Excerpt:
Okay, who is the real traitor? Is Edward Snowden a heroic whistle blower or a traitor? Well, maybe Snowden is a bit of both. He is both a hero and a traitor, arising from different aspects of his dramatic actions. Snowden was a computer whiz and former Booz Allen contract employee handling secret work for the National Security Agency (NSA). If Snowden crosses over to revealing real substantive secrets to China and Russia, obviously that will be a horse of a different color.
But is another traitor Gen. Keith B. Alexander, Chief of the NSA, who testified before Congress on June 18? Gen. Alexander swore to uphold and defend the U.S. Constitution. Gen. Alexander shredded the Constitution and then deceived the U.S. Congress and the public about it on June 18.
On June 18, the NSA Director told us that "these programs" stopped specific threats of terrorism. Approximately 50 acts of terrorism were prevented. Whoa, there, cowboy! Yellow penalty flag on the field!
We're not talking about "these programs" -- but about one program in particular. Obviously, there are some NSA programs that are appropriate. Some NSA programs do exist that certainly helped stop terrorism. If you didn't catch that dishonest scam, you need to sharpen your bureaucracy recognition skills.
Alexander lumped together appropriate and effective NSA programs with inappropriately, offensively, and stupidly collecting all telephone calls of all American citizens indiscriminately. The NSA dog and pony show (Alexander brought a supporting cast of characters) tried to deceive Congress and the American people in order to justify the unconstitutional and inappropriate NSA surveillance that Edward Snowden revealed.
In effect, Alexander is arguing that anything and everything the NSA wants to do has to be accepted and supported, if there is something somewhere that the NSA does that helps keep the country safe. Everything goes. We are not allowed to make a distinction between some NSA activities which are more offensive than others.
Alexander's team offered us a burlesque fan-dance striptease in the hearing. While saying they can't bare all, they tried to show enough leg in between the moving fans to keep the customers interested and the money flowing. Yet the examples prove how unconstitutional the NSA's intrusions into our privacy really are.
Every striptease glimpse the NSA and FBI offered underscored why they are scoundrels: They gave examples of international telephone calls across borders. Yet the surveillance program that Snowden exposed monitors purely domestic phone calls wholly within the United States.
They described situations in which there is probable cause to believe that a person is involved in terrorism, or talking to a known terrorist (across borders). Yet the surveillance Snowden exposed occurs without any probable cause. The NSA is snooping on everyone indiscriminately. So the glimpses they gave us were not a pretty sight. If there were probable cause, then there wouldn't be a controversy.
Perhaps we can add this dog and pony show "testimony" into the pile of scam artists (like Eric Holder) that are trying to hide the truth about all the scandals currently plaguing the O Regime. Why should the NSA scandal be any different? When lying, deceiving, stalling, dismissing, and constant cover-up occur from this regime on a daily basis, can anyone spot the truth anymore?
As I have quoted before, Christian singer/songwriter Brandon Heath included in the lyrics of his hit song, "Leaving Eden" the phrase: "If it weren't for my TV, I wouldn't know what is real." If you listen to the song, you will notice that statement is meant to be taken sarcastically; and such a realization about the lack of truth in the media is more significantly rampant today than ever before in the history of the United States of America!
I need to locate a video clip of this, but apparently the NSA chief and his deputy made statements that were caught on a live microphone that they probably thought was turned off. They were discussing "having a beer with the boss (Obama?)" after getting through the hearing before Congress. Now, that may not be deemed as collusion to some, but when a little old lady calls in to C-Span and catches these supposedly "trustworthy" men in a lie, you need to consider the possibility of collusion in order to continue the cover-up.
Excerpt:
Hat tip:
A little old lady caller to C-SPAN asked the killer question: Have there been any prosecutions if the NSA detected and stopped 50 terrorist plots? You know the answer. Further, all of this highlights the difference between Obama and Bush. Bush's activities -- as far as we know -- only involved international phone calls across our borders and only focused on specific, identifiable individuals under suspicion. Obama's Administration is targeting the entire U.S. population (at least those with telephones).
