tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774506.post114736175688244985..comments2023-11-03T07:31:49.573-04:00Comments on Liberal Citizen: The Burlesque Show of Bush & Co: Shredding Our Constitution, Shedding our Secrets, Stripping our LibertiesGeorgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09253150846911854844noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774506.post-1147802785943068952006-05-16T14:06:00.000-04:002006-05-16T14:06:00.000-04:00Prez spokesman Snow said today that although he co...Prez spokesman Snow said today that although he could not confirm or deny the NSA spying program he cited that poll which shows most Americans "don't mind" being spied upon as long as it's to fight terrorism....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774506.post-1147707662536934172006-05-15T11:41:00.000-04:002006-05-15T11:41:00.000-04:00OK, I see. I know there are going to be flactuatio...OK, I see. I know there are going to be flactuations in public opinion as the story develops and sinks in.<BR/><BR/>However, I still maintain that TOO MANY Americans fail to see the danger of creeping totalitarianism. <BR/><BR/>Tuli makes a great point, and if I may expand it a bit... Within 6-8 months after the last election, there was a widespread "buyer's remorse" regarding the re-election of Bush. There was no NEW info or NEW policies that would account for this turnaround. I think that too many voters didn't exercise the proper care when they voted. The citizens must invest in their political system, at least some time and effort because their decision is a very important one, unlike ordering at the drive-through window of McDs.<BR/><BR/>As for the latest USAToday poll, if you look closely, you'll see that:<BR/><BR/>* 32% don't really know about the big 3 telcos giving customers' records to the gov.<BR/><BR/>* 69% are OK if civil liberties are violated as long as the government says it's for fighting the terrorists...<BR/><BR/>* 64% say they're NOT concerned AT ALL....<BR/><BR/>And, more people say that the media shouldn't report the secret methods the gov is using in fighting terrorism [vague definition]<BR/><BR/>Personally, I find these polls very disturbing. Creeping totalitarianism is real and can happen to any country, especially when the politics of terror come into play.... Just think, a war with no fronts and no end.....Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09253150846911854844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774506.post-1147706829075395302006-05-15T11:27:00.000-04:002006-05-15T11:27:00.000-04:00There's a new poll out from USA Today that shows ...There's a <A HREF="http://www.usatoday.com/news/polls/tables/live/2006-05-14-nsa-poll.htm" REL="nofollow"> new poll</A> out from USA Today that shows the majority of Americans do NOT approve of the wiretapping of their phones.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774506.post-1147619710935213322006-05-14T11:15:00.000-04:002006-05-14T11:15:00.000-04:00Exactly, we have the government that was elected. ...Exactly, we have the government that was elected. The new Newsweek poll has a majority saying that the administration has gone too far. Where were these folks in the last election? If according to the latest Harris poll W’s approval rating is 29% who were the 51% who voted for him and why did they? It’s not as if it wasn’t apparent before 2004 who and what he was and where this administration was going. They may have wanted to have a beer with this dry drunk, but now that the beer is stale what to do?Tulihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04805681107568834582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774506.post-1147441872035258782006-05-12T09:51:00.000-04:002006-05-12T09:51:00.000-04:00Andros- you better be careful. If you continue to...Andros- you better be careful. If you continue to be against him...<BR/><BR/>Just kidding, of course. Keep up the great insights, we need them. But it is truely frightening to me when I feel myself think twice about what I say or write because I know I am being watched. This is America! What kind of democracy do we have if all citizens do not feel safe enough to express thier dissent? Bush Co. says they are "spreading democracy" in the Middle East. What kind of democracy? Not this kind, I hope. Bush has proved that he knows nothing about democracy. Spying on citizens is not in any book on classic democracy that I have ever read. I propose we send a copy of Plato's Republic to Bush (not that he could read it anyway) But, really, "spreading democracy..." (?) Apparently the "take-all-liberties-and-spy-on-your-citizens-democracy."Lizzyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13112642155467775373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774506.post-1147438302638651762006-05-12T08:51:00.000-04:002006-05-12T08:51:00.000-04:00Telcos Could Be Liable For Tens of Billions of Dol...Telcos Could Be Liable For Tens of Billions of Dollars For Illegally Turning Over Phone Records <BR/>This morning, USA Today reported that three telecommunications companies – AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth – provided “phone call records of tens of millions of Americans” to the National Security Agency. Such conduct appears to be illegal and could make the telco firms liable for tens of billions of dollars. Here’s why:<BR/><BR/>1. It violates the Stored Communications Act. The Stored Communications Act, Section 2703(c), provides exactly five exceptions that would permit a phone company to disclose to the government the list of calls to or from a subscriber: (i) a warrant; (ii) a court order; (iii) the customer’s consent; (iv) for telemarketing enforcement; or (v) by “administrative subpoena.” The first four clearly don’t apply. As for administrative subpoenas, where a government agency asks for records without court approval, there is a simple answer – the NSA has no administrative subpoena authority, and it is the NSA that reportedly got the phone records.