Posted on 06/22/2015 7:33:22 AM PDT by rickyrikardo
I’m in control of myself and that’s it. I never got into Skype, Facebook, MySpace, or any other social media. I’ve deliberately obfuscated my online existence, and I’ve enjoyed relative anonymity insomuch as you can’t find out much about me through a web search. I do understand, as you’ve pointed out, that my friends and family may very well have pictures of me up on the Internet, and I recognize that there’s little can do about it.
It’s about responsibility for oneself. I can’t do anything about the idiots around me.
Been surfing “without a net” since dial-up days for that very reason.
‘Cept for the free stuff that never lasts and even then cringing when I installed it, an not feeling or being a bit more secure the whole time.
“Are you seriously trying to excuse spying on American citizens?”
I would suggest you read what I said. Where did I excuse spying on American Citizens? Quote me please. Examine my comment at the link. I only addressed whether NSA could legally develop a tool to spy on foreign terrorists if that tool could also be used to spy on Americans. Show me a tool that cannot be used for both purposes.
“And to date their super snoop programs have yielded exactly ZERO hits on actual bad guys.”
If you believe that, then you should be buying bridges in Brooklyn. No spy agency will ever admit it’s successes. For example, all during the Cold War, the CIA insisted it had never successfully placed a spy in the Soviet Union. Now, we are finding they certainly did.
These agencies won’t admit their successes since they know politicians cannot be trusted to keep the mouths shut and will spill the beans as soon as they are told.
There are a bunch of conspiracy nuts that are spreading a bunch of BS so the gullible will continue to subsidize their newsletters, websites, and blogs.
Now, I asked some very specific questions in the link you provided. Try answering those questions.
“Should NSA be allowed to ignore all the laws against “reverse engineering “and so on” In other words is breaking the laws o.k. of the government does it?”
Can you cite the law that makes this illegal for NSA? All spy agencies are continuously “reverse engineering” all sorts of things. Spies just do that.
I did read it.
And it is still BS.
You want to answer the questions? If those are all BS, you shouldn’t have much trouble answering them. How about just one? Maybe this one?
Weapons provided to the US Army could be used against citizens. Does that mean the US Army should not be allowed to develop weapons? Or should the US Army be banned from developing weapons that can only be used against terrorists?
You kept trying to excuse government snooping on us with “well, what if” comments.
In the years since
9/11, exactly ZERO enemy agents have been caught using that program.
None.
Not a single one.
“Weapons provided to the US Army could be used against citizens. “
Congrats, you just made one of the most asinine statements I have ever seen AND in defense of government spying on US citizens!
It is so asinine that I have to ping Jim to read it.
Seriously, you are trying to defend NSA spying on citizens by using that line?
And let me point out for you: the NSA is currently at this moment spying on the citizenry.
Nothing hypothetical about it.
“Seriously, you are trying to defend NSA spying on citizens by using that line?”
You haven’t read what I posted. Where did I say NSA should spy on US citizens? I have limited my comments to the question of whether NSA should be allowed to develop tools to facilitate spying. Even if those tools could also be used to spy on US Citizens.
Let me put this very simply, do you think NSA should be banned from tapping phones in Iran if the same technology could be used to tap a phone in Cleveland?
My question about weapons development is directly analogous with NSA developing spying tools.
Feel free to ping Jim again.
Yes I did read it.
You’re full of crap and bandying hypotheticals.
NSA is currently at this moment spying on Americans.
Their activity has not caught one single enemy agent, ever.
They are NOT listening to Iran, that is the problem.
What part of that is so hard to understand?
And yes, you continue to defend it!
“My point is this: if you don’t like this kind of thing then explain how NSA can build a spy tool that cannot be used to spy on citizens.”
No, you don’t have a point, nor do you have a creative thought in your mind on how this might be accomplished.
The NSA can have all the tools they want. They just can’t use them against US citizens - but they do anyway.
So, one could prosecute those involved in spying on Americans without a warrant.
The NSA could bend over backwards to delete information that they believe is about US citizens.
So MY point is that how is it that the NSA can deploy tools that cannot exclude data from US citizens for which they do not have a valid warrant?
You can say that I’m “full of crap and bandying hypotheticals”, but you cannot answer the questions I asked can you?
Uh, I did answer you.
Not one single enemy agent has been caught via this program which has been in use against AMERICAN CITIZENS and NOT THE ENEMY since sometime shortly after 9/11.
That means it is useless for what it’s stated original purpose supposedly was.
If you want to keep defending such waste and violation of our rights, be my guest!
No, you have not answered a single one of my questions.
Here’s another question for you. How do you know these spying programs have not been effective? Because NSA said so?
For years, the CIA denied having active agents in the USSR. Turns out they had many. I guess we should have cancelled their funding for lack of success?
Neither will NSA say they’ve had successes since politicians will immediately demand to know exactly who, when, where, and how? And then go on the Sunday talk shows to brag about it.
It looks like you didn’t like the answer.
Dzokhar tsarneav would have been caught before the marathon bombing if the program worked AND they were busy actually looking at people likely to be a threat.
Since they were busy looking at political opposition instead, you don’t seriously think it was only the IRS targeting conservatives do you, they fell flat on their butts.
Continue trying to excuse it, it is vastly amusing to watch someone make excuses for third Reich style behavior.
I am not aware of the exceptions for government in the laws defining various crimes.
Would you kindly cite some?
I guess you are comfortable with the idea of do as I say,not as I do.
“Dzokhar tsarneav would have been caught before the marathon bombing if the program worked AND they were busy actually looking at people likely to be a threat.”
So, your theory is:
- NSA is conducting spying operations within the US (contrary to US law, BTW).
- If NSA was really looking for terrorists they would have stopped Tsarneav.
- NSA did not catch Tsarneav because they are under orders not to spy on muslims.
- The majority of terrorists are muslims.
Therefore, spying on terrorists is a cover for spying operations on US citizens.
Does that pretty much sum it up?
I’m not aware of laws prohibiting ‘reverse engineering” products. Care to cite them?
Are you seriously that stupid?
The NSA is currently spying on the citizenry, that has been reported and proven, repeatedly.
The cellphone monitoring program, if it worked, would have caught Dzokhar Tsarneav and his brother because they used exclusively cellphones and facebook for communication, planning, and bragging.
And TO DATE the NSA program has done NOTHING to catch anyone.
And you sure dance a fine jig, but you still are defending domestic spying.
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