Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Confirmed: The NSA is Spying on Millions of Americans

eff.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

451–460 of 479 posts

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

#451

Post by jlgreco »

Vivtek wrote: post #173
jacalata wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't actually think voting for judges and sheriffs is a good idea at all. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Arpaio

He's the guy his constituents want. I personally think voting for sheriffs is a good idea.

He's not the guy his constituents want. He is the guy 51.5% of his constituents want.

Giving the people what a majority of those people want is a very dangerous thing to do. Part of the theory being having constitutions is to limit the tyranny of the majority, though it is plain to see that in Joe Arpaio's case the limitations are not sufficient. What 51% of voters in Maricopa County apparently want is unacceptable.

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

#452

Post by roel_v »

gerwitz wrote: post #253
dekz wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.…

Funny that this thread has become about the Netherlands. I moved to Amsterdam from Seattle last November, and have to say that I feel far less vulnerable here, information-wise. Perhaps if I compared the policies and behaviors of only the national governments, I would remember the US as the land of the free, but I prefer to take all levels of government and corporate power into account.

LOL, how are those rose-colored glasses working out for you? Of course you'd feel more free, everything that threatens your freedom is swept under the rug here! 'Massive uproar' (read: more than 3 newspaper articles) about something (like EPD)? Just shelve it and try again next year! Never takes more than 2 or 3 tries! Do you realize how extensive the data logging (phone and internet records, plus phone taps) is here? And while we may not have the technology just yet to do really impressive data mining, in a few years time we will (or rather, 'they' will) and there will be nothing left that is private, especially when (in 10 years time) cash payments will be relegated to only buying things costing as much as a packet of gum. Think that's crazy? Sure, that's what people said of me when I said the same thing about data mining debit card payments 10 years ago - and look what was in the news just two weeks ago! The biggest Dutch processor of electronic payments will start selling that data to BigCo for marketing purposes! Sure it's been called off for now, but see my first sentence; next year, they'll be a lot more careful about not making any noise about it when they introduce it.

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

#453

Post by trin_ »

walshemj wrote: post #374
sigkill wrote: post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well to be honest, in retrospect the present Germans are lucky as compared to other countries that they already are educated either first, or second hand about the issue of government knowing everything. Another point could be made is that thank god it happened during the low tech era and not today because a Hitler-esque figure armed with a German equivalent of Google would positively fuck up the entire world with ev…

What alas struck me as odd in Germany that after ww2 and the Stazi in east germany you still have manditory ID cards + registration when you move with the police! and you get upset about street view?

you dont have to tell the police when you move. only the local goverment (Einwohnermeldeamt)

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

#454

Post by flyinRyan »

walshemj wrote: post #378
flyinRyan wrote: post #291

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You think the US two party, first-past-the-post system is better?! Why would normal citizens vote for the president? There are only two possible outcomes of that: a president gets selected who basically blocks what the rest of the government wants (this is how it works in the US and exactly what the FF wanted) or the people pick a president who would work with the government but would have been picked with your curre…

Yes its is it makes for a stronger government and reduces the influenced of extremists holding the country to ransom.

I hope this sentence was sarcastic.

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

#455

Post by flyinRyan »

walshemj wrote: post #400
betterunix wrote: post #385

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Yes its is it makes for a stronger government and reduces the influenced of extremists holding the country to ransom." The problem is that there is no real choice here; you have a right-wing party and a slightly more right-wing party, and then a bunch of powerless minor parties. Nobody is holding the country ransom because there is no real disagreement. Occasionally the parties clash over the budget (as they did rec…

Dumping Nuclear power in a hurry to keep the greens on side? Remind me again how the large German cost line suffers regular tsunamis :-)

So you're upset because you're losing nuclear power (admittedly, that's a mistake)? You could be having indefinite detention, constant wars on ideals (as opposed to tangible entities), a failing school system, a system where the balance is tipped so far in favor of corporations (as opposed to labor) that it's practically a vertical line, and on and on but you're concerned about having less efficient power? The mind boggles.