President Barack Obama, leading student of Clintonian double-speak, tells us that we need to strike a balance between our privacy and keeping the country safe. We already struck that balance. It's called the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Our Founders struck a balance between privacy and national safety and protection from crime. The Fourth Amendment speaks eloquently for itself:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.But Obama plays an old Clinton trick. When your violation of a rule is exposed, change the subject and demand a conversation about developing a new, perfect rule. Ignore the fact that you violated the existing rule, by talking about what the perfect rule might be.
Some are trying to cry "Look over there! A cloud shaped like a bunny!" to distract people from the real issues. Do you have privacy rights in telephone call data, since that data belongs to the telephone company?
American Thinker
P.S. I am currently on a computer that doesn't allow video viewing, but this link below might be the clip that includes the "off the microphone" conversation at the end.
Fox News: Did NSA director lie to Congress about ability to probe?
Also see:
- “50 Foiled Terror Plots” Claim is False
Posts
11 comments:
50 Foiled Plots? Why the even number? Sounds like it was made up.
It reminds me of a Patriot I knew. He had all of these conspiracy theories. I went to prove them wrong and then I was accused of being part of the conspiracy. If you don't allow access to your computer or if you don't give up your fourth amendment rights, you will be labeled a traitor, a terrorist or criminal.
It is no different than McCarthyism.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthyism
"If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy [i.e., terrorists of every stripe]" -James Madison (a lesser known reference that is hard to prove)
My neighbor was a Jew from Auschwitz and on her arm was tattooed a serial number. I saw it a long time ago but I lived among a community that had a lot of Jews. The serial number was used to identify Jews so if they tried to escape, all the S.S. had to do was look at their arm. It is the grandfather of your modern day tracking cookie.
I really believe giving public access to the internet was a plan hatched to take away our rights after reading over 100 pages of news articles on this current crisis. In fact, the plan started well before the Internet was mainstream:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clipper_chip
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me--and there was no one left to speak for me.
Martin Niemöller: "First they came for the Socialists..."
-from your friendly neighborhood user who was once known as Sosthenes
Good points Sosthenes. Nice to see you back here!
I don't know whether or not you saw my previous posts on the Snowden "hero vs. traitor" debacle. In one post, I linked to Trevor Louden's New Zeal blog where we learn that Exclusive!!! NSA Leaks Journalist Glenn Greenwald, Addressed a Marxist-Leninist Conference.
You should read it all. It brings up the question as to why Snowden chose an obvious anti-American communist as his "journalist of choice" to break the "leak" news.
Excerpt:
That Greenwald [journalist who broke Snowden whistle blower news] was willing to address a gathering of some of the most revolutionary, anti-American elements in the country speaks volumes about his personal views.
So Glenn Greenwald, the man who leaked America’s vital national security secrets on a massive scale, may not be the objective, impartial journalist he portrays himself to be.
The International Socialists and their allies want to bring America to its knees.
Glenn Greenwald it seems, may well be in agreement with that agenda.
Hero or traitor?
Maybe this is why the ObaMARXIST BADministration isn't saying much about this whistle blower? Who knows...
It's certainly difficult to know who to trust anymore...
The NSA's Surveillance Will Devastate Commerce
What foreign organizations will want to use Microsoft Office or Google Docs if the American government is snooping on them?
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2420584,00.asp
Revealed: rules allow NSA to use data without warrant
Fisa court submissions show broad scope of procedures governing NSA surveillance of Americans
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/20/fisa-court-nsa-without-warrant
If I am doing nothing wrong then why should they be allowed to spy on me?
Christine,
In order to work for The Guardian, you have to be avowedly liberal.
The journalists who leaked the information may have to apply for assylum in another country .
I read an article which showed the cost of running Wikileaks and few people can afford to be Julian Assange.
Osama bin Laden had a lot of money and he had people helping him who were dedicated to his cause and he wasn't able to hide more than ten years before someone got him.
