According to what is being reported by the USA Today, the NSA has a database of phone calls made by Americans. The NSA states explicitly that they do not record the content of the calls, so what's left for the database is the "on the envelope" information. Information that has long been used by law enforcement without the need of a warrant.
Plus, whoever thought they could trust their phone company and/or their cell phone company to keep this sort of information private? They already sell this sort of information to telemarketers. Why not the nation's top anti-terror intelligence-gathering organization?
There is nothing new here, nor am I especially worried about this sort of thing. It has been going on almost since the invention of the telephone. The only thing that makes it "news" right now is the fact that it can be crafted by the left/media into a political weapon at an opportune moment.
You know, I have the feeling that if Port was accidentially identified as a terrorist and some goons from the FBI shoved a plunger up his ass, somehow he'd find a way to defend the Bush administration after the incident.
How to people become so goddamn fucking brainwashed? Seriously, I want to know. How stupid is stupid? Because I keep on thinking that I know what stupid is, but then I'm proven wrong everytime a new Bush scandal comes out along with his defenders.
I now realize how Hitler came to power.
[h/t: ISOU]
Come out from behind your rock. America was and is based on civil discussions. Your bad language is abusive and without merit.
ReplyDeleteOOOOOOoooo Looks like someone is able to user the word "Fuck" as an Adverb and an adjective. Good JOB!!! Too bad your intellect is limited to these options.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the NSA. Do you oppose use of envelope information on post mail? Or is it only the envelope information of phone calls that you oppose?
Oh... you Hat Tipped ISOU incorrectly. Your link points to David's Andromeda post.
Good luck with your blog. I'm sure traffic will improve if you continue these timesome tirates.
Chief RX (and to anyone else who complains about my use of profanity): I couldn't give a fuck about your opinions of what comes out of my mouth. And despite my use of profanity, I get the feeling that no matter what I say it's just going to go right over your heads anyway. SO fuck it.
ReplyDeleteAs for coming out from behind my rock, what of you, RZ? There's been a standing invitation for you to post your rebuttal to Michael Hussey's post about Vietnam Spit Stories at Loaded Mouth. You have an account there, open posting is on, you could have posted whatever you wanted to say right to the blog on the same level as all the other bloggers. So I don't want to hear about how I've been hiding behind rocks.
hoodlumman: I started writing about Echelon when you were wingnut seman.
limeshurbet: I've been blogging for three and a half years now, and have received thousands of readers. BUt thanks for playing the game of "You Assume, You Lose!"
seth: Thanks for pointing out my error about linking tot he wrong post of David's.
As in regards to the NSA, there's multiple problem that i have with this. First of all, the NSA has no business inquiring about who I talk on the phone with. Absolutely none. Period. I'm not a suspected terrorist, therefore the NSA shouldn't even know my telephone number as far as I'm concerned.
This latest scandal feeds into the larger issue of the erosion of our civil rights. The fault of that I place squarely on the heads of you and everyone else who defend Bush, no matter how much the man lies and overreaches. Let me ask you a question: after Bush and the spy agenecies know who we are talking to, what happens next? Will you still defend BUsh when we find out that he's been listening to our phone calls? What happens after that.. Will you still defend Bush when the secret arrests start?
Fascism starts small. I don't want it to start at all.
And let me remind you of another important factor: what Bush is doing is giving more power to the executive office. Two years from now, Bush will be gone. With the way the country is going, his likely successor will be a Democrat; if not in 2008 then in 2012... The American people typically give a ruling party 8-12 years before pulling the carpet out from under them.
This means that a Democrat is soon going to enjoy the powers that the Bush administration has given to the executive office. And they might continue the process of eroding more and more civil liberties.
Is that what you want?
You can always measure the intelligence of a person by the profanity he uses. The more cuss words he uses the lower his numbers!!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, the NSA has no business inquiring about who I talk on the phone with. Absolutely none. Period. I'm not a suspected terrorist, therefore the NSA shouldn't even know my telephone number as far as I'm concerned.
