NSA phone spying program rulled illegal

[ManaMinori 4,149]

Source article: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/07/us-usa-security-nsa-idUSKBN0NS1IN20150507

 

So....anyone remember that Edward Snowden guy who used to work for the NSA, but decided to quit and call BS by telling everyone what the American NSA was doing- which was spying and keeping data on everyone's phone records, no matter if they were a suspicious individual under investigation or just your average, every day, innocent citizen, because "anti-terrorism surveillance"? Remember how Snowden basically got run out of the country and forced into hiding, because NSA felt that he was putting their business and America's "security" at risk, revealing all of this to the media, and likely other countries? Well, the Feds called BS on the NSA for doing that, and it's NOT under the Patriot Act, like they claim. (no shocker there. 'Murica's been doing some lowdown stuff right under everyone's noses, and get away with it all the time.)

 

I believed Snowden all along. Let's being the guy back and call out the dirty deeds on more crap 'Murica's been doing, I say.

 

How do you guys feel about what the NSA's been doing? Does this effect your view on 'Murica (or the goings on of other national governments)? Is it right? Is it necessary? Think we'll be hearing from or seeing more of Snowden?

[Megas 28,139]

Hopefully the Federal Court will uphold their ruling, otherwise

 

 

"Another victory for America!"...wait a minute...

Edited May 8, 2015 by Megas75

[Silver Letter 1,832]

The US has no right to violate its own founding laws. But nothing will change in my opinion. Nobody will go to prison for what the US government has been doing.

[TubeSock2018 325]

It's not that surprising really. They capitalized on the post 9/11 fear and ran with it. 

 

It's hard to say whether the NSA was in the right or the wrong. 

It's hard to have security without giving up freedoms and you can't be free if you want security. Keeping an eye out for danger requires, well...keeping an eye out. 

haha

 

My view of the United States (I don't call it America) remains the same. It's a country like any other country. It's got its ups and it's down. 

This is one of it's downs in my personal opinion. 

It's practically Orwellian 1984 status. 

What we need for a democracy to work is more transparency. Whistleblowers ought to not be punished.

Cuz let's say "what Snowden released could benefit an opposing nation".

That's bad, I agree and puts many of innocents in danger.

But if it also revealed something that doesn't benefit the enemy like "we were spying on innocent civilians like some kinda Nazi-like country", that's stuff we need to know. 

 

So hopefully Snowden can come back and patriotic sheeple leave him alone. I've seen enough people on the internet call him a traitor and that to me is sad because while what he did might not have the most 100% danger-free thing, revealing that information is something that we needed. Showed that the government wasn't really on our side. That, to me, is taking one for the team. 

Edited May 8, 2015 by pollo20x6

[ManaMinori 4,149]

The US has no right to violate its own founding laws. But nothing will change in my opinion. Nobody will go to prison for what the US government has been doing.

I know that, but they've been using scare tactics and terrorism bs to "justify" doing a lot of the crap they've been doing, for heaven knows how long, now, and stripping people's rights away, right under their noses. Constitution is pretty much toilet paper to them.

[Shanks 10,817]

Nice to hear some good news for a change, reversing this treason is going to take a while but as they say one step at a time.

[TubeSock2018 325]

I know that, but they've been using scare tactics and terrorism bs to "justify" doing a lot of the crap they've been doing, for heaven knows how long, now, and stripping people's rights away, right under their noses. Constitution is pretty much toilet paper to them.

I wouldn't necessarily say that the constitution to them is pretty much toilet paper.

The reason being that this seems to be the claim that people say whenever the government does something that they do not like.

I've seen conservatives say that that liberals are destroying the constitution whenever liberal legislation is passed and I see liberals accuse conservatives of rejecting the constitution whenever it benefits them.

 

And this type of accusations occur even in religion

"Those Christians are treating the bible like trash because they're supporting gay marriage" 

"Those Christians are treating the bible like trash because they're not tolerating gays. God says love everyone so naturally that means gay marriage must be ok". 

Both sides feel that the other is somehow defiling the manuscript and not being "True Christians". Liberals and conservatives accuse the other of defiling the Constitution and not being "True Americans"

 

My point being that it seems that whenever someone is doing something that they don't agree with, a common accusation is "You don't understand how what you're doing is inherently wrong".

 

But I don't say any of this trying to justify what the U.S. has done (or is doing).

I say it kinda in the sense of being the devil's advocate. 

Maybe to the government, spying is a necessary evil to PROTECT the constitution from outside harm.

For example, fevers suck. Vomiting is not pleasant. Stuffy nose, coughing, etc. Any sick symptom you can think of.

Those are our body's reactions to illnesses and we cough up the bad stuff. We heat up our body to combat the illness. 

 

So I don't necessarily think the U.S. government thinks our constitution is trash. I think they just have their own way of interpreting it. 

Now, is the interpretation correct?

Well, considering that the spying program was ruled illegal, then no, that interpretation was not deemed correct. 

 

And again, I say this as the devil's advocate. For all we know, maybe they were pulling a Dr. Evil and spying on us for personal gain. I don't know. I've never worked for the NSA. 

But I don't necessarily like to accuse those who do things that I and others think are wrong as being against a fundamental text. I feel that old texts, like the bible and the constitution, are open to so many different sincerely-held interpretations due to their age. 

 

The constitution was written in an era before New Media, before Cell phones, the internet, etc.

Heck, even though I disagree with what the NSA was doing, I can make an argument supporting spying programs even if it conflicts with the Constitution.

"The founding fathers did not take into account the internet, thus we have to take drastic measures in our unforeseeable present". 

Is it right? I don't think so, but if someone believes that, I wouldn't necessarily believe that they think the constitution is trash. They might just see things differently, yet our love for our home is the same. 

Edited May 8, 2015 by pollo20x6

[ManaMinori 4,149]

Nice to hear some good news for a change, reversing this treason is going to take a while but as they say one step at a time.

I hear ya. But I wouldn't necessarily put my faith in a complete 180, or that the government will own up to or stop practicing even a fraction of what they might be doing, illegally, because they're supposedly above the rules and so long as people continue to be in the dark, and no whistleblowers try and rat them out.....

[colt_following 169]

Strong topic you've got here. Socially America is moving toward an open, accepting society. Politically, the government is slowly trying to get a stronger full-nelson on the freedoms on its citizens.

I think as an American citizen I should have the right to KNOW what happens with my personal information.

 

Crazy stuff happening over here.