What countries actually exist where you can speak out and get asylum? There aren't many countries and what do you think of Alexander Litvinenko? They still went after him and killed him because revealing information isn't tolerated, it is revenge and he was made to be an example:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisoning_of_Alexander_Litvinenko
If you anger people, it is a very dangerous hobby to speak out because anyone can disappear.
Your friendly neighborhood user once known as Sosthenes
Christine,
As far as blaming journalists, Reuters and The Guardian newspaper claim the top secret judges on the FISA court are Republican judges:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/21/us-usa-security-fisa-judges-idUSBRE95K06H20130621
The fact that lawmakers are shocked at these revelations doesn't mean anything to me because they had to be in on it.
They lied about the Iraq war, they lied about the weapons of mass destruction and they set up an illegal court by taking away your God given rights by nullifying the Fourth Amendment.
They aren't Christian. They're wolves and they invited gays into the party. It is time to leave the Republican party because this country is apostate and you can't pretend they're Christian.
your friendly neighborhood user once known as Sosthenes
Hi Sosthenes,
Yes - I do remember the poisoning of Litvenenko. However, he was a "traitor" to the Russian Communist regime. It would be a given that he'd be tracked down and killed in some way for his "disloyalty."
I agree that some Republicans are "in on it" in Congress. There is a site called "Commieblasters" that reveals which ones are of the progressive/socialist/communist bent.
I do believe that the TEA Party Patriot groups are actively trying to elect Conservatives through the Republican party. We have seen in the past that 3rd party candidates do not get elected. That's just the way it is (unfortunately). It took decades to get the Republicans to become "progressive-light" while the Dems have become aggressive progressives, so it will take decades to vote them out and get this nation back to being a Constitutional Republic. I pray each day that it isn't too late to make the turn around. The 40 seats picked up by Republicans (some, but not all were true conservatives) in the 2010 election really spooked the Obama regime. Thus, they sent the IRS creeps in to do some of the dirty work to prevent their influence in the 2012 election. The rest of the criminality happened through voter fraud, Soros-led vote counting (and turning) machines, plus all of the scandals that were repressed before the 2012 election.
I'm not so sure about the "lying about weapons of mass destruction" claim. There has been proof of chemical weapons being moved to Syria back before the Iraq war. In fact, chemical weapons were used against the Kurds in the north by Hussein's men. We have seen them used by Assad (supposedly) against his own people. But the question remains where they actually used by the rebels? Weapons have been smuggled to the Syrian rebels (a.k.a. terrorists) from Libya through Turkey. And the plan to release the blind sheik through a trade of Ambassador Stevens went bad and resulted in the Benghazi attack, murders, and cover-up. The Obama regime is arming the rebels and RINOS like John McCain think this is a good idea. Sometimes I think that people in WA D.C. have been hypnotized into believing and then agreeing with the O regime's not-so-hidden Islamo-fascist ideology - to the detriment of America.
No matter how bad it gets, we know Who holds the future. I pray that God will continue to hold us up through this terrible time in American history, and see fit to help us heal our land.
Thanks for your input and insight.
Christine,
Boehner Purging Conservatives from Key Committees
http://christiananswers.yuku.com/reply/1290/Boehner-Purging-Conservatives-from-Key-Committees#reply-1290
And the church doesn't want to be challenged so they are staying out of politics because they don't want to be seen as losing.
Even Bob Dole said the Republican party should be closed for repairs.
Regards,
ex-Sosthenes
ex-Sosthenes? So...what is your new screen name?
I remember when Boehner did that. I was outraged and wrote an email letter to him telling him how mad I was about it. Days later, I got a form letter welcoming me to his email list! These people don't even read the emails!! No wonder people are registering as Independents in droves. Can't trust either party anymore!
Regarding the church...
When Prop. 8 was on the ballot in CA, there were certain Christian church pastors who worked very hard to encourage their congregations to be educated about the matter and then to go out and educate others as to why marriage should remain as the thousands of years old definition of one man and one woman. I took notice of the churches that didn't get involved. It was quite a disappointment to see one church where I attended Bible studies for years not getting involved. Too many pastors are too concerned about losing their tax-exempt status. The Lyndon Johnson executive order (or was it a bill?) needs to be rescinded in order to give pastors back their free speech rights and freedom of association rights to preach the gospel and what the Bible says about homosexuality (as well as all sins), morality and political issues of the day without fear of political targeting and destruction.