ReplyDeleteWhy the concern? This is no different than the fed knowing who you send letters to through the post office. They're not listening to the conversations. Just parsing logs of who called whom.
And... this type of data mining has been going on for DECADES prior to Bush. Have you always been upset about it, or did you just get upset because "Bush is in office"?
Suggest you consider the following quotes.
ReplyDelete"Passionate hatred can give meaning and purpose to an empty life."
– Eric Hoffer --1902-1983, American author, philosopher
"Hatred is the vice of narrow souls; they feed it with all their littleness, and make it the pretext of base tyrannies."
– Honore De Balzac, 1799-1850, French novelist
"The value of love will always be stronger than the value of hate. Any nation or group of nations which employs hatred eventually is torn to pieces by hatred.
– Franklin D. Roosevelt
Have a nice day.
anonymous said:
ReplyDeleteYou can always measure the intelligence of a person by the profanity he uses. The more cuss words he uses the lower his numbers!!
Wow, like I haven't heard that fucking "argument" before. What if intelligence were based on originality?
seth said:
Why the concern? This is no different than the fed knowing who you send letters to through the post office. They're not listening to the conversations. Just parsing logs of who called whom.
Bullshit. First off, Feds are not keeping a massive database of who we are sending letters to (at least not that we know of). Secondly, keep up with the times. This isn't the 19th century anymore, and the telephone has overtaken the pony express as American's preferred method of comminucation. Trying to say that the NSA keeping phone call records is the same as them keeping post office records is like trying to to insinuate that the local Mom and Pop store can take on Wal-Mart. Thirdly, how do you know that calls aren't being listened to? Prehaps you missed the stories last year about Bush's warrantless spy program?
And... this type of data mining has been going on for DECADES prior to Bush. Have you always been upset about it, or did you just get upset because "Bush is in office"?
Do not seek to classify me as just some Democrat who hates Bush but has no problem with whatever a Democrat president does. I'm not. In fact, I expected you to think such when I asked you, point blank, how you would feel when a Democrat becomes president and gains the extended powers that Bush has given to the executive office.
As for you, czekmark, I guess I should just stand by and not hate the fact that Bush's bootboys are looking to defend his tyrannical actions.
ReplyDeleteHere's a quote for you: "First they came for the Jews..." I'm sure you know the rest.
For all the Say Anything readers who are calling this Taz's site - it's not. It's mine. Taz isn't doing this to pump up his blog. He has his own blog that gets more readership. He's guestblogging more me. I've been busy and I'm just taking this all in.
ReplyDeleteThe real issue is the NSA wiretaps. It's a waste of time to tap law-biding citizens. I have no problem with terrorists or suspected terrorists being monitored. Government should also be monitored. People shouldn't blindly trust elected leaders of any party. I find it bizarre that conservatives defend intrusive government. What ever happened to the "less government" motto conservatives used to rally behind?
I'm not. In fact, I expected you to think such when I asked you, point blank, how you would feel when a Democrat becomes president and gains the extended powers that Bush has given to the executive office.
ReplyDeleteI'll be as non-offended and non-concerned as I was during Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton.
Trying to say that the NSA keeping phone call records is the same as them keeping post office records is like trying to to insinuate that the local Mom and Pop store can take on Wal-Mart.
Um... No it's not.
Thirdly, how do you know that calls aren't being listened to? Prehaps you missed the stories last year about Bush's warrantless spy program?
You mean the debatably legal (but by precedent and constitutional law looks completely legal) program for listening to calls from or to known terrorists outside the US without a warrant?
Hardly an issue for me. I don't talk to terrorists. If it's a concern for you, I'd like to know why.
You're a over-reactionary emotional wreck. If I were you, I'd consider a new, less emotional hobby.
Government should also be monitored. People shouldn't blindly trust elected leaders of any party.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree!
I find it bizarre that conservatives defend intrusive government.
I find it bizarre that people are so taken by emotional headlines about a known program that does nothing more than advertizers do every day.
