it was being proactive.
But why just block Guardian? If there is such a huge security risk they should unplug all of their servers and throw them into a dark empty warehouse where there is no possibility of any information being accessed by anyone.
The military could go back to using typewriters. That would make everything secure. With no access to anything on an electronic network there would never be any possibility that leaks could occur (right?!?)
Sorry. I have to go with Mike on this one.
The military head is stuck deep in the sand.
In the "Profanity" episode, Penn tells the viewers that the planned title for Bullshit! was Humbug! This, Penn goes on to say, relates their skepticism (and TV show) to Harry Houdini's reactions to the popular misconceptions of his day; but the idea was scrapped because humbug had less of an impact than the more profane, more informal word, bullshit. It is also discussed during the profanity episode that humbug was considered as profane at one time as bullshit today. During that same episode, Penn and Teller themselves did not use any profanity, even changing the name of the show to Humbug! for that episode. At one point, Penn suggests the use of the phrase Jesus Christ! by a non-Christian is not profanity, but as Teller apparently drops a bowling ball on his foot just as he mentions the phrase, his yelling of the expression makes its use ambiguous.
I would say that a close second is Rand Paul'S filibuster as a protest to not having his question answered: "Can drones be used to kill American citizens?"
He however did have help from two democrats that would take over the fillibuster giving him a break from time to time.
Looks like an upper lip isn't the only thing the British are keeping stiff
Dozens of police officers could be put on trial for stealing the identities of dead children, and sleeping with female activists they were spying on...
I used to think that sleeping with the enemy was more of a metaphor than a method of police work.
is owned and operated by government and corporate interests.
What's encouraging is to see that the pubic (at least in this instance) is not being fooled by this nonsense.
Do not get me wrong. We should focus on the content of Snowden's message, but we should also focus on the man himself.
Not out of hero worship. Rather I say this because he is a whistleblower on a corrupt US agency and what is at stake are civil liberties. How he has been treated, is being treated now and what is in store for him in the future has important relevance and histroy will judge just how far the Bill of Rights has been shredded by this administration.
[The Prime Minister believes that he gave a clear, simple, straightforward and honest answer.]
Sir Humphrey: Unfortunately, although the answer was indeed clear, simple, and straightforward, there is some difficulty in justifiably assigning to it the fourth of the epithets you applied to the statement, inasmuch as the precise correlation between the information you communicated and the facts, insofar as they can be determined and demonstrated, is such as to cause epistemological problems, of sufficient magnitude as to lay upon the logical and semantic resources of the English language a heavier burden than they can reasonably be expected to bear.
Hacker: Epistemological — what are you talking about?
Sir Humphrey: You told a lie.
Hacker: A lie?
Sir Humphrey: A lie.
Hacker: What do you mean, a lie?
Sir Humphrey: I mean you… lied. Yes, I know this is a difficult concept to get across to a politician. You… ah yes, you did not tell the truth.
Hacker: You mean we are bugging Hugh Halifax's telephones?
Sir Humphrey: We were.
Hacker: We were? When did we stop?
Sir Humphrey: [checks his watch] Seventeen minutes ago.
Unfortunately our civil servant here in the US in charge of intelligence seems to be lacking in that regard.
Okay let’s list the items that have come to light during the Obama administration (No particualar order):
1) Bradly Manning being charged with 34 violations one of which carries the death penalty.
2) IRS targeting conservative groups.
3) The Benghazi cover-up (which is actually 3 scandals in one)
- The failure of administration to protect the Benghazi mission.
- The changes made to the talking points in order to suggest the attack was motivated by an anti-Muslim video.
- The refusal of the White House to say what President Obama did the night of the attack.
4) The criminalizing of an NSA whistleblower Ed Snowden.
5) The Justice Department massive data gathering of Associated Press reporters' phone records as part of a leak investigation.