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

#456

Post by walshemj »

flyinRyan wrote: post #455
walshemj wrote: post #400

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dumping Nuclear power in a hurry to keep the greens on side? Remind me again how the large German cost line suffers regular tsunamis :-)

So you're upset because you're losing nuclear power (admittedly, that's a mistake)? You could be having indefinite detention, constant wars on ideals (as opposed to tangible entities), a failing school system, a system where the balance is tipped so far in favor of corporations (as opposed to labor) that it's practically a vertical line, and on and on but you're concerned about having less efficient power? The mind b…

I don't live in Germany or the USA :-) and having access to affordable stable power is quite an important thing in having a nice society to live in.

As your so keen on improving the lot of "labor" you are of course a union member and actively recruit and improve workers living conditions?

I got over 1000 of my members a better deal on their pensions and helped in gaining recognition for a bargaining unit in the UK.

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

#457

Post by walshemj »

flyinRyan wrote: post #454
walshemj wrote: post #378

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes its is it makes for a stronger government and reduces the influenced of extremists holding the country to ransom.

I hope this sentence was sarcastic.

No it wasn't you maybe need to read Mathew 7:3 and reflect on it.

You do know that other 1st world democracys look at the sclerotic nature of the US system and shake their heads.

One member of the US legislature commented on the BBC that the house of lords was more Democratic than they where in a lot of ways :-)

And don't get me started on the obsession with Barak's race and the fact that the GOP the party of Lincon Seward et al has been taken over by the "swivel eyed nutters"

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

#458

Post by dantheman »

flagnog wrote: post #361
dantheman wrote: post #350

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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...

* political expenditures which are limited and transparent --> Restrictions on spending = restrictions on speech --> Transparent means anonymous donations can't be done, anonymous speech is an import part of the American political process

In general they're against people forming groups (corporations) to promote their ideas and believe that once you're in a group then you lose your right to free speech among other things.

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

#459

Post by flyinRyan »

walshemj wrote: post #456
flyinRyan wrote: post #455

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you're upset because you're losing nuclear power (admittedly, that's a mistake)? You could be having indefinite detention, constant wars on ideals (as opposed to tangible entities), a failing school system, a system where the balance is tipped so far in favor of corporations (as opposed to labor) that it's practically a vertical line, and on and on but you're concerned about having less efficient power? The mind b…

I don't live in Germany or the USA :-) and having access to affordable stable power is quite an important thing in having a nice society to live in. As your so keen on improving the lot of "labor" you are of course a union member and actively recruit and improve workers living conditions? I got over 1000 of my members a better deal on their pensions and helped in gaining recognition for a bargaining unit in the UK.

>and having access to affordable stable power is quite an important thing in having a nice society to live in

Not nearly as important as avoiding having a bunch of lunatic extremists as two-party systems seem to devolve to.

I find the European governments of many parties all having a say in the government the best and closest to actual representation. I find the idea that the entirety of opinion in the whole US, all 350 million citizens, can be resolved to either Red or Blue absolutely idiotic.

Of course that doesn't happen, the parties both span the whole political spectrum, including complete overlap. I.e. the party name can be meaningless. It also means you can't be sure where a politician stands by his party alone. Contrast this with a european government where you stand with your party or you switch party. It's much easier to work out where someone stands.

>you are of course a union member

I certainly would be in a union but firms have been really good at keeping unionization out of IT entirely. But even better would be a government who recognized the power imbalance between corporations and labor and took steps to make things better on their own.

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

#460

Post by flyinRyan »

walshemj wrote: post #457
flyinRyan wrote: post #454

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hope this sentence was sarcastic.

No it wasn't you maybe need to read Mathew 7:3 and reflect on it. You do know that other 1st world democracys look at the sclerotic nature of the US system and shake their heads. One member of the US legislature commented on the BBC that the house of lords was more Democratic than they where in a lot of ways :-) And don't get me started on the obsession with Barak's race and the fact that the GOP the party of Lincon…

I'm sorry, I don't have a clue what you're trying to say. You initially seemed to say that a two party system makes for a stronger government and avoid extremism. The US proves the exact opposite.

Now what's this about a beam in my own eye? And now you seem to be bashing how bad the US government is, yet we would be in agreement on this. Color me confused.

Post reply on HN