What ever happened to the "less government" motto conservatives used to rally behind?
Rob and most of us at SA have been asking the same thing for months. This particular issue is a NON-ISSUE.
If TAZ wants to talk about limiting the power of the government, then lets talk. However, we don't start talking about limiting the governments power to identify and detain terrorists. We can start by debating many other things...
Reel your guest poster in, Michael... He's making you look bad.
"Reel your guest poster in, Michael... He's making you look bad."
ReplyDeleteSeth, I properly would have used a different tact than Taz, but I will defend him. I even defended a conservative blogger and got name-called by a lefty. I found it amusing. I have been on the internet and the Monkeyfilter community long enough to develop a thick-skin.
I would like to see conservative bloggers reel in Misha and Charles Johnson. I don't expect it to happen. I also expect Johnson to keep ducking the LA Times because he doesn't wish to discuss the statements that he and his commenters made. I'm a lefty that dissed Kos for his stupid statements on women ans security personal being burned to death (at my old blog.)
"This particular issue is a NON-ISSUE."
The fourth amendment is not a nonissue. In Florida, the law forbids journalists from tapping phone conversations on-the-record. Warrantless wiretapping is strickly against the law. California has stricter privacy laws.
Warrantless wiretapping is strickly against the law.
ReplyDeleteNo. It's. Not.
The President has the autority to spy on any potential combatant. No spying has occured (yes, from what we know) on US to US phone calls. *And even if it was, post-facta warrants can and should be obtained in the case of enemy combatants.
Spying on phone calls made from or to foreign national terrorists or enemy combatants is permitted by LAW. Case law has been established. It IS legal!
I would like to see conservative bloggers reel in Misha and Charles Johnson. I don't expect it to happen.
ReplyDeleteI don't know either of these folks. But good for you for defending on priciple!
Seth, I addressed the guestblogger issue. You probably won't agree with me (that's cool), but I thought the issue should be addressed.
ReplyDeleteSeth, I addressed the guestblogger issue. You probably won't agree with me (that's cool), but I thought the issue should be addressed.
ReplyDeleteMichael, I do not disagree with you. I suppose that's a start. :)
I'm not really sure how to define this properly. By "reel in", I meant "calm down" or "temper". The use of vulgarities is not necessary. We can call it freedom of speech if you like... and that is fine... but it's still not necessary, nor conducive, toward a conversation.
We too, at SA, have our share of name-calling. It's tolerated. We have the debate frequently, but most of us try to stay out of the petty use of vulgarities. That's not to say that it doesn't happen. It does. Do I think there should be a mandate or a law to stop it? HELL NO! I just think that people should try to have the intelligence to stay above that fray.
I appreciate your candor and composure. It is noted! Though I probably disagree with you on most political issues, I respect your defense of the 1st and your guest posters, inane as they may be. ;)
TAS, baby! Don't hold back...ever again.
ReplyDeleteAs an ACLU, Greenpeace, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International member of longstanding....I suspect I am on some list somewhere since they broke into the databases of these sites for membership info last year. Now, they have my phone numbers, they know where I live and they know my ISP address. I feel...so loved. I know I get plenty of odd traces on my own website of their visits.
TAS? Take heart. Often the people who are against human rights and civil rights are the very ones who want to know what happened to them when they need them the most. They won't, however, thank you for protecting them from themselves.
What ever happened to the "less government" motto conservatives used to rally behind?
ReplyDeleteRob and most of us at SA have been asking the same thing for months. This particular issue is a NON-ISSUE.
OK, Seth, let me make sure I have this straight: you're a Republican and/or conservative who's concerned about big government, yet you don't see a correlation between big government and the NSA taking the phone records of every American citizen? In fact, you claim that this is a "non-issue"?
And then you claim:
Reel your guest poster in, Michael... He's making you look bad.
Seth, you're making anyone who's concerned about big goverment look bad.