6) The Justice Department accusing Fox News reporter James Rosen of being a criminal for reporting about classified information and subsequently monitored his phones and emails.
I could actually go on but these are most of the major ones. Now tell me again exactly who is harming America?
I can not watch the news anymore. Especially CNN I saw yesterday afternoon some asshat talking about how Snowden had been harming America and other such asyndeton. My wife thought I'd lost my mind because I kept yelling at the TV: "What the hell! Reporter lady now ask HOW exactly did Snowden harm America?" But instead of challenging this absurd assumtion she thanked the asshat for his factual statements and went on with the next news item.
My poor wife... I was in a foul mood the rest of the day.
Reason for CL behavior -- Their TOS is very closed
This is specific to posting, but shows the CL mindset:
It is expressly prohibited to post content to craigslist using any automated means. Users must post all content personally and manually through all steps of the posting process. It is also expressly prohibited for any user to develop, offer, market, sell, distribute or provide an automated means to perform any step of the posting process (in whole or in part). Any user who develops, offers, markets, sells, distributes or provides an automated means to perform any step of the posting process (in whole or in part) shall be responsible and liable to CL for each instance of access to craigslist (by any user or other third party) using that automated means.
I'm certain there are many patents out there for collecting the meta-data of phone calls.
They could even join Rand Paul's class action suit against the NSA. Finally we would have a case for patent trolling that would actually be in the interest of the public.
On the post: Former East German Stasi Officer Expresses Admiration For, Dismay At US Government's Surveillance Capabilities
I Want My Country Back
It was the Soviet’s that secretly spied on it’s own people and criminalized those that the government didn’t like. Not whistleblowers on the NSA.
It was the communists that would gather information on telephone calls and communications on it’s own citizens without a warrant and without probable cause. Not the NSA spying on it’s own citizens.
It was Pravda the Russian state run newspaper that suppressed accurate reporting and was used as a propaganda tool. Not a Fox News reporter being accused by the US government of espionage for doing his job.
It was the wealthy, privileged and powerful in the Kremlin who forced their politics onto the people. Not the IRS targeting political groups who have views that differ from the current regime.
Cover ups only happened in places like Chernobyl. Not at American consulates in Benghazi
Twisting of the press and the denial of the Holodomor famine only happened in Communist controlled Russia. Not with the US Department of Justice’s massive data gathering of AP reporters phone records, and having their emails monitored.
Secret puppet courts only existed in communist countries. Not in the US where over 160 witnesses are expected to testify against Bradley Manning in a secret military court.
It was only Soviet leaders that could murder it’s own citizens without probable cause and without due process. Not the United States using drones against its own citizens.
It was only in Soviet Russia that there was no constitution which allowed the government to wield absolute power. Not the so called Patriot Act that subverts due process, probable cause and can force indefinite detainment by just an accusation of treason or terrorism.
It was the KGB that could “stop and frisk” any citizen at any time without probable cause. Not the NY police department.
It was the communists that had armed troops in the streets and performed military style house to house searches. Not in Boston Massachusetts.
It would only be communists that would claim that people complaining about their situation are terrorists. Not the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation accusing their citizens of being terrorists when they complained about their water quality.
Only in Soviet Russia no one dared speak his mind, when fierce, growling police roamed the streets and the citizens watched as their comrades were torn to pieces after confessing to shocking crimes. Not in Bakersfield California where nine officers and one police dog were “needed” to subdue an allegedly drunk man who died after being beaten repeatedly by the police. Then the witnesses to this event had their cameras and cell phones confiscated as “evidence” and these were returned to them with the videos being deleted.
It was the Politburo that created vague laws making simple common actions criminal. Not the CFAA that makes it a federal crime to “access a computer without authorization or in a way that exceeds authorization” thus making it possible for prosecutors to jail a person who violates a website’s terms of service.
It was in Soviet Russia where a person was guilty and had to prove their innocence. Not America where there are so many unknown and ridiculous laws that possessing a lobster of a certain size is a federal crime.
