Big Brother is Watching You

[O Really]

"paranoid" now? What happened to "tin foil hats"?

We don't know whether No Such Agency's witch hunts have been frivolous or not, do we? I don't have to speculate about possible future abuse. Current and recent history US national security abuse is well known, and the use of technology to suppress dissent is common worldwide.

Well, you should know that I intend no personal insult, but generically, yeah - paranoid. But fortunately, we don't have to simply speculate. Let's go back to Dryer's article from 2006, apparently the last time the sky fell on phone users.

Don Weber, a senior spokesman for the NSA, (after declining to discuss details).... "However, it is important to note that NSA takes its legal responsibilities seriously and operates within the law."
...

"... all national intelligence activities undertaken by the federal government "are lawful, necessary and required for the pursuit of al-Qaeda and affiliated terrorists." All government-sponsored intelligence activities "are carefully reviewed and monitored," Perino said. She also noted that "all appropriate members of Congress have been briefed on the intelligence efforts of the United States."

So maybe my friends at the ACLU, the Guardian, or whoever else finds this a big deal could come up with some evidence that what the NSA said 7 years ago was false, or has become false in the past 7 years.

Surely somebody must have been spirited off in the night never to be heard from again, or, more seriously, wrongly brought to trial because of this data. Shouldn't somebody have a tale of horror to share? Didn't anybody's Aunt Emmy get a visit from some men in black because she ordered ammunition from Russia over the internet?

[O Really]

Interesting side item here... http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/faceb ... snhp&pos=4

[Dryer Vent]

In analyzing the situation in my feeble mind, it looks to me like the folks in this country believe that they should be privy to everything going on in the White House, the NSA, the CIA, and the FBI...and the IRS. Well, folks, we shouldn't know what is going on because if we know, potential or current "enemies" will know. The word intelligence does not mean that we have to know what the government is doing to protect us. We need to have faith and trust that minds much larger than mine or yours are in control of our safety, and let's leave it at that.

By publicizing the phone data issue, every terrorist in the world now knows to NOt use the phone to plan the next terror attack. Every bit of information that goes public is a spoiler for the intelligence gathering folks who are assigned to protect us.

The news media needs to fill the air 24/7, so they need new material every day. Herein lies the problem, in my estimation.

[Leo Lyons]

Your profit is in the pay you got and pension you're getting for making pushers rich and America less healthy and safe.

Less healthy!? You gotta be shittin' me! Keeping hard drugs off the streets make people less healthy?

[Dryer Vent]

rather than a more selective approach.

Now we are getting into racial profiling. Also, we never know who the next terrorist will be. Was Timothy McVeigh on the feds' radar?

[Dryer Vent]

...rather than a more selective approach.

Now we are getting into racial profiling...

No, terrorist profiling, and surveillance with cause but without profiling. If we wish to profile based on actual domestic attacks over the past few decades and past decade, we'll profile white, male, often Christian, cons like Roland Deschain.

Devil's advocate: "terrorist profiling." What does that mean? What is the profile of a terrorist? A middle-eastern male? There are a whole bunch of middle-eastern males who are Christians, not Muslims. How does the government know what religion a particular person is? To find out, all middle-eastern men would need to be monitored: racial profiling.

Devil's advocate: "domestic profiling." So, we monitor all white Christian males. Again: racial profiling. What if that white Christian male moves around a lot? What if that white Christian male lives at home with his folks? Are we going to track down all white Christian males and have a look-see at their phone records?

The whole thing is crazy. However, if the Boston bomber's accomplices were found based on phone records, we probably saved another bunch of folks from getting blown up.

[neoplacebo]

I still can't get too excited about the NSA phone number thing; hell, unless you're "off the grid" or exclusively use cash, "someone" knows what you bought, where you bought it, what time it was.....there's probably even a video capture of the transaction as well. The way I trick them is driving down to Georgia somewhere and buying tampons, hair dye, and a few other things I don't ever use, and then I drive up to Tennessee and buy a cow and a bottle of Clorox. Works every time.

[Ombudsman]

I still can't get too excited about the NSA phone number thing; hell, unless you're "off the grid" or exclusively use cash, "someone" knows what you bought, where you bought it, what time it was.....there's probably even a video capture of the transaction as well. The way I trick them is driving down to Georgia somewhere and buying tampons, hair dye, and a few other things I don't ever use, and then I drive up to Tennessee and buy a cow and a bottle of Clorox. Works every time.

