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Obama’s crackdown views leaks as aiding enemies of U.S.

mcclatchydc.com

81–90 of 226 posts

Re: Obama’s crackdown views leaks as aiding enemies of U.S.

#81
post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You do what you can while respecting freedom and privacy, and accept that every once in a while terror attacks may happen. You're giving us a false choice.

Yet politicians the world over, in the aftermath of terrorist attacks are expected to act tough. I have never heard a shit happens lets move on speech.

There are often politicians (and others) who say "we will not let them change our way of life, because that would hand them victory". The fact remains that our way of life has changed, in the name of security.

Re: Obama’s crackdown views leaks as aiding enemies of U.S.

#82
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And how do you plan to stop the next terror attack?

In a free society, you can't guarantee that you will stop terror attacks. They do cause damage and mayhem, however that is strictly localised unless the government overreacts and introduces draconian measures in a mistaken attempt to find terrorists under every rock. The UK survived decades of terrorism (sponsored by some US politicians like Rep. Peter King, now so ferocious against terrorists) without relying on mas…

If you were a Congresswoman, and a terror attack happened in your district, and you give this speech, what do you think the reaction would be?

Re: Obama’s crackdown views leaks as aiding enemies of U.S.

#83
post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't. We could have a 9/11 type event every year, and it would still not be as big a problem as automobile accidents. If we're going to live in a police state, I would hope the police state would focus on major causes of preventable death, like disease and automobile accidents. Terrorism in the United States is not a serious problem worthy of this level of concern.

This is like saying lets have a lottery every year that picks 3000 people and send them over to the middle east. My point is people have to be pushed to answer the question on how to tackle terrorism to take this debate in a constructive direction. Ofcourse governments will do dumb things but the terrorism problem is a hard one.

The terrorism problem is a manufactured one. You want to fight terrorism? Fine, your budget is proportional to the budget we use to solve other types of murder based on the number of lives it costs us, and you can use the same methods. If you don't agree you'll have to distinguish terrorism from other types of murder in a defensible way, otherwise we should be treating them equally.

Re: Obama’s crackdown views leaks as aiding enemies of U.S.

#84
post #73
post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Solutions please. Rhetoric is easy.

You've unjustifiably framed the problem as preventing terrorist attacks. There's no evidence indicating that is our biggest problem.

:) unjustifiable huh?

Feels like I am in an evangelical church questioning god.

Re: Obama’s crackdown views leaks as aiding enemies of U.S.

#85
post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By stopping to commit them. Oh wait, that's not what you meant, you meant terror attacks by Americans or foreigners against American officials, not terror attacks against foreigners by American officials, or terror attacks by american officals against American civilians, right? My bad. For that I would hop into a time machine, not train Al-Quaeda, not mess with Iran, and let Saudi Arabia find someone else to buy thei…

Solutions please. Rhetoric is easy.

Rhetoric is easy.

Ironically, that itself is also rhetoric. You didn't even address anything I said, can not point what makes what I said mere rhetoric either, but just dismissed it all with that statement.

So maybe even if there are solutions, even if they get posted in plain sight of you; as long as you're trying hard to not see them, you won't.

What you're really saying is "give me solutions which keep me and my current outlook intact", and I don't see a reason to automatically assume that's possible or desirable.

Solutions please.

The solution to what, exactly? To drummed up fear? To hypocrisy and double standards? That's all just in the mind, and as Bill Hicks said, I recommend sit-ups. Or do you mean the fires that in large parts don't just get fueled, but were started by the very people who claim to protect from them?

from your other post:

The lack of solutions itself is a sign that no one has anything better to offer than what the NSA is currently upto.

Does this not also apply to your comments? Why aren't you making the comments you want to see, instead of "crying" about the problems with the discussion? Because it's not that easy, is it?

Also, this is hardly an issue everybody is completely informed about, much less in the mainstream. Talking "solutions" now, instead of simply talking and see where that leads, strikes me as premature.