In Soviet Russia you feared everything because any action could be twisted as against the law if government didn’t like you. Not in America where ignorance of the law is impossible to avoid because lawmakers themselves are not really sure how many criminal laws there are.
It was the KGB did not require any recording of the testimony of the witnesses they were interviewing. Not in America where the FBI’s no recording policy allows for the statements of those they interview to be falsified, editorialized or reinterpreted.
In Soviet Russia everything was owned by the state. Not in America where when the IRS was audited for inappropriate expenses they then claimed they could not find the receipts.
In the Kremlin was where everything was kept secret and there was no transparency. Not in America where the current administration claimed to be the most transparent administration in History and has in fact become the exact opposite.
On the post: Former Second Highest Ranking General In The US Apparently Under Investigation For 'Leaking' Stuxnet Info
What I am wondering
On the post: Defense Department Blocks All Web Access To The Guardian In Response To NSA Leaks
Re: It's getting old, Mike
But why just block Guardian? If there is such a huge security risk they should unplug all of their servers and throw them into a dark empty warehouse where there is no possibility of any information being accessed by anyone.
The military could go back to using typewriters. That would make everything secure. With no access to anything on an electronic network there would never be any possibility that leaks could occur (right?!?)
Sorry. I have to go with Mike on this one.
The military head is stuck deep in the sand.
On the post: Defense Department Blocks All Web Access To The Guardian In Response To NSA Leaks
So is
I guess with her vast knowledge of Military Intelligence this only makes sense.
On the post: Broadcasters To FCC: Now That Our Audience Is Gone, Can We Swear More?
Penn and Teller: Bullshit!
In the "Profanity" episode, Penn tells the viewers that the planned title for Bullshit! was Humbug! This, Penn goes on to say, relates their skepticism (and TV show) to Harry Houdini's reactions to the popular misconceptions of his day; but the idea was scrapped because humbug had less of an impact than the more profane, more informal word, bullshit. It is also discussed during the profanity episode that humbug was considered as profane at one time as bullshit today. During that same episode, Penn and Teller themselves did not use any profanity, even changing the name of the show to Humbug! for that episode. At one point, Penn suggests the use of the phrase Jesus Christ! by a non-Christian is not profanity, but as Teller apparently drops a bowling ball on his foot just as he mentions the phrase, his yelling of the expression makes its use ambiguous.
On the post: NSA's Response To Snowden Leaks Isn't To Stop Spying, But To Make It More Difficult To Blow The Whistle
Hasn't the NSA seen the movie
On the post: Internet Catches Texas Senate Fudging Time-Stamps On Abortion Bill
Re: Re: Filibuster
He however did have help from two democrats that would take over the fillibuster giving him a break from time to time.
On the post: Federal Judge None Too Impressed With Government's Defense Of Its 'No Fly' List
How many of the terrorists of 9/11 were American Citizens?
Origins of the 19 hijackers
Saudi Arabia - 15
United Arab Emirates - 2
Egypt - 1
Lebanon - 1
On the post: DailyDirt: You Say Tomato, I Say Tomahto
Navajo
On the post: EU Court Of Justice Advocate General: No Right To Be Forgotten; Google Not Responsible For What It Finds
Playing devil's advocate
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130419/15503622772/washington-state-allows-third-part ies-to-brand-youthful-offenders-life-low-low-price-only-69-record.shtml
http://www.techdirt.com/art icles/20070313/133615.shtml
On the post: UK Police Routinely Spy On 9000 'Domestic Terrorists' Very Loosely Defined
Looks like an upper lip isn't the only thing the British are keeping stiff
I used to think that sleeping with the enemy was more of a metaphor than a method of police work.
On the post: Internet Takes Smears Against Glenn Greenwald And Make It An Awesome Meme
More evidence that "the media"
What's encouraging is to see that the pubic (at least in this instance) is not being fooled by this nonsense.