I don't see it as a big deal either. It seems some people understand so little about the technology they're using that this kind of thing comes off as outrageous when it becomes front page news. If you go to Walgreens and use your debit card, along with you receipt you'll get coupons for the same items you bought six months ago. It's all being tracked.

[rstrong]

All the stories about it "only" monitoring foreigners is complete B.S for obvious reasons.

Actually, they're quite open about one point: Spying on the Americans is peachy-keen if they're communicating with foreign nationals.

Myself, for example.

You're welcome.

[Stinger]

I still can't get too excited about the NSA phone number thing; hell, unless you're "off the grid" or exclusively use cash, "someone" knows what you bought, where you bought it, what time it was.....there's probably even a video capture of the transaction as well. The way I trick them is driving down to Georgia somewhere and buying tampons, hair dye, and a few other things I don't ever use, and then I drive up to Tennessee and buy a cow and a bottle of Clorox. Works every time.

I don't see it as a big deal either. It seems some people understand so little about the technology they're using that this kind of thing comes off as outrageous when it becomes front page news. If you go to Walgreens and use your debit card, along with you receipt you'll get coupons for the same items you bought six months ago. It's all being tracked.

All I know is that I hope I never get a job that's as fricking boring as monitoring my electronic communication would be. I don't really care if someone listens in -- I just don't want to be held liable if they commit suicide because of my calls.

And, by the way, I repeat that no one is listening in or reading texts or emails. All they're doing is looking at a list of who you called, what time you called, how long the call was, etc. Data mining, not wiretapping.

[Stinger]

All the stories about it "only" monitoring foreigners is complete B.S for obvious reasons.

Actually, they're quite open about one point: Spying on the Americans is peachy-keen if they're communicating with foreign nationals.

Myself, for example.

You're welcome.

That means they've got the forum and all of us under surveillance for communicating with the foreign national.

Maizy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey. A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?

(Just thought I'd give them something suspicious to shake up their day.)

[Ombudsman]

Maizy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey. A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?

You're showing your age. My grandmother sings that song all the time.

[Dryer Vent]

True that, Sting. I'm sure anyone listening to me discussing breast milk pumping and diaper service with my daughter would surely hang themselves.

[Stinger]

True that, Sting. I'm sure anyone listening to me discussing breast milk pumping and diaper service with my daughter would surely hang themselves.

I had someone to day crying "They know everything about me."

"No, they don't. They have records lying around, but they haven't read a thing about you because you're too frickin' boring."

[Dryer Vent]

Maybe if they knew everything about me, I'd get the credit I deserve or maybe even a loving cup. Or, a bowling trophy if that's all that's available.

I've been racking my brain to figure out what about me anyone would know that would elicit at least a small modicum of alarm. The only thing I can think of is my attendance at a Green Day concert where BJ sang American Idiot. I have photos...my trip is all over Facebook...I'm dead!

[Cowboy]

Maizy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey. A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?

Actually, the lyrics go:

Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy.
A kid'll eat ivy too, wouldn't you?

[Dryer Vent]

You are such a cute little kidder, CB.

[Leo Lyons]

Do I see the shiny wearing off the liberal's golden boy?

[O Really]

I don't know what the CIA or FBI does or might do with the data they get from NSA. I don't doubt that in that project, like anything else, there is some opportunity for abuse. Fine. if there's abuse, out the scoundrel(s) and prosecute them. But to say that looking at the phone calling record of everyone in order to find bad guys turns "innocent people into suspects" and is excessively "Big Brother" invasive seems a bit of a stretch. Where else do we look at everyone to try to find bad guys? State Troopers running speed checks. Photos of all license plates going through the toll booth. Cameras and metal detectors at the Court House and elsewhere. Bag check at the ball game. Practically any video surveillance. Carding people with gray hair buying beer. All these activities involve looking at everyone within a group, searching for violations. How, except in scope, does looking at phone call connections differ from any of those examples?

[Dryer Vent]

Yep, they got me today. Renee called me with gossip about Elaine and Chuck. So, I had to call Chuck to spread the gossip about Elaine and to tell him that I think I've got some good dirt on Renee. So, I am certain that Chuck called Elaine to spread the good stuff I got on Renee and to tell her about my unlawful maryjane garden in the back 40. It's been a busy day for the NSA. I hope they come for me tomorrow cause I'm really tired and I could use a cot and 3 squares for a couple of days to recharge. Then, I'll turn in Chuck for growing the maryjane on my back 40 without my knowledge and consent. Whew. What a day. Hope someone is watching.