Not much blog time lately, but I'd like to throw this out here, because I haven't made up my mind about the whole NSA telephone record thing:
1) Didn't we already hear about this "secret" program?
2) People say they want government oversight and control of so many other things, including national healthcare, utilities (remember, the big dishonest corporations can't be trusted), why are we so shocked and concerned when we learn that the big G can track our phone calls? I assumed that they could anyway! If they want to, the police can already tell where you are when you're on your cell phone.
I know that ready access to that info is creepy. I don't like it either. However, I can't help but think that we asked for this when we began demanding faster, cheaper, better and more convenient everything. If it is being used the way that they say it is, tracking patters of pin-pointed suspects, then it really does fall under the category of a policing approach to fighting terrorism that the Bushys got slammed for not taking on as a tactic. Still, I don't see how a dragnet of the info is needed if they already know who they're watching. Seems like that much data would be overwhelming to a targeted investigation.
O.K. Now, rip my observations to shreds.
I guess I am feeling bloggie.
16 comments:
I am more pissed at the friggin' corporations who got paid for the info. They participated in a secret government operation that invades a person's right to privacy AND they profited from it?
I don't want a record somewhere of a dirty phone call I had just cuz I said "bush" a bunch of times along with the phrase "do some damage." Explain that to your mom.
Nope, you're right on OD. Let's not fool ourselves here. The G-men have been watching us ever since the Cold War. Now they're just more adept at it. You have to take comfort in the fact they don't have the manpower or resources to go after every crime they may uncover. It's like a cop on patrol--he's not pulling over every guy who's doing 5 mph over the limit, just me (rat bastard!!). These efforts are specific in nature. Everyone gets jumpy at the prospect these powers would be used indiscriminately. I'd like to see them try. It would cripple the government. 300 million lyin', cheatin', porn watchin' Americans can't be stopped.
In 30 years our current privacy concerns will seem quaint.
I agree, P Dawg. Still, I'll go off the grid if they try to implant a chip in me, if they haven't already.
I'm gonna implant some chips right now. In my belly!
Re: point number one - yes, we already heard about the program but we are hearing about it now because there is a nomination - Hagar the Not So Bad.
This is politics.
By the way, having this fight will help g bushy and his lower than Carter approval rating. I can't believe that certain Democrats are stupid enough to play into their hands. Wait, yes I can believe the Dems are stupid enough to do that.
And the Carter I am talking about is BILLY CARTER!!!!!!!!!!!
Let's face it, NSA has had the ability to record every phone call on the grid for a while now. The part that worries me is the end-arounds Bush keeps running. I guess I'd just rather know that the G-Man bored to death listening to my calls had been checked and balanced...
I was going to do a wild rant about this, then sometime earlier this week my nuts fell clean off.
My stance isn't that they could do something like this, but rather that they would.
I may be the last crazy libertarian in this damned country, but I find it reprehensible that the government feels the need to archive personal information on private citizens.
This action is directly in violation of the fourth amendment.
Furthermore, the government doesn't have the manpower to sift through a data field of this magnitude. This leads me to believe that this information will be sold/given to commercial interests.
I don't care what your political affiliation is, but no one should accept the brokering of their telephone records for financial gain.
As Mike mentioned, the true fault lies with the telephone companies that SOLD this information to the federal government in the first place. Today I cancelled my Verizon service, and did what I should have done a long time ago, I switched to Vonage.
As distasteful as I find class-action lawsuits, I will sign the first piece of paper that some cock-sucking ambulance-chaser waves in front of my face to sue Verizon.
Also, the governement didn't just archive a bunch of numbers. They also have a contract with another company that has the ability to cross reference all the telephone records so they know who placed the call and all kinds of personal info. So those fuckers are profiting off this shit big time too.
Finaly, what the fuck is up with Cheney starting fights with Russia and then kissing up to Kazakstan? McLaughlin (Yes, I am a dork who wastes his Saturday afternoons watching The McLaughlin Group)thinks it was wired to help boost Bushy's approval ratings.
Yeah, I saw that too.
Hey Joe, you might get your beloved cold war back after all.
Uh, I don't want it anymore.
I watched that episode of McLaughlin too. Can it be that Michael agreed with Pat Buchanan on something?
Michael and Pat, sittin' in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g!
It's weird but, within the confines of that show, Pat often comes off as a reasonable guy. Where was this person when he was trying to get elected?
I just watch to see Eleanor yell at that smug asshole Tony Blankley every week. What a dick. It's such a great recipe for a show. Add shit, stir.
Found this little gem today: http://blogs.abcnews.com//theblotter
/2006/05/federal_source_.html
I suppose we did always know but the line I believe was crossed was that this behavior became legal without warrants after sept. 11, 2001.
It didn't become legal. The administration just found lawyers to argue that the laws don't apply to the executive branch.
It really is as simple as that.
good god damn...
he does have the juice.
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