You can't change a century of statism and the shrinking of the individual overnight with a "solution". We need to evolve out of consumerism and passivitiy, out of confusing symbols and things, not just consume the right change or come up with the correct symbol. We need to overcome atomization and rediscover solidarity instead of better skinner boxes, and that may take more than a generation even. If it is something you or I can fully experience in our lifetime, it is not aiming high enough IMHO. If it is something that can be explained to someone without all of attention span, intellectual honesty and passion, it is not worth a second thought.

And in a process that involves all people on the planet, I would not ever hold my breath to ever have a full explanation of the full picture, or expect a full map before I even do one step. But I can get to know myself and my immediate surroundings, see how I feel about each and act on those.

To me that is infinitely better than a full, but false explanation of how the world is, which is exactly what most people operate on, stories that cease to exist the moment they're no longer told. This leads to incredibly insecure people, who go insane as soon as the jukebox who tells them who they are goes silent, which in turn leads to all sorts of nonsense. As Voltaire said, those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities. Oh, the irony of complaining about "rhetoric" and then expecting a "solution, pronto".

My "solution" would be, hmmm, we all read and implement the writings of Erich Fromm and Marcus Aurelius, get to know ourselves, all 7 billion of us. Then we have a second round of discussions. If you don't like it, give me a better one.

Re: Obama’s crackdown views leaks as aiding enemies of U.S.

#86
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And how do you plan to stop the next terror attack?

In a free society, you can't guarantee that you will stop terror attacks. They do cause damage and mayhem, however that is strictly localised unless the government overreacts and introduces draconian measures in a mistaken attempt to find terrorists under every rock. The UK survived decades of terrorism (sponsored by some US politicians like Rep. Peter King, now so ferocious against terrorists) without relying on mas…

"In a free society, you can't guarantee that you will stop terror attacks."

Even a repressive government can't guarantee that it will stop terror attacks.

Re: Obama’s crackdown views leaks as aiding enemies of U.S.

#87
post #32
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By all means, let's do that.

It would help if they wouldn't keep the guy leaking that sort of info in prison for 3 years without a charge, like he was some kind of terrorist.

Who was in prison for 3 years without a charge for leaking? Charging is easy, Snowden has been charged within a short time. Why would US government omit such an obvious and easy step as charging in such a clear case as leaking? Who is the guy you are referring to?

Re: Obama’s crackdown views leaks as aiding enemies of U.S.

#88
post #84
post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You've unjustifiably framed the problem as preventing terrorist attacks. There's no evidence indicating that is our biggest problem.

:) unjustifiable huh? Feels like I am in an evangelical church questioning god.

Again with the unintended irony. If you think it's justifiable, justify it.

Re: Obama’s crackdown views leaks as aiding enemies of U.S.

#89
post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In a free society, you can't guarantee that you will stop terror attacks. They do cause damage and mayhem, however that is strictly localised unless the government overreacts and introduces draconian measures in a mistaken attempt to find terrorists under every rock. The UK survived decades of terrorism (sponsored by some US politicians like Rep. Peter King, now so ferocious against terrorists) without relying on mas…

If you were a Congresswoman, and a terror attack happened in your district, and you give this speech, what do you think the reaction would be?

I would not be the congressman of a district full of idiots to begin with. The reaction would not be negative.

Re: Obama’s crackdown views leaks as aiding enemies of U.S.

#90
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And how do you plan to stop the next terror attack?

Not to sound rude, but I'd rather lose 10,000 American souls then lose the freedoms that make America.

Millions of our ancestors died fighting for freedom in the Revolutionary War, Civil War, WWI and WWII. To lose freedom would to squander their sacrifice. They would not forgive us, nor would those yet to be born.

"Society is indeed a contract. It is a partnership in all science; a partnership in all art; a partnership in every virtue, and in all perfection. As the ends of such a partnership cannot be obtained in many generations, it becomes a partnership not only between those who are living, but between those who are living, those who are dead, and those who are to be born." -Edmund Burke

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