PRISM makes strange bedfellows

1. 77

   Mighty Momposted 10 years ago

   Imagine a scandal that busted  partisanship wide open.
   A scandal so powerful it got people who could not be further apart politically
   agreeing. Or not quite agreeing, but aligning against the same government practice.
   
   Whether you think Edward Snowden is a hero or a traitor, whether you think
   the NSA's PRISM program is all part of Obama's planned takeover of the country or
   no different than what Bush and Cheney were doing all along...
   
   I find it a fascinating phenomenon to observe. I say "observe" because to point it 
   out is to risk stirring all the partisan vitriole back up. [And we wouldnt' want that.]
   
   Here's the funny thing:
   I cannot help but notice that my most right-wing conservative hater
   of all things libtard (especially Obama) friend from grammar school is
   actually siding with Michael Moore on this. shhhhhh.....
   Equally mind-blowing is to be a liberal (or at least Democrat) finding yourself
   in agreement (*gasp*) with Lindsey Graham and John Boehner.
   
   That's my observation.
   Feel free to use this thread to discuss the meat of the matter on government surveillance techniques, whistleblowers, or anything else that strikes your fancy!
   

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      aguasilverposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Fairly simple, the guy came to the realisation that what he was doing was leading inevitably to a totalitarian control system of par excellence that would allow whoever controlled it to keep tabs on everyone in it's database.
      
      Add to that bio metric scans, linked to no fly orders and add in DHS with the power to enter any home without warrant to arrest whoever they want on any pretext, and I can understand why he thought his 'sacrifice' was worth the effort.
      
      As a 62 year old dinosaur who growls a lot but is not dangerously active in my rebellion against authoritarian regimes, I care little about the long term effects of this.
      
      Personally I believe that the public will eventually at least attempt to stop this, and providing the police/military members retain some morality and common decency, we will stop it, and return to happier times.
      
      But for anyone less than say 40 years of age, the choice is between relative freedom and total control freak subservience to a totalitarian regime at some point in the near future.
      
      

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      Don Wposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      There is a big difference between collecting meta-data and listening/viewing people's private conversations/correspondence. I've not heard of any actual abuse, i.e. where someone's phone/email has been listened to or read illegal. I'm not saying that hasn't happened, but that is not what's been reported. They are reporting that a big database exists with lots of communications data in it. In fact they're not even reporting that. We know telecommunications companies, and the likes of Google, Microsoft etc. collect vast amounts of communications data. What's being reported is that law enforcement and security services can gain access to that data if they need it. Big deal. Seems a bit of a faux scandal to me.

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   janesixposted 10 years ago

   I normally don't touch politics with a ten-foot pole, but this is actually interesting.

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   1. 77

      Mighty Momposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      
      From a sociological point of view, it's pretty crazy.

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3. 74

   Reality Bytesposted 10 years ago

   The irony:
   
   The government has never been refused the proper authority to monitor any calls they wish.  All they had to do was ask! 
   
   Like giving your child a credit card with unlimited balance, and as soon as you give it to them, you catch them stealing from your wallet.  Like, WTF!~
   
   This proves the central agenda betwen the left/right paradigm, they both agree that tyranny is the best policy!

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   1. 64

      innersmiffposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Always beware of the "bi-partisan commission", that's when both parties cooperate together to stiff us more than they have been doing already.

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