<BR/><BR/>2. The penalty for violating the Stored Communications Act is $1000 per individual violation. Section 2707 of the Stored Communications Act gives a private right of action to any telephone customer “aggrieved by any violation.” If the phone company acted with a “knowing or intentional state of mind,” then the customer wins actual harm, attorney’s fees, and “in no case shall a person entitled to recover receive less than the sum of $1,000.”<BR/><BR/>(The phone companies might say they didn’t “know” they were violating the law. But USA Today reports that Qwest’s lawyers knew about the legal risks, which are bright and clear in the statute book.)<BR/><BR/>3. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act doesn’t get the telcos off the hook. According to USA Today, the NSA did not go to the FISA court to get a court order. And Qwest is quoted as saying that the Attorney General would not certify that the request was lawful under FISA. So FISA provides no defense for the phone companies, either.<BR/><BR/>In other words, for every 1 million Americans whose records were turned over to NSA, the telcos could be liable for $1 billion in penalties, plus attorneys fees. You do the math. <BR/><BR/>– Peter Swire and Judd Legum <BR/>Think ProgressAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774506.post-1147386620936133522006-05-11T18:30:00.000-04:002006-05-11T18:30:00.000-04:00Of course, TRUTHINESS is better to the ugly truth!...Of course, TRUTHINESS is better to the ugly truth!<BR/><BR/>By the way, why our government is now criticising Vladimir Putin for not being a democrat in Russia?!!!!<BR/><BR/><BR/>I thought Bush looked into Putin's eyes, saw his ..soul, and decided that Putin was a good man!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774506.post-1147386505522043982006-05-11T18:28:00.000-04:002006-05-11T18:28:00.000-04:00Colbert referenced the fact that Bush and others F...Colbert referenced the fact that Bush and others FEEL don't think. The facts/reality are dismissed. What FEELS good is preferable. Follow your GUT even if your brain is telling you otherwise.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774506.post-1147386406012668622006-05-11T18:26:00.000-04:002006-05-11T18:26:00.000-04:00Before changing your shopping over to Quest, I hav...Before changing your shopping over to Quest, I have to tell you that Quest has HORRIBLE service and customer (dis)service!<BR/><BR/>Now, if it's true that the gov. offered to pay the three big telcos, maybe Quest wasn't offered the same or was irrelevant as the data from the big 3 were enough.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774506.post-1147386244311902912006-05-11T18:24:00.000-04:002006-05-11T18:24:00.000-04:00Mining domestic calls is a highly unusual, and pro...Mining domestic calls is a highly unusual, and probably unprecedented, activity for a spy agency set up to intercept and analyze foreign intelligence. And it is striking that the three telcos, AT&T, BellSouth and Verizon, handed the information over sheep-like to the spooks without pressing for warrants or court approval. <BR/><BR/>Only Qwest Communications balked, in spite of the NSA's arm-twistingAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774506.post-1147385860733513632006-05-11T18:17:00.000-04:002006-05-11T18:17:00.000-04:00I think everyone should read Orwell's works, and s...I think everyone should read Orwell's works, and study history. Peoples everywhere keep repeating the same mistakes.<BR/><BR/>I require 1984 as mandatory reading in my PoliSci classes. It's a classic and has lots to teach.Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09253150846911854844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774506.post-1147385522723512572006-05-11T18:12:00.000-04:002006-05-11T18:12:00.000-04:00I wonder how many people are familiar with George ...I wonder how many people are familiar with George Orwell. 1984 is a masterful piece of "fiction" though if we change some names around it is so easily applicable to reality!<BR/><BR/>Great post!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774506.post-1147385402951860712006-05-11T18:10:00.000-04:002006-05-11T18:10:00.000-04:00"Why, act like most Americans who don't vote their..."Why, act like most Americans who don't vote their reality but their dreams!"<BR/><BR/>One of the best succint observations I've ever heard! This explains why so many Americans vote against their own economic interests. Especially those who can least afford it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774506.post-1147378943863714462006-05-11T16:22:00.000-04:002006-05-11T16:22:00.000-04:00Instead of technology liberating the individual, i...Instead of technology liberating the individual, it is used to create masses of automatons!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774506.post-1147378774361165562006-05-11T16:19:00.000-04:002006-05-11T16:19:00.000-04:00CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?I guess Verizon was trying to ...CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?<BR/><BR/>I guess Verizon was trying to tell us something....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774506.post-1147378647078959982006-05-11T16:17:00.000-04:002006-05-11T16:17:00.000-04:00Senator Schumer (D-NY) tried to introduce a bill t...Senator Schumer (D-NY) tried to introduce a bill that would prevent the telecoms from selling our records, the Republican Senate leader Frist would NOT even bring this bill to the floor for a vote!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com