And this is why privacy is important. I think we should give the people from the AP a little basic surveillance avoidance tips. Like say... don't use your office, personal or work phones for confidential informants. Use a prepaid card from a location you wouldn't normally go to and trow it away. (single use)
U.S. Secretly Obtains Two Months of A.P. Phone Records
191–200 of 241 posts
Re: U.S. Secretly Obtains Two Months of A.P. Phone Records
#192Earlier quoted context omitted.
Very little of this is actually true, at least with regards to what the U.S. does internally. As flawed as the U.S. government is, it's still better than almost any government outside Western Europe, and is in some ways better than governments in Western Europe (e.g. with regard to free speech), though worse in others. The U.S. government very rarely ignores the Constitution, although many things it does are greeted…
> Very little of this is actually true, at least with regards to what the U.S. does internally. That's true. Internally the US functions as a quite good democracy. But don't get too complacent. Off of the top of my head: - Death penalty. In 2013. Including for 15 year olds and the mentally ill in some states. - Disproportionate number of blacks in jail. - World incarcerations record. - Segregation until some 40 years…
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Re: U.S. Secretly Obtains Two Months of A.P. Phone Records
#193Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's easy to forget that the American Revolution is what ignited the fire of liberty and republican ethos, and catalyzed all of today's democracies to end or augment monarchial rule. The world in the 18th century was not -- and today still is not -- able to grow and nurture a powerful country towards "absolute moral good." The world is still a primitive and dangerous place full of despots at worst in inequality at be…
> It's easy to forget that the American Revolution is what ignited the fire of liberty and republican ethos, and catalyzed all of today's democracies to end or augment monarchial rule. Chill with the historical revisionism. The American revolution was a very important historical event. But it was NOT the first example of a western Republican government. Both The Netherlands and Switzerland preceded it. The process of…
I was under the impression and correct me if I'm wrong that the French revolution was much inspired by the American revolution.
Re: U.S. Secretly Obtains Two Months of A.P. Phone Records
#194I am from Brazil, and I must ask: Why the US citizens and government propaganda insists that US is about freedom, when US ignores its own constitution, takes away freedom from its citizens, and most important to me, takes away freedom from citizens of other countries while claiming to do the exact opposite? I am from Brazil, and many people here remember the US backed (and enforced sometimes) rightwing government tha…
You're being very latin oriented and biased to be honest. Look at all the great things the US has done for Palestine!
Re: U.S. Secretly Obtains Two Months of A.P. Phone Records
#195Most of the comments here are decrying the death of freedom, but isn't a subpoena the lawful and ideal way for the government to go about this sort of thing? Is a leak of classified information not supposed to be investigated?
The leak of classified information should be investigated in proportion to the damage that said leak caused. Otherwise its not an ideal way, and even questionable if its lawful.
If the government has clear and verifiable evidence of damage that has happen as a result of said leak, then there should be documents to show it. Where are the dead bodies or the loss of material goods?
Re: U.S. Secretly Obtains Two Months of A.P. Phone Records
#196I am from Brazil, and I must ask: Why the US citizens and government propaganda insists that US is about freedom, when US ignores its own constitution, takes away freedom from its citizens, and most important to me, takes away freedom from citizens of other countries while claiming to do the exact opposite? I am from Brazil, and many people here remember the US backed (and enforced sometimes) rightwing government tha…
Very little of this is actually true, at least with regards to what the U.S. does internally. As flawed as the U.S. government is, it's still better than almost any government outside Western Europe, and is in some ways better than governments in Western Europe (e.g. with regard to free speech), though worse in others. The U.S. government very rarely ignores the Constitution, although many things it does are greeted…
Typical USA can do no wrong reply (and am from UK) !
Re: U.S. Secretly Obtains Two Months of A.P. Phone Records
#197Earlier quoted context omitted.
So, the Iranian revolution was right? The installation of countless dictators was right? Guantanamo is right? Torture is right? The US's moral compass was thrown overboard decades ago.
The moral compass that led us to slavery, the genocide of the Native Americans, and Japanese internment camps? The idea that the USA was formerly moral but has given it up lately isn't really supported by history.
And being the only nation on the planet to ever use nuclear weapons in anger. On civilian populations. Twice.
When one talks about things that happened outside of the lifetime of one's audience, the response tends to just be "oh but that was a long time ago", hence the observations on recent trends.
Re: U.S. Secretly Obtains Two Months of A.P. Phone Records
#198I am from Brazil, and I must ask: Why the US citizens and government propaganda insists that US is about freedom, when US ignores its own constitution, takes away freedom from its citizens, and most important to me, takes away freedom from citizens of other countries while claiming to do the exact opposite? I am from Brazil, and many people here remember the US backed (and enforced sometimes) rightwing government tha…
Short answer: As bad as US is, you should see the other countries. If a US cope beats you, you most likely hit the lottery, in other countries if they didn't beat you, you hit the lottery. The rest of your examples are oversimplifications. What if US didn't exist and tyrants didn't fear anyone? How many local if not world wars would we have? As for oil, US lost trillions fighting Iraq and Afghan war, not sure what yo…
It may well be foolish, but many peoples support tyrants out of fear of the US. They think the "strong" tyrant will protect them from the US. On the other hand, allies of the US, like my country, seem to bend over backwards to accommodate US demands, reasonable or otherwise. So, you can sort of see the point of supporting a tyrant, or strong government.
Also, didn't Bush threaten democratic Pakistan with a bombing back to the stone age if it didn't comply with US demands? Which strikes me as being a bit tyrannical.
I have to say that the idea that the US is the only thing stopping war and / or world war is arrogant and insulting, or just laughable, in the extreme. The rest of us are not savages on the verge of war, and we are capable of negotiating before knee jerking to shock and awe, torture, drone assassinations and Tom Clancy special forces TV events.
Ultimately, Im saying its more complicated than US good and those lot are tyrants, or terrorists.
But what bothers me more than any thing else though, is the sheer contempt and paranoia which which the US government treats it own people. It blows my mind that on one hand it's all "USA, USA, USA" (BTW, do Americans know how awful that looks? I, perhaps in my ignorance, only know two countries with a national chant. One lost WW2), while at the same time the US gov takes away their freedoms. The reason it bothers me is that at some point there has to be a tipping point where Americans have had enough, and I'm not sure a vote will solve it. Obama, the great hope, seems as bad, if not worse than Bush. So, who do Americans turn to?
Mean while, China grows......
Re: U.S. Secretly Obtains Two Months of A.P. Phone Records
#199Second amendment's been gone for a while. Fifth and fourteenth haven't been seen in a minute, either. Peaceable assembly's overrated anyway. (RNC '04) How much of the first needs to be gone until it's enough to recognize that the USA is no longer a free society? How many whistleblowers, security researchers, and cryptographers need to be thrown in prison on bullshit trumped-up charges? How many hunger-striking politi…
"It's time to emigrate." I'm up for it, but where?
Norway
Re: U.S. Secretly Obtains Two Months of A.P. Phone Records
#200Earlier quoted context omitted.
And yet when approached by Ho Chi Minh in the late 40s about supporting the end of colonial rule in Vietnam and instituting a constitution similar to the US's, the US decided to reinforce French dominion instead. The American Revolution was indeed a watershed moment in history, but it can't be claimed that everything descended from it is inherently an action towards freedom and democracy.
Nobody ever claimed that it was.
Mea culpa - I have projected on you. Usually when the US and freedom or democracy are being discussed, the thrust is that those things are some gift that the rest of the world has only through US benevolence. Your overgeneralised first sentence had a bit of this, but coloured the rest of your comment for me. Sorry.