http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/19/opinion/hayden-snowden-impact/index.html?hpt=hp_t4 He has damaged the country's security, beyond anything we have ever seen before. He feels that he is some kind of hero, while in reality he is a cheap criminal. The next time there is a catastrophic terrorist event, pray that one of your family members is not there. I am sure that Snowden's information is making its way to every terrorist cell that the NSA has been tracking. They are now quickly devising ways to by-pass intelligence surveillance. This quote sums up his very sad and perhaps sick mind: Some of you will continue to call him a "whistle blower" or some kind of hero. You are so sadly wrong. It is a matter of time before this country, and perhaps scores of people will pay.
Granny don't like it when dey look up women's dresses at the mall... NSA chief strongly defends govt. surveillance programs, but suggests he's open to changes July 18th, 2013 > Editor's note: This is one in a series of stories and opinion pieces surrounding the Aspen Security Forum currently taking place in Aspen, Colorado. Security Clearance is a media sponsor of the event, which is taking place from July 17 to 20 in Aspen, Colorado.
This sums up the true value of Snowden's actions. The authorities themselves have acknowledged that their surveillance actions have grown questionable, to say the least, and that changes and clearer guidelines are needed to balance security and freedom concerns. This would not have happened without Snowden's whistle blowing, and the authorities would have continued to secretly expand their surveillance activities maybe to the point of becoming a police state. Snowden's actions shed light on something that we needed to know and now it's up to us to hold the government accountable. This public scrutiny of the issue is essential and does not harm our security.
Sigh... you get to. You get to hate him... blame him... whatever. He isn't what is important. ALL former intelligence whistleblowers support him. The program has NEVER stopped a terrorist attack here... they want to monitor foriegn communications... great... that is what we all signed on for. That is the ONLY authority FISC has... that is what the (*)(*)(*)(*)ing F stands for. What we are talking about... is DOMESTIC surveillance... and it is (*)(*)(*)(*)ing unconstitutional. Tracking PRIVATE communications and contacts from internal hops is (*)(*)(*)(*)ing unconstitutional. The president... able to sit down at a computer anywhere in the world, and track anyone in the world personally... is un(*)(*)(*)(*)ingconstitutional. That almost a million people in this country can track politicians, judges, world leaders IS UNCONSTI(*)(*)(*)(*)INGTUTIONAL. We can fix this. We couldn't have without the releases. Had the NSA followed its charter... he never would have leaked.
You are wrong on almost every point. You made a rediculous statement that the program has never stopped an attack here. You really are clueless. You said that "we can fix it." Well, your hero Snowden has taken any chance of "fixing it" off the table for generations. If there is a problem with the program, he has so infuriated both Republicans and Democrats that nothing is going to get done. Even the anti-surveillance Dems are asking for his head. You are so totally wrong. What he did was betray his country. He has provided tools and secrets to Americans enemies. I am not even sure why I argue this with you. He is a criminal. Nothing more....Nothing less.
Not only am I not wrong that it has never prevented an attack here, to make the drastic leap in logic that I am also wrong that spying on domestic communications, secure private communications, is unconstitutional is either ignorant or purposefully deceptive. If you would like to debate the role of these programs in any case... bring it.
More important than me proving you wrong, which I am happy to do... I don't care if it stopped 100 attacks. It is not acceptable to build an internation espionage complex that allows the US and other governments to track our every moment, location, and private thought... When the instruments we implement to protect our liberty become a threat to liberty itself they must be destroyed. I will not live in an Orwellian nightmare because you are afraid of ghosts. Foriegn SIGINT is all that is acceptable, and all that is likely to be effective. NO domestic collection and spying. Do you know what they are doing? That is a serious question. Quit focusing on Snowden... his fate is sealed. Focus on your rights.
To be exact, Snowden has sealed the fate of those that will die in the next terrorist attack. I just hope that you or your loved ones are not in that number. If there should be changes to the program, Snowden has set any steps to do so back for generations, perhaps beyond even your or my lifetime. He has so angered members of Congress that they not do anything to make him appear a hero. He has doomed the next victims that fall prey to terrorist who, due to his ignorance, now know how to avoid surveillance. That is what Snowden has really done. And you praise him for it.... Read this again and try to comprehend what is being said: Snowden unilaterally decided that he knew better. He is a arrogant p*ick that is getting what he deserves, life in an airport restroom.
