Quote Originally Posted by anonamoose View Post
Quote Originally Posted by DRK Star View Post
? Not sure what you mean here.

I dont know how people found out about Petraus and that woman. I thought you were infering that they were caught due to the NSA leaking things about them, but I have never heard that point stated.


My "point" is essentially that I dont see how we are going to stop people who have absolute power like the NSA has, and that this power seemed to not be such a bad thing, if they were using it to prevent major problems like terrorism.

If it get revealed 100% that they used this power to do other things, like blackmail people, I would completely be against it. I think revealing what we were doing to the entire world makes the US look absolutely horrible and our nations credibility is now shit. I didnt mind knowing that they may have been collecting my data, because I havent really done anything to alarm anyone (outside of my slight obsession with 18th century dwarf pornography).
These are absolutely horrible ways of looking at things.

1. There has been nothing released showing that the NSA's spying on us has lead to any stoppage of terrorist events.
2. When you're saying "but how would we stop this" it means you've accepted the fact that we're not a democracy and we're not longer free and you're just laying down and letting them have their way with you.

It's not a matter of "if you're not doing anything wrong you don't have to worry", but it's a matter of there is the basic dignity we're due as humans that they're violating. What I do in my house isn't the government's business just as what I say on the phone or in e-mails isn't their's either. If I wanted them to know about something I'd cc the white house on all my correspondence.
Admittedly it IS a horrible way of looking at things. I just dont see how we realistically can stop it.
I would not want the NSA to tell me HOW they found and stopped something. Why would I give my "playbook" to my opponents?

I have accepted that some parts of our Democracy arent really a democracy. I dont want them to "have their way with me", but I think realistically, I cant really do anything to stop it, so rather than spend way too much of my time fighting something that isnt a bother to me. I dont see Tom and Steve from NSA sitting at a table and combing through my stuff on a daily basis. I see them as saving everyone's shit, looking for some key words, and if they feel like looking into me, so be it. I feel the odds are pretty damn low that they give a shit about me. If I was born in Syria, studied under some islamic whack-a-do, and had a brother that enjoyed blowing shit up, they would probably be all up in my ass. Just because they have everything on me, doesnt mean they are doing anything with it. I have too many other things to be concerned with.

If someone can show me a way where we can "realistically" make a change here, and get 100% transparency, Im in line with you. I just dont see that happening. President whomever will want his very cool toy and will tell everyone under him to look the other way. Im sure a large majority of other countries are "outraged", but its probably because our spy shit is cooler than theirs and we beat them.