I've been telling my best friend for years the government monitors calls without reason. (I didn't think they were monitoring my calls, but, I had no doubt it was going on.) But I didn't tell many people that. Why? Because then all of a sudden you are a crazy, certifiable conspiracy theorist, alien abductee, talking to yourself, wearing tin-foil hat....blah, blah, blah... I guess I don't seem so crazy anymore, huh? http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...ME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-06-06-21-13-28 And are we really to think the greatest threat to our nation are terrorist and not tyranny? What right does the federal government have to monitor law abiding citizens with no reasonable cause? Where is that in the constitution? Ever hear of the forth amendment, it's the one right before the fifth. Who is checking and balancing? Cause if you ask me the federal governement is out of control....
It probably doesn't surprise anyone to know that this sort of thing doesn't bother me. I wouldn't even care if we were all microchipped, honestly. I think we'd be safer that way, but I know it's a controversial subject and everyone is entitled to their opinions. *shrugs* I have nothing to hide. As long as I'm free to go about my own business, I'll support those who are keeping tabs on people to help keep my family safe. If one of my kids were ever abducted, I'd wish we had microchips for sure. (I use Verizon, too, by the way.)
The internet spying is a big concern, too. For example, a friend of mine is a lawyer. Often times, the plaintiff against his client is the government (at various levels, including Federal). What guarantee does he now have in attorney/client privilege if the phone calls between he and his client are monitored? What guarantee does he have if their emails are being read? What guarantee does he have if he files motions that are not to be disclosed (since they are mostly does electronically now)? If the government can gather any and all information they choose, and throw out all of our rights, then attorney/client privilege no longer exists.
Since the government is the plaintiff in the case, then his clients would be labeled "alleged criminals" and some people would be okay with that, because some people think everyone is guilty...but on the flip side, what if the government is the defendant? What if you're suing the government? Then the government can access your email and phone calls with your lawyer? I've known for a while about Verizon, but, it was never a mainstream topic. 2 months ago if you went out on the street and said the government could be listening to your call and reading your texts people would have called you paranoid or a conspiracy theorist or a nut job. You go out and say it tomorrow and they will give you a knowing nod.... While I don't have anything to hide, I'm a law abiding citizen, I don't even break the speed limit 95% of the time, even when my neighbors were stalking and threatening me and my family I never broke the law nor pushed the boundaries and did everything by the book...but that's not the point. The point is I think we have a right to privacy. I don't think you should strip search kids as they walk into school every day because 2 might have a gun and 5 might be carrying drugs. You want to strip search someone convicted of a drug conviction before they enter the prison, fine. But we shouldn't all be treated like criminals. And all this time, all these calls and such that have been monitored, they thwarted 1 terrorist attack? Obviously the terrorists are smarter than our government, and if they didn't know not to use email and facebook and cell phones before, they know now. So will they still continue to invade our privacy?
Yea, I've kept my mouth shut as well since you speak of your thoughts and people look at you like you're a nut! Is it surprising? Nope! Look at everything else that is monitored.....your satellite/cable viewing; (even netflix tracks you) your grocery purchases (everytime you use one of those "preferred customer" cards) your internet activity, your emails, and on and on... Do I have anything to hide? nope....but where is that line between security and privacy? At what point have we just blindly handed over our freedom and realized down the road it opened a door we can never close? When will monitoring become deciding and allowing? I think it's a slippery slope
I'm with you. But can we do anything? And even now, liberals are either in the "What's the big deal?" camp, the "conspiracy theorist" camp, or the "racist" camp. Actually, we were discussing impeaching Obama last night. (And I am NOT saying that it's "just" Obama; I believe both camps have been doing this, but Obama has taken it to a new height!) Anyway, I don't see it happening. Why? Because we "finally" got a Black man in the White House, and to impeach him would cause all kinds of racial unrest. It will be viewed as done for racial reasons, rather than for moral/ethical reasons.
Where do you draw the line and say the gov't is overstepping it's bounds? Would it be ok for them (or me) to search your car without probable cause? How about they (or me) come to your home and ask to search it? Then get on your computer and start searching your files, your underwear drawer, your closet? At what point do you stand up for your liberty and privacy? Having nothing to hide is not a reason to give up your rights. Having nothing to hide IS a reason to say NO. If I want to keep my family safe, that is MY job, not that of the gov't.
I wouldn't have a problem with any of those things, but there's no doubt in my mind that they'd never happen. Government employees aren't paid enough to chase bad guys, let alone have time to impose on good guys. If one wanted to search my house, that would be fine, and I'd offer to let them stay for dinner, too.
I thought that it was an accepted fact and not something most people don't believe. I wouldn't be surprised if it has been happening since technology made it possible for them to do it.
Ok...? I don't get it. Why? (I actually do pay attention to the news, but I'm curious what you think I'm missing.)
Because government officials already spend an inappropriate amount of time persecuting innocent individuals.
Where do YOU live? Because it's obviously not in the same place the rest of us do ! Government employees are constantly overstepping their authority, and unfortunately, it's the "good guys" who get caught, not the "bad guys". Our Constitution was written with a BILL OF RIGHTS to safeguard against such things; unfortunately, those RIGHTS have been set aside for "national security", which actually makes us less and less secure.
They will never say it, but I can tell you for sure that every wireless telephone company in the world gives the right to its government to monitor calls. You can't get a license to offer service without this commitment. It's kept quiet, but it's a fundamental requirement. The president can say whatever he likes about the government not monitoring actual calls, but the capability is there. Behind the scenes, I am certain that government agencies have the right to use that capability. The only question, really, is under what conditions? There are several technology companies around that can store and process huge volumes of calls. They do this for banks, for example, to give legal confirmation when customers make decisions over the phone. They can also do it for telephone calls passing through the switching network. They then mine these calls for certain key words that could indicate trouble. You can be certain that discussion forums are monitored automatically too. All it needs to flag the forum as a potential problem is for certain combinations of words to appear. The president of our local gun club made a killing last week. He sold an AK-47 for a bomb.
And in this country, those "key words" include "conservative", "tea party", "pro-life", "evangelical".
Do people who are those things use those words very much in telephone conversations? Just going by my experience I see those terms used more often (although in a negative light) by those who aren't conservative, tea party, pro-life, or evangelical. Those who are conservative tend to mention the word liberal quite often and pro-abortion too whereas those who are liberal tend to mention the word conservative or pro-life more frequently. Wow, I guess I really flagged this post Hi there government worker
Calls, by the way, are the tip of the iceberg, although they alone tell monitoring agencies when you make call, to whom, for how long, and where you are at the time - in addition to actual phone content. When you use a bank machine, they know where you are, how much you deposit or withdraw, and your balance. When you use a credit of debit card, you reveal what you purchase, where, and when. When you drive through an EZ-pass toll, you reveal information. When you subscribe to cable, you reveal information. Over 25 years ago, I worked for a company that was developing an application for the British government. The so-called speed cameras on highway overpasses were capturing tag numbers of every vehicle that passed by and running them past a police database. Did the public know? Of course not. Think again when you go through a traffic light with cameras, because they are not just used for spotting those who run red lights. There are real issues when convenience runs up against law enforcement. Let's say you have an EZ-Pass tag. You enter the NJ Turnpike at 6:00pm and leave the turnpike 75 miles away at 7:00pm. Should you get a ticket in the mail for traveling an average of 75mph when the limit is 55mph?
Exactly. I don't think for one second that the snooping hasn't always been going on, its WHAT they do with the information that is troubling. They have well overstepped their bounds and it needs to stop.
