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Paradise Lost: Paranoia Has Undermined US Democracy
Der Spiegel ^ | November 08, 2013 – 04:54 PM | Dirk Kirbjuweit

Posted on 11/10/2013 1:41:46 AM PST by Olog-hai

Agent Carrie Mathison is a topical figure. The main character in the American TV series “Homeland,” played by the wonderful Claire Danes, shows her true relevance in the first few episodes, in which Mathison is nervously sitting at home, observing and listening in on the life of a terror suspect on a large screen. His apartment is bugged and Mathison is determined to find out as much as she can about him. She is hysterical, bipolar, paranoid and sick—all advantageous traits for her job.

The real-life intelligence services of the United States take things much further than agent Carrie Mathison. They spy on just about anyone, even German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who, so far, has not been suspected of maintaining ties to Islamist terrorism, and yet whose cellphone was tapped. …

While paranoia legitimizes a dictatorship, it can achieve the opposite effect in a democracy. The United States is no longer a model of liberal democracy. That much has been made clear in light of mass surveillance, torture, the extralegal detention camp at Guantanamo and an isolationist ideology that leads to author Ilija Trojanow being denied entry to the country, presumably because of his criticism of American policy.

Other nations also have their fears, but they lack the power to turn the world upside down. Power and paranoia are a dangerous mix. …

(Excerpt) Read more at spiegel.de ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Government; News/Current Events; US: District of Columbia
KEYWORDS: espionage; nsa; obama; paranoia

1 posted on 11/10/2013 1:41:46 AM PST by Olog-hai
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To: Olog-hai

Oh, boy!

For decades now Germany has benefited from the U.S.’s military presence and intelligence operations. We’ve protected them.

Yes, we’ve spied on everyone we needed to in the past. We had to, all in order to keep POTUS informed of events around the world so he could make quick decisions possibly concerning the safety of millions of people.

What is happening now is definitely screwy: BHO2 is ordering intelligence gathering on just about everyone to justify gathering intelligence on U.S. citizens, particularly those he considers political enemies. Formerly, spying on Americans like this required a warrant, but the attack on New York’s World Trade Centers changed all that. The terrorists, Muslim terrorists, can come from inside the U.S. and are taking orders from Americans overseas in foreign lands.

The answer is simple: deport Muslim foreign nationals and keep Muslim Americans under constant surveillance. But we are not doing so and that will cost us dearly in the future.


2 posted on 11/10/2013 1:53:36 AM PST by SatinDoll (A NATURAL BORN CITIZEN: BORN IN THE USA OF USA CITIZEN PARENTS)
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To: Olog-hai

I could only make my way part way before I threw up.


3 posted on 11/10/2013 2:02:56 AM PST by Eagles6 (Valley Forge Redux)
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To: Eagles6

It’s a big bottle of Ipecac syrup, ain’t it.


4 posted on 11/10/2013 2:28:21 AM PST by Olog-hai
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To: Olog-hai
an isolationist ideology that leads to author Ilija Trojanow being denied entry to the country, presumably because of his criticism of American policy

Well deal with it. We didn't let him in. So sorry.

5 posted on 11/10/2013 2:53:44 AM PST by MarMema ("If Americans really wanted Obamacare, you wouldn't need a law to make them buy it." Ted Cruz)
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To: Olog-hai

Has anyone actually ever watched this piece of liberal propaganda garbage?

For the sake one’s mental and spiritual well-being I’d hope not.

And as for Germany and Merkel. They are all worried the US gov knows phone calls she made when they will not allow families to home school or leave their country to be free to home school.

They have their priorities mixed up and that is an understatement.


6 posted on 11/10/2013 3:11:15 AM PST by ifinnegan
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To: Olog-hai

I’m making the move from counter-terrorism over to cyber warfare & hacking...it’s growing and there’s a ton of openings right now...of course, the average geek doesn’t want to go through all the security background checks and polygraphs....but the US govt is leaning heavily towards full on cyber ops...this indicator alone should tell you where the US is heading...but then again, I didn’t vote for the fool in office either time and protested him even being on the ticket in the first place...but the News didn’t care nor did all the freaks that thought this was going to be a historical moment...oh - it’s historical alright...when the new Socialist Magazine about the triumph of the people is issued - I’m sure it will talk about such victories!


7 posted on 11/10/2013 3:27:05 AM PST by BCW (Salva reipublicae)
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To: Olog-hai
It's a mean, cruel, nasty world out there. The U.S. has done a lot of things to try to save the world from evil presences. Not everything we've done has worked or was a good idea. But like many leftists this author casually dismisses the threat communism posed pre-Reagan and now dismisses the Islamist threat.

So basically we're trying to defend the world against the Islamist terrorists and the continued assault by foreign lefties who would do nothing to stop the Islamists. In fact, Europe is importing as many Muslims as possible speeding their countries and continent to an eventual surrender to people still mentally living in the seventh century. And they're not even happy they have one of their own in the White House.

8 posted on 11/10/2013 5:25:37 AM PST by driftless2
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To: Olog-hai

WOW, how can one take an article seriously that is totally wrong in the title alone?

America is not and has never been a Democracy.


9 posted on 11/10/2013 5:27:05 AM PST by Mad Dawgg (If you're going to deny my 1st Amendment rights then I must proceed to the 2nd one...)
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To: ifinnegan

Liberals: troll, spew a bunch of lies and let people sort it out.

The scammer risks being prosecuted by the scammed, but when going on camera and making it “political”, the scammer wins all the time.


10 posted on 11/10/2013 6:06:18 AM PST by lavaroise
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To: Mad Dawgg

That reminds me: going back to 1984 in high school, they were teaching in ninth-grade civics class that the USA was a “representative democracy” rather than a republic. The poisoning of young minds has been going on a long time.


11 posted on 11/10/2013 8:46:12 AM PST by Olog-hai
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To: MarMema

Is the country much the worse for not letting him in?


12 posted on 11/10/2013 12:42:56 PM PST by The_Media_never_lie (Actually, they lie when it suits them! The crooked MS media must be defeated any way it can be done!)
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To: Olog-hai

Oh yeah. A gallon jug.


13 posted on 11/10/2013 8:45:47 PM PST by Eagles6 (Valley Forge Redux)
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