Posted on 08/20/2013 7:59:10 AM PDT by Cheerio
“The National Security Agency’s capability at any time could be turned around on the American people, and no American would have any privacy left, such is the capability to monitor everything: telephone conversations, telegrams, it doesn’t matter. There would be no place to hide. If a dictator ever took over, the N.S.A. could enable it to impose total tyranny, and there would be no way to fight back.”—Senator Frank Church (1975)
We now find ourselves operating in a strange paradigm where the government not only views the citizenry as suspects but treats them as suspects, as well. Thus, the news that the National Security Agency (NSA) is routinely operating outside of the law and overstepping its legal authority by carrying out surveillance on American citizens is not really much of a surprise. This is what happens when you give the government broad powers and allow government agencies to routinely sidestep the Constitution.
(Excerpt) Read more at canadafreepress.com ...
Round up the usual suspects.
No wait, we have the technology, round up everybody!
“If a dictator ever took over, the N.S.A. could enable him/her to impose total tyranny, and there would be no way to fight back.”
IF? WTF do you think we have in the White Hut right now?
In this digital age, we need a permanent “Church commission” with broad powers to smack down the secret squirrels as needed.
It’s already out of control. Even if laws are passed to eliminate this spying, they’ll just do it anyway.
Yep. The genie is out of the bottle.
That could be the reason for the Obama free cell phones.
The government does not treat us like suspects.
Suspects have rights.
Correct. To the current leadership, laws are just words on paper. This is all about unchecked power. Those with more and bigger guns will determine what is right and wrong and who will be held accountable.
What do they mean “if a dictator ever takes over” What do they think we have now?
Can anyone produce hard evidence of any US person having had their personal communications intercepted? Time up/time down, frequency, type of equipment used, names, addresses, transcripts of conversations? I’m from Missouri on this one. As a retired NSA Officer, I’d like to see some proof. Having spent decades on the tip of the spear, overseas, I was reasonably familiar with the process.
We do. It is caused OVERSIGHT by the LEGISLATIVE AND JUDICIARY. They just never meet. They just turn a blind eye to tyranny. They have gone dark.
Ax, How long ago did you retire? Thank you for serving your country. Words from people like you do help calm people down a bit.
Technology is a wonderful thing. But in the case of Privacy it is working strongly against it. It’s not just the NSA, companies like Google are tracking us in everything we do on the Internet.
A smartphone has a GPS, Microphone, Camera, etc. that can be used against us.
We need much stronger and effective privacy laws.
I can check my credit score at any time. We should be able to examine the information that the Government and companies are holding on us and have it deleted. (Unless someone is really a criminal suspect).
Don’t think this will happen, way to much money in knowing everything about us and the Government wants the power.
There is a way to fight back—turn off the cell phones—communicate in new ways. Develope systems that can not be tracked. That or Swamp the System! They can’t arrest everyone.
That is EXACTLY where we find ourselves today!
This is NO LONGER a government deriving its powers from the people but a government which decides everyday to expand their powers without any constitutional worries.
Once a government reaches this level of unilateral control over itself, no election/elections can possibly change enough of it to restore it to its constitutional limits. At levels much deeper than elected officials, the core of government is now self sustaining and under self control.
At this point we do NOT need anyone else to PROVE NSA interceptions as they have already, and reluctantly admitted they have done it.
Their admission also PROVES Clapper committed perjury before Congress and should be behind bars but as I see it right now almost every Federal position, elected or not, has a permanent “Stay Out Of Jail” card.
We now have our own KGB (DHS) along with the FBI, CIA, IRS, NSA, FDA, EPA... who have the ability to slap down any citizen who dares question Fearless Reader or any government official.
Slick question, as the NSA makes it a crime for an ISP to even acknowledge a request was made. FISA bars companies from even acknowledging they have received such requests.
The quote is from 1975.
“The quote is from 1975.”
Does that matter? It’s still relevant to our situation today isn’t it?
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