On the post: Dear Everyone: Please Don't Turn Edward Snowden Into Julian Assange
Actually there should be focus on both
Not out of hero worship. Rather I say this because he is a whistleblower on a corrupt US agency and what is at stake are civil liberties. How he has been treated, is being treated now and what is in store for him in the future has important relevance and histroy will judge just how far the Bill of Rights has been shredded by this administration.
On the post: Snowden's Secrets 'Belong To The People Of The US' & He's A Traitor For Giving Them What They Own?
Ever see the British sitcom: Yes, Minister?
Sir Humphrey: Unfortunately, although the answer was indeed clear, simple, and straightforward, there is some difficulty in justifiably assigning to it the fourth of the epithets you applied to the statement, inasmuch as the precise correlation between the information you communicated and the facts, insofar as they can be determined and demonstrated, is such as to cause epistemological problems, of sufficient magnitude as to lay upon the logical and semantic resources of the English language a heavier burden than they can reasonably be expected to bear.
Hacker: Epistemological — what are you talking about?
Sir Humphrey: You told a lie.
Hacker: A lie?
Sir Humphrey: A lie.
Hacker: What do you mean, a lie?
Sir Humphrey: I mean you… lied. Yes, I know this is a difficult concept to get across to a politician. You… ah yes, you did not tell the truth.
Hacker: You mean we are bugging Hugh Halifax's telephones?
Sir Humphrey: We were.
Hacker: We were? When did we stop?
Sir Humphrey: [checks his watch] Seventeen minutes ago.
Unfortunately our civil servant here in the US in charge of intelligence seems to be lacking in that regard.
On the post: David Gregory Suggests Glenn Greenwald May Be A Criminal For Doing Journalism
In America what the hell happened to the concept of
On the post: NSA Now Revealing A Lot More About What It Does Than Snowden Leaks Did; So Is That Harming America?
1) Bradly Manning being charged with 34 violations one of which carries the death penalty.
2) IRS targeting conservative groups.
3) The Benghazi cover-up (which is actually 3 scandals in one)
- The failure of administration to protect the Benghazi mission.
- The changes made to the talking points in order to suggest the attack was motivated by an anti-Muslim video.
- The refusal of the White House to say what President Obama did the night of the attack.
4) The criminalizing of an NSA whistleblower Ed Snowden.
5) The Justice Department massive data gathering of Associated Press reporters' phone records as part of a leak investigation.
6) The Justice Department accusing Fox News reporter James Rosen of being a criminal for reporting about classified information and subsequently monitored his phones and emails.
I could actually go on but these are most of the major ones. Now tell me again exactly who is harming America?
On the post: NSA Now Revealing A Lot More About What It Does Than Snowden Leaks Did; So Is That Harming America?
Yelling at my TV
My poor wife... I was in a foul mood the rest of the day.
On the post: Accessing A Public Website Is Not A Crime, And Craigslist Should Back Away From Its Lawsuit Claiming Such
Reason for CL behavior -- Their TOS is very closed
It is expressly prohibited to post content to craigslist using any automated means. Users must post all content personally and manually through all steps of the posting process. It is also expressly prohibited for any user to develop, offer, market, sell, distribute or provide an automated means to perform any step of the posting process (in whole or in part). Any user who develops, offers, markets, sells, distributes or provides an automated means to perform any step of the posting process (in whole or in part) shall be responsible and liable to CL for each instance of access to craigslist (by any user or other third party) using that automated means.
On the post: Intellectual Ventures Sues Google/Motorola Mobility Yet Again, Using Highly Questionable Nokia Patents
They should sue the NSA
They could even join Rand Paul's class action suit against the NSA. Finally we would have a case for patent trolling that would actually be in the interest of the public.
On the post: Study: Gamers Better, Faster At Interpreting Visual Input
Re: How many gamers does it take to change a light bulb?
Next >>