Did NSA Director Lie to Congress About Ability to Probe? Plus, "50 Foiled Terror Plots" is a Lie

I watched most of the testimony of the NSA chief and others via C-Span.  To be honest, most of it was too boring!  But I wanted to hear the reactions of the men under oath when questions were raised regarding the NSA snooping on Americans; which resulted in breaking the 4th Amendment rights of all of us being monitored.  Unfortunately, I didn't watch the hearing all the way to the end and missed the call-in portion of the broadcast.  However, Jonathon Moseley of American Thinker shared a question by a caller in his piece "Will the Real Traitor Please Stand Up?"

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:

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?

Hat tip:
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