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Submission + - NSA: 'We're Really Screwed Now' (foreignpolicy.com)

cold fjord writes: Foreign Policy reports, "One of the National Security Agency's biggest defenders in Congress is suddenly at odds with the agency and calling for a top-to-bottom review ... And her long-time friends and allies are completely mystified by the switch. "We're really screwed now," one NSA official told The Cable. ... Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Dianne Feinstein said she was "totally opposed" to gathering intelligence on foreign leaders and said it was "a big problem" if President Obama didn't know the NSA was monitoring the phone calls of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. ... Perhaps most significant is her announcement that the intelligence committee "will initiate a review into all intelligence collection programs." ... If the review also touched on other intelligence agencies under the committee's jurisdiction, it could be one of the most far-reaching reviews in recent memory ... A former intelligence agency liaison to Congress said Feinstein's sudden outrage over spying on foreign leaders raised questions about how well informed she was about NSA programs and whether she'd been fully briefed by her staff. "The first question I'd ask is, what have you been doing for oversight? Second, if you've been reviewing this all along what has changed your mind?" The former official said the intelligence committees receive lengthy and detailed descriptions every year about all NSA programs, including surveillance. "They're not small books. ... They're hundreds of pages long."" — More at Lawfare

Comment Re:USA Freedom Act (Score 2, Informative) 322

USA Freedom Act .... Isn't that what the Constitution is supposed to be?

No. The Constitution is exactly that, a constitution. It is a base governing document that lays out the form of government and various rights and responsibilities. It is silent on many things. It says nothing about how much money Social Security is getting next year, or the Marines, or if section 205 of the Patriot Act even exists.

We don't need another Law. The Laws that made this garbage legal are unconstitutional and criminal.

If you think they are unconstitutional, then can you show where they were struck down by a court as such? If they aren't struck down by a court, then they need to be repealed by the legislature.

We don't need another Law. We need to hunt down and incarcerate the criminals who created this mess.

You need another law to repeal or alter the aspects of the law that you don't like if a court doesn't strike it down. The criminals responsible for creating this mess have been the source of an active manhunt for 12 years. The ringleader is dead, and most of his original lieutenants are either captured or dead, some are in hiding. Since I'm sure you didn't mean that - you better wait until Congress repeals it, or it will still be on the books.

We don't need another Law. We need to hold government officials personally accountable for their flagrant and criminal violations of the Constitution.

An election is coming up. Do your worst.

We don't need another Law. We already have a USA Freedom Act. It is called "The Constitution of the United States."

We've covered this, but I'll add one more thing. The Constitution gave Congress the power to make laws. Congress made a law that resulted in this issue. Since the courts haven't struck it down, it is still the law of the land. How about we let Congress do their job and pass a law to try and resolve the issue instead of making specious claims that no law change is required?

Submission + - Britney Spears' music used to deter pirates (mirror.co.uk)

mi writes: Blasting Western music seems quite effective against the people, who hate Western culture in general, according to the article in Mirror Online, and Britney Spears' tunes proved to be a great deterrent indeed. Second Officer Rachel from Aberfoyle in Scotland said: “Her songs have been chosen by the security team accompanying our tankers because they thought the pirates would hate them most."

The music is currently used as a second line of defence and is broadcast when initial calls from armed security guards on board fail to deter the pirates. The speakers can be aimed solely at the pirates so as not to disturb the crew. “They’re so effective the ship’s security rarely needs to resort to firing guns," — says Rachel.

Steven Jones, of the Security Association for the Maritime Industry, said the US police and military were the first to use music to quell rioters.

Security industry is well aware of the power of music — and is cautious not to exceed humane limits. Justin Bieber, for example, is not used, because officials are wary of violating Geneva Conventions.

Comment Re:Enough already... (Score 1) 215

... the corporatist warmongering pigs and the crypto-Zionists pulling their strings.

I've heard things like that before. You think the ^wJews Zionist are behind it all? Yes, I think I hear music, I'm just not sure if it's from a play like this, or a parade like that.

The European Left and Its Trouble With Jews

If you are the real "Ethanol-fueled," it's time for treatment.