It's interesting that long before Snowden's revelation, many people believed that the US govt either already had, or eventually would have the capability to "listen in" on just about anyone they desire. Even here at PF these suspicions were raised and generally poo-pooed by the Left as merely more Rightwing conspiracy theory. Snowden and the NSA itself simply demonstrated that these suspicions had substance in reality. But even after the confirmation, the same people that ridiculed those who were aware of the technological possibilities for domestic spying and who suspected the breadth of the government's intentions for using such are now found defending the very thing they once ridiculed as poppycock. The current level of domestic spying is only the beginning of what is and, more importantly, will become possible to implement for the sake of "keeping us safe". The only question is, at what point in this progression toward living entirely under a govt microscope, will we finally begin to realize en masse that the medicine has become more of a threat to the nature of our lives than "the terrorists" themselves. Furthermore, when will Americans begin to see the utter insanity of actively pushing for porous borders and lax admission policies (the granting of visas, etc) while at the same time erecting horribly intrusive measures to counteract internal threats to national security? It's a little bit like having to take extreme measures to deal with unwanted intruders to our homes while also working to make it illegal to lock doors and windows.
The executive branch decided it knew better than the constitution... and they were wrong. All intelligence whistleblowers would fit that description. Daniel Ellsburg, who supports Snowden. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/...ellsberg-whistleblower-history_n_3413545.html Here is a great piece he wrote for the Washington Post. http://articles.washingtonpost.com/...9_1_daniel-ellsberg-pentagon-papers-snowden-s Binney, Drake, and Weibe... all arrogant unilaterally decisive leakers... all support Snowden... http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...istleblower-nsa-officials-roundtable/2428809/ Russ Tice http://whistleblowingtoday.org/2013/06/russ-tice-nsa-monitore-nations-top-officials/ Bamford... http://whitenoise.gizmodo.com/james-bamford-nsa-expert-explains-why-snowden-is-a-wh-720354446 Please read those links before continuing. I had no idea you were so adverse to truth. The left swings dramatically between "he didn't reveal anything we didn't already know" and "he has brought the apocalypse. " Seems to me that congress is more pissed at the NSA... http://www.usatoday.com/video/senators-grill-nsa-chief-on-surveillance/2474871550001 Though there is little support for what Snowden has done there, to be sure in the senate. But then most don't really understand how any of this works... and what exactly they can do with this information. History will be kind to Snowden. Tyranny trumps terrorism.
I am pretty sure you could foil a lot of terrorist plots using all government forces to go house to house and rifle through all of their personal things. "What is the difference?", I have to ask.
Of course! Hell, maybe , in order to be sure we're safe, we could mandate that mic transmitters be implanted into the throats of every inhabitant. Then NSA could monitor face to face communications as well.
I think the terrorists are using a conditional language for their communications with each other. Therefore it is impossible to identify them. Why did not anyone think of this?
Right! So all we all need are mandatory-for-all bio-implants of a GG-like technology that NSA and God only knows what other spy agencies could then monitor for suspicious, threatening behavior. It would be one more step toward FREEDOM! Well, freedom from our hyperbolic fears of the myriad of dreaded terrorists that permeate our nation, or at least permeate our minds. Maybe we could all just have implanted electrode/xmitters in our brains so NSA et al. could then monitor and record everyone's brain states. The recorded data could be data mined by massive signature analysis crawlers to identify incorrect or threatening thinking and Gestapo Central could intervene in time to REALLY PROTECT US from these potential terrorists.
Let's not absolve Obama in the same breath. The intelligence community has easily co-opted both of them with the dire need for this "security", and given them the awesome carrot of personal use of this technology. I frankly think both are more naive than criminal. The international intelligence community is running the show. Why have a shadow government when you can have 5?
You can continue to call the criminal a hero. Whatever you want to do is fine. But when some terrorist uses his leaked information and are successful in causing the deaths of hundreds or thousands, I will be back to remind you of who gave them access to the information needed to avoid NSA surveillance. I need not argue with you about this criminal any longer. You just keep thinking of him as your hero. It is just a matter of time before we all pay for his arrogance and felonious actions.
Agreed. It is good that Snowden at least introduced us to the idea of what the surveillance operations were in the US. At the same time, the program appears to have been effective in prevention without hindering any real rights of normal citizens. I wonder if, now that the American people know about the program, the government will continue these operations (probably covertly like before).
Conversations have very little to do with what this technology is used for... they are of course analyzed... but that isn't what this is about. I have not referred to him as a hero... and my personal opinion about Snowden shouldn't matter to you. You aren't listening to anything contrary to your opinion, and are focusing on Snowden, instead of your Director of National Intelligence lying before congress. Your NSA head lying before congress. Your president lying to the American people. The whistleblowers that came before... that have been warning us for the last decade what was happening. More is necessary than your approval to violate my, and every Americans constitutionally guaranteed rights. You have yet to produce a case which these programs prevented.
There is no evidence that the program has been effective at anything. Without hindering "real" rights? The fourth amendment isn't real? To be secure in my personal papers and effects without specific warrant is not real? WTF are you talking about?
Well we're not other countries, are we? America sets its own standard. We don't follow suit to others - they follow ours.
