Rt's Nsa Whistleblower Interview

[Dawnslayer]

If any of you have been perusing YouTube in the last 24 hours, you may have noticed this video from Russia Today on the front page:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuET0kpHoyM&feature=g-logo

Short version: a former NSA employee alleges that the U.S. government, right- and left-wing alike, is collecting every bit of information that everyone puts on the internet and storing it in a massive databank to be recalled and used at any time for any reason.

So here's the discussion: one, do you think the story is legitimate and his claims are sound; two, do you think the alleged actions are unconstitutional (or if not, are they a violation of Americans' civil liberties); three, assuming this is true, what do you think the implications are for Americans over the coming years; four, what action would you take as a citizen to reverse this trend and/or guard against the misuse of the information being collected?

[JMHX]

I didn't think this was an allegation. The government in court filings has admitted as much, but complains about Binney on the ground that his whistleblowing violates the Espionage Act and endangers national security by revealing material operating information about NSA programs. The rate of prosecutions related to whistleblowing on NSA programs has picked up in recent years, with President Obama one of the most prolific users of Espionage Act authority to charge government employees with material breaches of national security.

It's unfortunate, but the program itself is actually really interesting, if completely abhorrent to my beliefs.

And to get out ahead of leanlifter, this does not have anything to do with inflation or fiat currency.

[leanlifter1]

At 12/4/12 09:44 AM, JMHX wrote: whistleblowing violates the Espionage Act and endangers national security

I bet you are the first in Line for Government issue flu shots, Koolaid and RFID devices.

[JMHX]

At 12/4/12 10:53 AM, leanlifter1 wrote:

At 12/4/12 09:44 AM, JMHX wrote: whistleblowing violates the Espionage Act and endangers national security

I bet you are the first in Line for Government issue flu shots, Koolaid and RFID devices.

If you had ANY reading comprehension, you'd see that I went on to say that this offends my beliefs. I don't advocate prosecuting ANY whistleblower, but I'm also aware that those pesky Courts have been more than willing to follow-through Obama Administration prosecutions under the Espionage Act.

Jesus fucking Christ leanlifter, try reading for context for once instead of skimming a paragraph and shooting off some of your kneejerk anti-government shit. If you actually shut the fuck up and listened you'd find we actually agree on quite a few things.

[leanlifter1]

At 12/4/12 12:04 PM, JMHX wrote:

Jesus fucking Christ leanlifter, try reading for context for once instead of skimming a paragraph and shooting off some of your kneejerk anti-government shit. If you actually shut the fuck up and listened you'd find we actually agree on quite a few things.

You are still ignoring the fact of Fiat currency & Inflation.

[JMHX]

At 12/4/12 12:16 PM, leanlifter1 wrote:

At 12/4/12 12:04 PM, JMHX wrote:

You are still ignoring the fact of Fiat currency & Inflation.

Yes. Yes I am.

[orangebomb]

At 12/4/12 01:37 AM, Dawnslayer wrote: If any of you have been perusing YouTube in the last 24 hours, you may have noticed this video from Russia Today on the front page:

So here's the discussion:

one, do you think the story is legitimate and his claims are sound;

It sounds a little more legit than the average nut who says this, but with that said, I can't really buy it considering it's just allegations by someone who could have an axe to grind. I'm going to read up on this more before I can fully believe it myself.

two, do you think the alleged actions are unconstitutional (or if not, are they a violation of Americans' civil liberties);

Depends on the application. They actually do this with library books, where some books are red-flagged for content, but last time I checked, it's simply a guide. Since I don't buy the allegations yet, you got to take it with a grain of salt.

three, assuming this is true, what do you think the implications are for Americans over the coming years;

I would imagine that a large amount of the population would be upset and heads will probably roll, but there are still a good amount of people either don't know, don't care or even both. I do expect a huge grass-roots movement against the Espionage Act, although it's possible that nothing will change outright.

four, what action would you take as a citizen to reverse this trend and/or guard against the misuse of the information being collected?

Really, there isn't much we can do. Of course, the old addage of "you don't do anything wrong, you have nothing to fear" applies, but it seems like we're opening a can of worms with all this if we take action. As I said before, these are just allegations at this point, and I have to take it with a grain of salt because this person may have an axe to grind with the Obama administration.