Comment Re:Who Says they Never Paid for those Nukes... (Score 1, Insightful) 215

... it seems to me the Israeli government uses Judaism as a weapon against their detractors, since nobody can say anything about Israel's bad behavior without being accused of anti-semitism.

Many people use anti-Zionism against Israel as a cloak for anti-Semitism.

The European Left and Its Trouble With Jews

Comment Re:News For Nerds (Score 1) 406

ivy league universities whose cultures are loaded with marxist philosophy

I was going to parody this comrade, but I couldn't think of any way to make it funnier.

What I see isn't so much funny as sad. Higher education has clearly been captured by the Left, and Cultural Marxism is dominant. Ideas springing from or influenced by Marxism are influential or dominant in many areas even when outright Marxism isn't. Chomsky is the most highly cited living author. Apparently you would deny this.

Comment Re:Your hypocricy is astonishing. (Score 1) 406

I think a lot of people would argue that the vast majority of "defensive use of firearms in deadly situations" would not even be necessary in a country where it is even slightly difficult to get your hands on automatic firearms.

I think you are making some faulty assumptions about defensive firearms use. They are used in many differ sorts of circumstances as you can see from a few of the stories at this link: Stories That Happened In MI

No, actually it doesn't. Toss out suicides and criminal-on-criminal violence and you're still left with outrageous numbers of cases of "defensive use of firearms" (which you mentioned in the first paragraph but had forgotten in the second?).

I think you will find some interesting commentary here: Murder by Numbers

Comment Re:blah blah blah (Score 1, Insightful) 406

George Soros doesn't attempt to hide what he does with his money.

That is too funny! Remember this little gem? - Discredited Lancet study gets even more discredited

That must have been some of the best propaganda money Soros ever spent. That "club" he paid for kept giving, and giving, and giving.

There is far more than goes on with him and his money than meets the eye.

Comment Re:And how is this any different... (Score 1) 406

"Socialist" is little more than a pejorative. I truly wish we had some genuine socialists in the US, not because I support their politics .... but because I appreciate their clarity.

Communist Party USA

(Not that I approve of their message, but they exist.)

then search sometime for "AM talk radio"

One station from Salem communications

If you like clarity, try Prager.

Comment Re:Assertion without evidence - dismiss without it (Score 1) 165

Assertion without evidence - dismiss without it
It's nice that you say so. The problem is: I don't believe you. I cannot. There is no oversight whatsoever concerning your actions.

In view of the first part of your statement, can you back up the claim that there is no oversight whatsoever? That seems to be an assertion without evidence.

Comment Re:Can someone remind me? (Score 1) 321

It doesn't matter if they can or not, it is their motivation towards violence. But keep in mind the future is an uncertain thing, and there are many changes coming to the world. Europe's native population will plunge in the next 50-100 years since the birthrate is far below replacement. Many of the immigrants are from Muslim nations and are hostile to European values, and they constitute a growing segment of the population. There has been a tendency for the 2nd generation immigrants to radicalize. Many of the Muslims in Europe support Sharia law and want it locally. Many of them support violence in the name of Islam. What will come of it in 50 years?

Comment Re:I can't wait until we vote Bush/Cheney out (Score 1) 321

Oh bullcrap. Any reasonable reading of the IRS evidence shows that it was going after both parts of the political spectrum equally. The law itself is very vague and clearly led to the situation.

No, it wasn't going after everyone equally. Some people are making that claim to provide political cover to the administration and the IRS, but it isn't true. The problem wasn't so much the law as it was the guidance given to the IRS employees by their politicized leadership.

I notice you DIDN'T mention the Valery Plame affair which in my opinion was FAR worse than anything that has happened in the Obama Whitehouse and led to criminal prosecution of a White House aid.

Oddly I'm not surprised. We know in the Benghazi incident a number of Americans died, including the first Ambassador in something like 40 years. There were some very disturbing aspects about the way the Secretary of State (H. Clinton) and the President treated the ambassador and staff during the incident. Survivors were being sworn to secrecy and hidden from Congress. What was the body count for the Plame affair?

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