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Big Brother isn’t watching you (Bush Administration Wants to Bail Out Obama)
Washington Post ^ | Monday, June 10 | Marc A. Thiessen

Posted on 06/10/2013 12:18:06 PM PDT by nickcarraway

Apparently the “chilling effect” of Justice Department leak investigations on communications between government officials and the press has not been so chilling after all.

It certainly did not deter former CIA employee and National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, who has admitted that he is the principal source of recent leaks to The Post and the Guardian revealing top-secret NSA programs tracking terrorist communications.

The exposure of the PRISM program under which the NSA monitors foreign terrorists on the Internet, as well as the leak of a top-secret court order requiring Verizon to share calling data with the government, are incredibly damaging to national security. These leaks give terrorists information they did not have about our collection activities. They undermine the willingness of American companies to cooperate with us because these leaks have put their international reputations at risk. And they teach everyone — including sources and liaison partners — not to work with us because we cannot keep a secret.

But instead of being outraged by the damage done by these leaks, critics on the left and right are criticizing the NSA for undertaking activities that are lawful, constitutional and absolutely vital to protecting the country.

Calm down, folks. Big Brother is not watching you.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 4thamendment; bigbrother; cfr; illegalgovernment; impeach; lawlessgovernment; nwo; patriotact; policestate; prism
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To: OneWingedShark

The founders had it right, because they had a biblical basis for reality and the nature of man.

Humans are inherently flawed and sinful.

They cannot be allowed positions of power over others.

The humanists on the left reject this view of mankind,
accepting the alternate reality of “you will be as gods, knowing good and evil”.


41 posted on 06/10/2013 1:17:38 PM PDT by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter admits whom he's working for)
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To: duckworth
RE :”WE NEED TO GO BACK TO THE PRE-BUSH, PRE-CLINTON, PRE-OBAMA DAYS. IN THE NEXT ELECTION: NO BUSHES, NO CLINTONS, NO OBAMAS “

I figure 2016 will be Clinton vs Bush again, with our luck.

42 posted on 06/10/2013 1:21:48 PM PDT by sickoflibs (To GOP : Any path to US citizenship IS putting them ahead in line. Stop lying about your position.)
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To: nickcarraway

The Big Government Party always circles the wagons when the peons and serfs show signs of restlessness.


43 posted on 06/10/2013 1:24:03 PM PDT by Iron Munro (Obama-Ville - Land of The Freebies, Home of the Enslaved)
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To: nickcarraway
Yes, Big Sister absolutely IS watching, or at least amassing usage records sufficient to build up a remarkable profile on anyone in them. Were the government truly playing by the rules this needn't be quite so alarming, but this administration isn't, and concerns that this tool will be abused are not unjustified, nor are they to be brushed off lightly by the likes of Mr. Thiessen, assuring us in his avuncular tone not to worry, little guy, it's all right, and Those Who Know Best truly have our interests at heart. Dude, these were the guys in charge of my draft physical way back when. I know about the government and its warm maternal love.

We are scolded by such apologists as William Kristol that it is a mistake to conflate the known IRS abuses with suspected NSA abuses. It is nothing of the sort. The two are inextricably linked, and the link is trust, or rather a trust forfeited by abuse. The passage of the Patriot Act was an act of trust. Its manifestations have raised serious questions. It is time for those to be addressed openly and not hidden behind the flag of convenience that is "national security". And when citizens like me see the likes of Feinstein and Rogers brushing the air with their lordly fingertips and assuring me that all is well and just shut up, that trust isn't coming back.

44 posted on 06/10/2013 1:28:13 PM PDT by Billthedrill
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To: Cyman
When this all broke I predicted then that Pres Bush will come out in support of the spying. I still believe he will.

The technology itself isn't the issue when used as designed... to listen in on foreign terrorists. Obama has taken it upon himself to use it for purposes it wasn't intended to be used for.

The technology isn't the problem. Obama is the problem.

45 posted on 06/10/2013 1:33:01 PM PDT by Cementjungle
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To: nickcarraway

Read my tagline.
I didn’t like it when Bush did it but I knew the liberals would be on him like a duck on a junebug if he crossed lines. There is no one watching now.
Quid pro quo


46 posted on 06/10/2013 1:37:03 PM PDT by griswold3 (Quis custodiet ipsos custodes)
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To: nickcarraway
It certainly did not deter former CIA employee and National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden

As long as you ignore the part where he lied about his health to take a leave, quit his job, moved out of his apartment, left the country, stayed one night in a hotel and checked out of that, and speculated openly that the Obama administration might send its own agents, agents from "friendly" countries, or China's organized crime family "Triad" to kill him, no it doesn't sound like he's afraid at all.

47 posted on 06/10/2013 1:38:31 PM PDT by jiggyboy (Ten percent of poll respondents are either lying or insane)
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To: nickcarraway
Why does the NSA need to collect all that data? One former national security official explained it to me this way: If you want to connect the dots and stop the next attack, you need to have a “field of dots.”

This is more BS than I saw this morning penning cows for market. This administration isn't connecting dots for National security, they're connecting dots to identify opposition.

48 posted on 06/10/2013 1:38:53 PM PDT by liberalh8ter (The only difference between flash mob 'urban yutes' and U.S. politicians is the hoodies.)
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To: nickcarraway

What a pi$$er! We hear what a great job the NSA is doing in preventing terrorism, yet they were bumbling idiots in failing to prevent the Boston bombing brothers. These two killers were posting on Facebook, the Russkies warned us about one, he went to Dagestan to join up with Islamists, duh he had to use a passport.....and our crack snoops blew it. Maybe had they spent more time preventing terrorism instead of looking into Bam’s political enemies more folks would be alive today. Quite frankly, who trusts the government?


49 posted on 06/10/2013 1:47:34 PM PDT by kenmcg (scapegoat)
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To: nickcarraway

Look, I do not want the government warehousing tons of data on free and innocent citizens. Sorry, it is immoral and unnecessary.

Frankly, Eric Holder is a moron who couldn’t find a parking spot in Texas! The Russians hand us the Boston bombers and we still screw it up! I am not sure the Obama team is competent - so what is the use of gathering this information, besides politics?

Here is a tip: Find terrorists and surveil them - leave the citizens alone. The number of Islamic terrorists is quite small, stay in that sample, do not track free people without a reason.

Remember Hillary and the 900 FBI personnel files - just all that juicy information they could use for political reasons. What do you think they would do with every computer keystroke of 300 million Americans. I want it destroyed! I don’t want Axelrod going through this.

This Administration has admitted being behind the Stuxnet virus so that Obama could take a victory lap - a disgraceful lack of professionalism and and a betrayal of duty to the security of this nation. This was done so that he could be re-elected. That is why Holder is not looking for that leak! This is why the NSA information will be compromised.


50 posted on 06/10/2013 2:50:54 PM PDT by Titus-Maximus (Light from Light)
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To: no-to-illegals

:-)


51 posted on 06/10/2013 4:21:59 PM PDT by going hot (Happiness is a momma deuce)
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To: duckworth

From the roof tops


52 posted on 06/10/2013 4:24:17 PM PDT by going hot (Happiness is a momma deuce)
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To: nickcarraway

53 posted on 06/10/2013 4:34:44 PM PDT by Earthdweller (Harvard won the election again...so what's the problem.......? Embrace a ruler today.)
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