The NSA watches you poop.
- Thread starter Beef Supreme_sl
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Guest, it's time once again for the massively important and exciting FoH Asshat Tournament!
Go here and give us your nominations!Who's been the biggest Asshat in the last year? Give us your worst ones!
tad10
Elisha Dushku
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It was a random "accident". /sarc
Just like the strip search of that reporter's boyfriend.
tad10
Elisha Dushku
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Yes I'm well aware of Heinlein's maxim: Don't mistake idiocy for malice. This could all just be idiocy.
chaos
Buzzfeed Editor
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The wizard only holds power when people are terrified of him. If Snowden isn't dealt with quickly and harshly, it will embolden others who might be sympathetic and in similar positions. Or who might want attention, or any number of reasons why. It's really that simple. There is no big plot, no lumbering incompetent bureaucracy (well there is... but that's beside the point). The system relies on trust and, when trust fails, draconian punitive measures.
fanaskin
Well known agitator
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tad10
Elisha Dushku
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tad10
Elisha Dushku
- 5,533
- 599
tad10
Elisha Dushku
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- 599
I think we're just at odds over the whether or not the threat of "draconian punitive measures" is a fear based threat or not. I'm going to stick to my guns and say it is a fear based threat, Bob.
fanaskin
Well known agitator
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See I thought that's what you meant chaos, that the reprisal is purely for the integrity of the honor system of the nsa's operators, that's kinda true but I think that isn't all of it by far.
The way I see it, secrecy is what allowed this monstrous spying apparatus to get constructed in the first place, it's probably larger than the Manhattan project if you count the private business manpower that was hijacked. the fear part is the war on terror that allowed the laws to dangle close enough where they just went for it.
now that snowden pierced the veil of public secrecy, it is undermining the presidents credibility daily, I think it has an effect on the population as a whole, this isn't the first time this happened, it happened with LBJ when he was caught lying so many times on vietnam that the population just stopped believing him it was called the "credibility gap" it's also having a side effect of making people less afraid of the war on terror, because instead they view it as a lie that's ultimately there to take away civil rights. between the financial crisis, and stuff like This it seems america is trending towards a situation between the lack of credibility and vitriol pointed at government that we could reach a "crisis of democracy" and in their eye's become ungovernable. I think that's a more weighted motive that would move us to say detain a plane of a president from another country and search it, that was kind of a major international incident.
I think you had it right the first sentence.
"The wizard only holds power when people are terrified of him."
The way I see it, secrecy is what allowed this monstrous spying apparatus to get constructed in the first place, it's probably larger than the Manhattan project if you count the private business manpower that was hijacked. the fear part is the war on terror that allowed the laws to dangle close enough where they just went for it.
now that snowden pierced the veil of public secrecy, it is undermining the presidents credibility daily, I think it has an effect on the population as a whole, this isn't the first time this happened, it happened with LBJ when he was caught lying so many times on vietnam that the population just stopped believing him it was called the "credibility gap" it's also having a side effect of making people less afraid of the war on terror, because instead they view it as a lie that's ultimately there to take away civil rights. between the financial crisis, and stuff like This it seems america is trending towards a situation between the lack of credibility and vitriol pointed at government that we could reach a "crisis of democracy" and in their eye's become ungovernable. I think that's a more weighted motive that would move us to say detain a plane of a president from another country and search it, that was kind of a major international incident.
I think you had it right the first sentence.
"The wizard only holds power when people are terrified of him."
tad10
Elisha Dushku
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Only because it is a lie (e.g. the whole recent AQ is going to blow up 23 embassies bullshit - just spin to justify the program, all that happend is we killed a bunch of yemenis including some children at a school. Were some of those we killed members of AQ? Who the fuck knows? But I'm doubtful about the kids at the middle school.).
Loser Araysar
Chief Russia Reporter. Stock Pals CEO. Head of AI.
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