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Today's Poll: Does fighting terrorism justify the NSA spying on U.S. Citizens?

By Howard B. Owens
Kim Grant

I'd like to give you a couple of thumbs up Doug. I especially like the mindset that if you're not doing anything wrong then what does it matter if you're being watched.

Jun 24, 2013, 10:28am Permalink
Dave Olsen

"The three aims of the tyrant are, one, the humiliation of his subjects; he knows that a mean-spirited man will not conspire against anybody; two, the creation of mistrust among them; for a tyrant is not to be overthrown until men begin to have confidence in one another -- and this is the reason why tyrants are at war with the good; they are under the idea that their power is endangered by them, not only because they will not be ruled despotically, but also because they are too loyal to one another and to other men, and do not inform against one another or against other men -- three, the tyrant desires that all his subjects shall be incapable of action, for no one attempts what is impossible and they will not attempt to overthrow a tyranny if they are powerless."
Aristotle

"The constitutional right of free speech has been declared to be the same in peace and war. In peace, too, men may differ widely as to what loyalty to our country demands, and an intolerant majority, swayed by passion or by fear, may be prone in the future, as it has been in the past, to stamp as disloyal opinions with which it disagrees."
Justice Louis Brandeis

"The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself"
Franklin Delano Roosevelt

"We are willing enough to praise freedom when she is safely tucked away in the past and cannot be a nuisance. In the present, amidst dangers whose outcome we cannot foresee, we get nervous about her, and admit censorship."
E.M. Forster

Jun 24, 2013, 10:19am Permalink
Doug Yeomans

Jack, please turn in your guns, have an RFID tag implanted into your body and have a bar code tattooed into your forearm. It's all for the good of the people...errr....sheeple. I've had the privilege of talking to people that survived the wrath of the third Reich. Listening to them was horrifying.

If you don't think something like that could ever happen here, you should open your eyes, because it already is. The ruling class is slow cooking the frogs, and the frogs don't seem to care.

Ed Snowden is not a traitor or a criminal. He exposed the NSA for their warrantless spying on every American. Jack, you might think that's okay, but I don't.

Jun 24, 2013, 4:26pm Permalink
Jack Dorf

Doug, Snowden has shown no evidence at all. As of right now just words out of his mouth. Until he shows hard verifiable evidence he is a criminal and a traitor IMO.

Jun 24, 2013, 5:03pm Permalink
Dave Olsen

Jack: "If it stops 1 terror attack or saves 1 American life then 100% yes. Which it already has"

Where's the hard verifiable evidence for that?

Jun 24, 2013, 6:03pm Permalink
Dave Olsen

Jack, sorry I didn't think of this before. The proof is in the pudding, my friend. The NSA and FBI admitted it when they were trying to defend doing it in front of congress last week. What more proof do you need?

Jun 24, 2013, 6:30pm Permalink
Daniel Jones

Jack - You're arguing with people who are flabbergasted that someone could have a different, but equally well thought out, perspective than they do on any given issue. They speak in absolutes and confuse their opinions for facts, they reject any evidence that you provide as it doesn't fit into their own mold. Do you know of any other movement that claims to be the sole arbiter of 'freedom'? As a Democrat to a Republican (at least that's the vibe I'm getting), you're wasting your time trying to argue with libertarians. Anyone who rejects pragmatism and thinks that abandoning compromise is somehow principled is not worth mainstream discourse.

Jun 24, 2013, 10:41pm Permalink
Ed Hartgrove

Well, it's late Monday night (EST), and, apparently (or so it SEEMS), Snowden has managed to 'just slip away in the nick of time', AGAIN!!!
Or did he?
Has anyone even considered that maybe, JUST MAYBE, the 'Administration' doesn't WANT to catch him?
How many hundreds (or thousands) of times, have we heard people say that they believe that the Obama Administration is doing everything they can to bring this country down?
What better way, than to have an 'operative' sneak off with our 'secrets' (or, as some would say, our 'dirty little secrets'?
Well, sure, THAT, alone, won't sink us. But, add this to that, and to that, and to that, and ........ well, I think you get the idea.
And, if you clicked on the link that Doug provided, and read the EEF article, why do we even bother making up user names and passwords for our emails? If the gov't can read them, do you really believe that today's 'hotshot hackers' aren't capable of doing it?
Oh, don't take any of what I write as serious. It's just that, sometimes, I like to hop out of the 'BOX', and see things from the other angle (that would be -180-degrees).

Jun 24, 2013, 10:43pm Permalink
Tim Miller

For anybody who believes that "only criminals/terrorists have something to hide/fear", I give this short, two-word answer: Sheriff Joe.

Longer answer - Sheriff Joe Arpiao in Arizona has had a stranglehold on law enforcement in Maricopa County, AZ (Phoenix area) for many years, and has used his office to harass, charge, and arrest political opponents. The Politburo would be proud of his being able to learn from them.

But not to worry - he's just being "tough on crime"....

Jun 24, 2013, 11:03pm Permalink
Dave Olsen

Yeah OK Dan, you of course are the epitome of reason and never, ever speak in absolutes or claim moral authority, do you? I'm about as insulted as the kettle was when the pot said he was black.

And hive mind? well, I suppose there is quite a bit of buzz around the country these days about the mess your buddy Obama is making.

Jun 25, 2013, 1:12am Permalink
John Roach

Not only is the spying wrong, but the collected information should be destroyed at once unless the NSA/Obama can show to a court that some part needs to be kept.

Jun 25, 2013, 7:12am Permalink

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