Posted on 06/09/2013 7:02:20 AM PDT by Kaslin
You dont trust President Barack Obama?
No faith in the massive federal bureaucracy? Dont hold a huge reservoir of confidence in Congress representing your interests? How much do you trust the federal courts that handle secret requests from the Department of Justice . . .and then issue secret decisions based on the judges secret interpretation of the law?
Be advised: President Obama finds your lack of faith disturbing.
If people cant trust not only the executive branch, but also dont trust Congress and dont trust federal judges to make sure were abiding by the Constitution, due process, and rule of law, Mr. Obama told reporters, then were going to have some problems here.
Lets put partisanship aside and agree with his conclusion. Indeed, there are problems galore; the morning paper reads like a dystopian novel.
Uncle Sam or Big Brother (it is increasingly difficult to tell them apart) is snatching a record of every phone call you make, including to whom you are calling, from where you call, and how long you talk. And, but for a leak of classified information, we wouldnt be worrying our pretty little heads about it.
Still, no one is listening to your telephone calls the POTUS reassures, as if the Feds knowing every phone call you make, when, where and to whom, isnt a serious enough violation of your privacy. Of course, if the FBI or NSA or CIA are listening to the content of calls, its surely classified and you wont be told.
But trust him.
Or trust that good ol Congress! I think at the outset, explained the president, its important to understand that your duly elected representatives have been consistently informed on exactly what were doing.
Considering congressional approval ratings, that point strikes me as less than assuring.
Its nonsensical, too. The few members of the House and Senate intelligence committees who receive classified briefings (the entire Congress is not informed) are sworn to secrecy. Even if they disagree with whats happening, their hands are tied. They cant do very much about it.
Moreover, the few congressmen informed only know what they are told. Thats hardly oversight.
Its not just all of your phone records, either, the National Security Agency and the FBI are tapping into the servers at Apple, AOL, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Skype, Yahoo, YouTube, etc., and capturing your personal information emails, pictures of kids and grandkids, financial information. The administration argues the companies have agreed to this surreptitious government snooping, but the companies publicly deny it.
Again, the Great O assures you that they are not reading your emails. But doesnt he mean not at the moment?
They are also reportedly grabbing all your credit card information. Who is they? I think that information is classified.
Its all legal, though. Or so were told. But no law passed by Congress not the Patriot Act or any other can overrule our constitutional rights.
The FISA courts, created by the Foreign Surveillance and Intelligence Act, are not lawful in approving secret government requests to violate the Fourth Amendment rights of virtually every American in a secret proceeding without any countervailing party to raise objections and without any ability to appeal a decision.
Even supporters of the FISA court easily admit that its essentially a rubber stamp. According to several reports, Big Sam er, Uncle Brother I mean, the government has never had a request denied.
Setting up a secret court and whispering the secrets to a few members of Congress who promise not to tell isnt a meaningful check on power. The only group I have any confidence in, the public, is kept in the dark.
President Obama tells us there are compelling national security interests, upon which our rights must be balanced. You know, when I came into this office, he offered, I made two commitments that are more important than any commitment I make: number one, to keep the American people safe and, number two, to uphold the Constitution, and that includes what I consider to be a constitutional right to privacy and an observance of civil liberties.
His priorities are flipped. Mr. Obama is required to take an oath, which he swore twice, to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. There is no addendum about keeping people safe.
The president should, of course, do all he can to keep the American people safe. But he does not have a choice to do so at the expense of abiding by the Constitution, including the Fourth Amendment . . . the Second . . . the First . . . and all the others.
Otherwise, there are going to be problems. [further reading]
Nothing that a lockdown of all financial institution transactions and a billion rounds of ammo can't solve...
The "we put in place" phrase may, or may not, be significant here, but in these times, the words are not reassuring safeguards for the liberty of these or future generations.
Congress hasn't done much to endear trust. The courts? Ask John Roberts about that, regarding Bammycare.
But the real winner in the "pants on fire" competition is the executive branch! Treasury department? One of the very first things done is install a tax cheat as the Sec-Treasury! His excuse? Oops! Turbo Tax made a mistake (for which I still think they should have sued the hell out of him, demanding that he demonstrate exactly how their tax software failed!). I simply can't think of a single thing where they could be trusted.
Mark
Then trouble it is.
Setting up a secret court and whispering the secrets to a few members of Congress who promise not to tell.
Saaaay didn’t something like happen in Germany?.
My email has been running real slow lately..lots of errors and slow loading. I guess my censor has trouble reading my stuff.
He is talking to the low cognition voter here. This isn’t meant for anyone affiliated with the tea party or who is politically adversarial to him. He doesn’t care that they know this about them. In fact, this whole system of terrorizing the citizen is useless UNLESS his “enemies” (his words) know about it and fear it.
Maybe if you type how much we can trust the gubbment maybe it will speed up?.
Sounds to me like he’s laying the ground work for another government takeover.
He’s saying my polls are good so you trust me, it’s all the rest of gov’t that you don’t trust soooo, I’ll be taking over everything now.
The continuing elimination of the constitution and the bill of rights. Fascism is overtaking Washington DC
So, tell me someone, does this mean that this secrecy oath supersedes the Constitutional Oath? Somehow, I think not.
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