Here is a key segment near the end... starts at the 10:45 mark. I just sent this to the writer I work for. This is a fairly accurate transcription of what he said. The guy is extremely well spoken, and the vibrations are also just as extremely sincere and genuine.
This is short and maybe the most frightening sentence he spoke; "It will be turnkey tyranny" He seems pretty sure the intelligence community will get to him one way or another
Also listen how he explains how easy it would be for anyone in his position to use the data to target and backfill information and turn anyone into anything you want to turn them into....and can happen even from perhaps mis-directed suspicion. He also said one in his position could shut the whole thing down in an afternoon. That means a planted sabatoge would be very easy. Just the discussion of the position he was in... how much he knew and had access to. So imagine all the others in the same position. Then look at the out-of-control government we have now, and look at the persons in those dept positions that have sat before Congress and looked inept or just plain strange. This guy is light-years more intelligent and articulate than most I've seen before Congress. Also seems more understanding of Liberty vs. Political Power. Basically he's got his head on straight. Here are films to watch,... food for thought. SALT, Angelina Jolie ... how one might get inside an agency Eagle Eye, Shia LeBeouf... weak but makes the point Lots of films about working inside into a secret computer/data facility... or agency with a button to push. Pulled this off a web blog...
Hu chilling so say the gov't wants to know more about heads of conservative companies or maybe wanted information to discredit them and or maybe shut down their company or a 501 c 4 is it possible to think someone at the NSA could research all the data ( now we know the gov't has EVERYTHING) collected on such an individual> Nah the gov't would never use their force to target anyone would they?
In reply to: ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Nah the gov't would never use their force to target anyone would they? ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Great analysis that strikes at the heart of this story 6721. History has some lessons here -- Nixon, J.Edgar Hoover -- are the first to come to mind. Along with wondering if clues provided by the surveillance might have potentially yielded clues to thwart 9-11, the Boston Marathon bombing, etc. and who know what else. There is a lot to fear, but there is a lot to gain -- security wise -- from the massive data gathering that will uncover wrongdoers and terrorist plots. This is really and issue where two sides deserve hearing.
Now see? If I could understand the point Croc was trying to make I might respond but the lack of proper word usage renders any point he / she might have made too How was it Pharm phrased it? OH yes your post is too difficult to read. God forbid you should make an error ? "This is really and issue where two sides deserve hearing." sorry Croc I did get your meaning I see both sides of security but knowing they keep massive records on all of us for years is unsettling. and yet they totally missed the Boston Bombers confidence in this admin to do the right thing has sunk to zero
Crockett, The choice is simple. Do you want liberty, or do you want tyranny? Tyranny dressed up as "protection" and "safety", but tyranny nonetheless. Give me liberty every time.
Here's a more personal look at Snowden, from The Guardian. I'll provide an excerpt. Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind the NSA surveillance revelations "I'm willing to sacrifice all of that because I can't in good conscience allow the US government to destroy privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine they're secretly building."
I was casually talking to a co-worker last week about this and his response was "Well, I have nothing to hide." Therein lies the problem. We have a largely ignorant and complacent voting public.
Yeah. My wife said the same thing as your co-worker. They totally missed the point. It's like driving down the road and a cop pulls you over and demands to search your car. But it's really worse than that. Suppose you call a friend. That friend may have visited a certain web site or even made a phone call to a wrong number by hitting the wrong button. The surveillance system and its various algorithms might then categorize you as a suspect. You go on a no-fly list until somebody deems it OK to remove you from the list. Or maybe you made political statements in a chat room or on a board such as this one. Who's to say that Obama or perhaps another President down the road feels threatened and decides you are an enemy of the state. They then pour over everything you've ever said on line or over a phone, build a case (internally) and then either prosecute or simply have you disappeared. Sounds crazy, but the statutes are in place for something like this to happen. All it takes is having the wrong person/people in power.
Or judges, or just about anybody. The land of the free and the home of the brave is being replaced with the land of the spied on and the home of the apathetic. I'm not a conservative that gets riled up about every tiny thing the government does, but this **** it ridiculous and people should be taking to the streets.
I honestly don't care about the safety aspect. This country wasn't founded on being a safe place. It was founded to be a free place. Free from government intrusion into the daily lives of citizens to the extent possible.
NJ As I understand the program Bush admin put together it was for communications( at that time phone calls and emails) between here in USA and overseas. if we thought THAT was wrong imagine how capturing all communications of ANY sort of all Americans IN USA has sunk us? Bush has been gone nearly 5 years. All we can do is stop THIS admin. The crap coming out of there grows daily and is breath taking in its scope.You agree, right? YOu think it is partisan? Put a GOP in POTUS and let him et all pull the long list of crap going on now and see how partisan it is. NO POTUS needs to know the crap they are capturing. Are YOU NJ saying we shouldn't try to rein this in because it might appear partisan?
Its refreshing to see so many people here realizing that its both parties that are guilty. Yes, Bush DID IT. But Obama IS DOING IT now. Both sides are corrupt. It blows my mind that I have friends that dont care about this. They dont understand that privacy is inherently an important part of liberty.
2003 For me it is not only that I find getting every bit of info on ALL Americans is wrong but the real problem is this gov't doesn't seem to use what they get to help us or even go after the bad guys with the info Do they need every single bit of info on all of us to know the bostom bombers needed close watching?
Its interesting you bring up the Boston bombers. Our intelligenve had been warned about them by the Russians 2 or 3 years ago. PRISM or spying on Americans' e-mails isnt what alerted the CIA or NSA to those guys. And honestly, any smart terrorist isnt going to be blabbering on the internet or through e-mail their plots. They are going to do it via snail mail or other means, develop a code, and then use that. And yes, does the NSA need to database and record every single bit of private information I transfer to everyone I know for the next 25 years? No they dont. Its unfreakingconstitutional.
I'm torn between celebrating this dudes courage and throwing the book at him for treason. On the surface, I don't think the government should EVER be allowed to cast a net this wide. I lay that at the feet of Congress and the current and previous administrations. Congress acquiesced it's oversight role in this mess. The NSA is built to push the envelope as far as possible to snoop and protect "our" interests. It's the checks and balances that failed in my mind. America's response to 9/11 was a significant overreaction, IMHO. We are just now seeing how far we've overreacted. My judgement: Iraq...bad. Afghanistan...good. Patriot Act...bad. TSA...HORRIBLE. Homeland Security...jury is still out.
I think he may be a hero, time will tell. If the NSA is engaged in illegal and unconstitutional activity, nobody would ever know it unless it was exposed by another illegal (but morally defensible, imo) act like Snowden’s. I think he is sincere in his motivations. He knew very well that there would likely be nothing good for him to come from this—and perhaps something really bad.
He reportedly didn't have a Facebook, Twitter, or any social media accounts - at least not in his real name. Now I understand why.
How is blowing the whistle on something treason if the act the whistle is being blown on is illegal itself?