Mike Huckabee met with some pastors at a southern Baptist convention recently and on his T.V. show he stated that he thought it would be better for churches to lose their tax-exempt status than to continue to be silenced on political, social, and moral issues of the day. He said that a lot of pastors will likely disagree with him on the issue, but he also said that churches could use tax deductions (for missions, food banks, etc.) like businesses, and therefore not be affected by a fear of having to pay a lot of taxes. Perhaps people who tithe and donate would not be affected because they could still deduct donations from their taxes. But even if they don't, Christians shouldn't be giving to churches for the purpose of tax deductions, but because we are called to give back to God some of what he blesses us with because it all belongs to Him anyway!
I think that the flat tax idea (Ted Cruz suggests and others have been talking about for decades) should become a reality now that the scandals involving the IRS are out front and center in the public eye. Abolishing the IRS via bringing in a flat tax or fair tax law where a person can file their tax form on a postcard would be fabulous!
Government has grown so big and cumbersome that waste, fraud, and abuse has increased to record levels. It's disgusting!!! With close to a 17 trillion dollar debt, SOMETHING must be done to reign it all in and protect taxpayers dollars from all the waste, fraud and abuse.
I would have to disagree with Bob Dole. "Closing" the Republicans for repair would give free reign to the Democrats (who are far worse!!!) to continue their freight train towards America's destruction. What needs to be done is the replacement of RINOS with true conservatives. The TEA Party and other groups had much success in 2010 - and they can do it again in 2014 and 2016.
Best Regards,
Christine
"In 1975, the US Congress held a series of hearings to discuss a frightening new surveillance technology they feared would take away individual liberties."
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20130620-the-darker-side-of-big-data
If the BBC has this in the public domain then what exactly did this guy do to get in trouble? He basically told us what we already have in the public domain.
Remember who said during the election that he invented the internet?
The ethics of PRISM can be put in terms of lying, as evinced by Robert Clapper, Director of Intelligence at the NSA, before Congress. Kant’s critique of lying can shed light on whether Clapper should have lied. If he should not have, what are the implications for the republic from the compromised democratic accountability? See "The NSA Goes to Congress: Kant on Lying as Unethical" http://www.thewordenreport.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-nsa-goes-to-congress-on-ethics-of.html
Hello Dr. Worden,
Thanks for commenting here and providing a link back to your excellent post on the matter at hand.
A slight correction - isn't Clapper's first name "James"? Visited your blog and see that you have his full name correct there.
Unfortunately, lying is constant in the ObaMARXIST BADministration. The deception, corruption, criminality, lying, etc. is so bad that I can't believe that Zero is still in office. Eric Holder is using his power of office to keep Zero from being brought down. That's why Holder refuses to resign. He is there as the protector of Zero.
With all of the whistle blowers exposing the corruption, something has to break sooner or later.
I also read your post entitled, Democracy or Force: The Case of Egypt. I see your points in all that you has stated.
However, the fact that the U.S. started out as a Constitutional Republic which has since slipped into the "Democracy" trap can't be ignored.
As you probably already know, when Benjamin Franklin was asked the question, "What kind of government have you given us?" he replied, "A Republic...if you can keep it."
We are now witnessing how hard it is to keep our Constitutional Republic when a usurper ends up in office. It's despicable...to say the least!
It has also been stated that our founding was based on Judeo-Christian values and that it is only suited for a religious people; without which it cannot survive. We sadly see this falling away of adherence to the Constitution, rejection of our Judeo-Christian roots, and the hatred being spewed against Jesus Christ by a nation being led by the evil combination of being a secret Muslim and an atheistic Marxist.
Since Zero took office, all of this turmoil to take down America as we once had known it is happening at an increasingly alarming rate.
Well, thanks for allowing me to put in my two cents! I will add your blog to my blogroll!
Sincerely,
Christine
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