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Confirmed: The NSA is Spying on Millions of Americans

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Re: Confirmed: The NSA is Spying on Millions of Americans

#361
post #349

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[deleted]

Well, specific solutions would to be close various federal agencies, e.g. the department of education. Push law making wherever feasible to the state level or lower. Simplify the tax code - i.e. end tax breaks, reduce the overall tax rate so that the government spends less money. The key thing is to not attack our freedom to associate and speak, which is what rootstrikers are advocating. Many of the policie they advo…

I agree with most of what you're saying, but I'm not sure why you think Rootstrikers is such a bad thing. I read the wikipedia entry but still don't know what you are specifically talking about...

Re: Confirmed: The NSA is Spying on Millions of Americans

#362

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He didn't say nor have I ever heard a libertarian claim they wanted no government. I believe that's a different ideology.

He said, "Ultra limited government." Does ultra-limited government include government-provided roads, infrastructure, safe food, safe cars, electricity, water, internet?

Maybe "ultra-" in this case was used to indicate that the limits would be strict, not that they would be extremely small.

Re: Confirmed: The NSA is Spying on Millions of Americans

#363
post #105

Dutch person here with a little insight what's to come for you guys. Some information about our tiny little country (in Wester Europe, very pro-US) with just 17 million people. Our government listens in on more calls every year than in the whole of the US combined. All our telecommunications providers are forced to have the capability to intercept all traffic (phone and internet). Encrypted data must be stored for an…

> You can purchase one without your name and address but you can only add money to it using your bank-account. The system tracks all travelers' movements (departure and end points for each leg of every journey), in most cases combined with the traveler's identity. It retains the data for seven years Not to discredit your whole post but is this really the case. You can buy those 1 hour/24 hour/48 hour passes for cash.…

This isn't even true. At the railway ticket machines you can buy an anonymous card with just coins. Yes, it does cost 7.50 euro, and it does let you charge in 1 euro increments. Yes, the data is collected, but no, they are not allowed to use it on a case by case basis, only aggregated and only individual trips. Data has been thrown away with lawyers and auditors present to watch.

Re: Confirmed: The NSA is Spying on Millions of Americans

#364

I'm not sure what's more disturbing: that this is happening, or that the Obama administration can't keep highly classified documents under wraps. That document was labeled Top Secret and was supposed to remain so until April 12, 2038. This whole episode shows evil on the one hand and dangerous ineptitude on the other.

It's easier to keep things secret when you're in the right. People are more inclined to assist the cause. All bets are off when you're in the wrong, and it's good we have patriots willing to leak this information.

Re: Confirmed: The NSA is Spying on Millions of Americans

#366

I'm not sure what's more disturbing: that this is happening, or that the Obama administration can't keep highly classified documents under wraps. That document was labeled Top Secret and was supposed to remain so until April 12, 2038. This whole episode shows evil on the one hand and dangerous ineptitude on the other.

[deleted]

Re: Confirmed: The NSA is Spying on Millions of Americans

#367

Gee, let's see: All that NSA 'big data', every phone call, from, to, time, etc. Then we had the wacko Boston bombers. So, apparently the great, all powerful, all seeing, all knowing NSA didn't see those two wackos coming. But, but, but, how could the poor, little NSA be expected to see two, obscure, wacko nutjobs? Well, let's see: The Russians told us over and over that those guys were wackos and dangerous. Told us f…

> Really sounds like 'security theater', like Senator Feinstein is having fun straining her arm patting herself on the back for "protecting the US"

When this disgusting heretic blob said on the news today that we have, quote, "this culture of leaks", I thought I will throw-up inside. How on earth would you want to call this "free country", "home of the brave", democracy, whatever, if people in the company called "government" that you hired and that you pay their salary from your own pocket, keeps everything secret from you, and take full advantage of that, while breaking the law and raping you in the wide open in the name of "terrorist" ? And then when someone in that company reports (to media) that bunch of people are breaking the law, they become a criminal and, as Feinstein said: "need to be persecuted". How can you believe, in your sound mind, that there will be ANY freedom left in this country within next 5-7 years?? HOW??

Guess what Feinstein? You are much bigger terrorist with your pen and big stupid mouth, than all the terrorist combine out there together!

Re: Confirmed: The NSA is Spying on Millions of Americans

#368

I'm an American and a Verizon customer. Maybe I'm the proverbial frog in a pot of boiling water, but I'm not outraged. I'm not really even annoyed. I don't know why exactly, but I think it boils down (no pun intended) to two different things. First, I'm under no delusion that the US federal government has my personal best interest in mind with everything that it does. I think that usually the federal government as a…

it was not alarmist, it was just a convinient explanation to turn US into next China.

[deleted]

Re: Confirmed: The NSA is Spying on Millions of Americans

#369

I'm an American and a Verizon customer. Maybe I'm the proverbial frog in a pot of boiling water, but I'm not outraged. I'm not really even annoyed. I don't know why exactly, but I think it boils down (no pun intended) to two different things. First, I'm under no delusion that the US federal government has my personal best interest in mind with everything that it does. I think that usually the federal government as a…

it was not alarmist, it was just a convinient explanation to turn US into next China.

[deleted]

Re: Confirmed: The NSA is Spying on Millions of Americans

#370

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He said, "Ultra limited government." Does ultra-limited government include government-provided roads, infrastructure, safe food, safe cars, electricity, water, internet?

Maybe "ultra-" in this case was used to indicate that the limits would be strict, not that they would be extremely small.

Maybe "ultra-" is a meaningless phrase that makes people feel good, but conveys zero information content, and so it's not worthy of debate.
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