The government SPYING ON ORDINARY CITIZENS, with a bias on those who are against the current administration -- and not terrorists, I might add -- is pretty much a cornerstone of big government issues. And I honestly can't believe that I have to say this, because I never thought anyone would be stupid enough to claim that they are concerned about big government and then say that Bush's NSA scandals are a non-issue. But unfortunately, Seth, I ran into you. And you are just plain dumb.
I almost forgot. Calling us names and linking us to Nazi's is not the best way to start a discussion.
I've tried starting civil discussions with the Say Anything crew before. It was a waste of my time. No matter how much evidence I threw at them showing them that they were wrong, they just kept ignoring it. Later, my post in question was actually cited by Blogpulse as being non-partisan.
I know you won't believe me, but hey.
You are correct on one thing, though: I wasn't looking to start a discussion. I was looking to state a couple of my opinions, and that's about it. I did not send a trackback to SA, nor did I post any comments on SA. It was purely Rob's call to link to my post, and to link to it on Pushing Rope since I posted it on here and at my main blog.
But, let me ask you Michael. If I were to use the sentence: "Look at the fucking stupidity of this fuck-ups complete fucking ignorance. Perhaps this fuck should go fuck himself." Would you be impressed with my mental prowess?
I know you didn't ask me this question, but if you used that sentence, I certainly wouldn't be impressed by any "mental prowess." That sentence was utterly uncreative and lacking in any form of style; it's just very generic.
But, apparently, since you use profanity solely as your gauge to measure whether or not somebody is intelligent, I guess I can't expect you to be intelligent enough to pay attention to details.
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ReplyDeletePushing Rope. I did post at Loaded Mouth several times. After the third combat veteran who said he personally was spit on and would be glad to tell it to the Loaded Mouth person, he went silent.
ReplyDeleteI was even willing to foot the bill for travel expenses.
Seems that liberals and such, when finally confronted with the bald facts and The Truth just can't stomach it.
There was even one anonymous person who stated that the unemployment rate in the USA was 13.8% at the end of 2006! Notice how I did not need to use worn out and immature interjections.
Come have a visit. The invitation is open, but not for profanity. BTW, could you explain why the last few posts here were "removed by the blog administrator?"
Pushing Rope. I did post at Loaded Mouth several times. After the third combat veteran who said he personally was spit on and would be glad to tell it to the Loaded Mouth person, he went silent.
ReplyDeleteI was even willing to foot the bill for travel expenses.
Seems that liberals and such, when finally confronted with the bald facts and The Truth just can't stomach it.
There was even one anonymous person who stated that the unemployment rate in the USA was 13.8% at the end of 2006! Notice how I did not need to use worn out and immature interjections.
Come have a visit. The invitation is open, but not for profanity. BTW, could you explain why the last few posts here were "removed by the blog administrator?"
Chief, this is a post written back in May of 2006 by Taz during his guest stint. Taz maintains Loaded Mouth. Which he recently ended. I manage this site.
ReplyDeleteA few comments deleted were probably SPAM. It's been so long that I can't remember.
Chief, we have been through this in Friendly emails. I have no problem with you personally. Taz and Rob Port had and on and off feud. Like many other bloggers. Did you google yourself and find this thread? The blogger who wrote the post retired from blogging.
Pushing Rope. I did post at Loaded Mouth several times. After the third combat veteran who said he personally was spit on and would be glad to tell it to the Loaded Mouth person, he went silent.
ReplyDeleteChecking out the old comment thread here, and just to chip in to defend this attack on my character: I have absolutely no clue what this guy is talking about, nor do I ever recall writing about Vietnam/spit stories on Loaded Mouth. Furthermore, Loaded Mouth was one of the most open forums in the blogosphere since there were many days when anyone -- yes, anyone -- could have posted to the main blog. The only post (besides some of my own) that I ever outright deleted came from a spambot (ie: not an actual human), and comments were only censored in special circumstances. All of those circumstances, by the way, were publicly noted by me on the blog.
So, in short, I may not know the identity of "anonymous" here, but I do know that he is a liar.
He is talking about me. I wrote about the Vietnam spit stories.
ReplyDelete