Lawmakers Derelict In Duty

Was "Dutch" Ruppersberger, who represents Maryland's second congressional district, really representing his constituents when he allowed Prism to proceed? Suppose all of us paid more attention to the voting records of those we elect to represent us? Just a suggestion, folks.

 

Turnabout's Fair Play?

It seems that instead of making progress, since the Civil Rights Movement, America has been losing it's grip on it's understanding of the Constitution. Not only do we deliberately fail to teach children about the Constitution in school, (no joke, Kansas; the principal of the school in Frankfort, Kansas told yours truly that he purposefully did NOT teach, or allow the teachers to teach, any student about first or fourth amendment rights) we pay law enforcement to bully innocent citizens, we allow unnecessary surveillance, and now our judicial community uses the lag between the average person's understanding of the digital world and the analog world as an excuse to make examples of information "leakers", such as Edward Snowden and Bradley Manning, accusing them of treason, and attempting to punish them with sanctions that are not even imposed on serial killers. Did we threaten Nixon and et els with decades in prison, or cancel his passport? Revealing information that is contractually held in confidence is breach of contract, but generally not high treason, yet John McCain is fuming because Russia has granted a year's asylum to Edward Snowden. Has McCain forgotten how many Russians either defected, or attempted to defect, to the United States? Not that they did not have reasons for this, but McCain seems to almost deliberately overlook Snowden's perspective, Putin's possible perspective, and Russia's perspective.

If all of the increased surveillance had put a dent in human trafficking, or had actually stopped a terrorist or a school shooting, it might seem like a worthy sacrifice of Americans' rights, but instead; violence has only increased with the amplified spying. Rather than jump to punish the young people who spilled the information about NSA and Prism into collective awareness, have Americans stopped to ponder exactly with whom NSA and Prism intended to share the collected data?
 

Prism, Privacy, And Edward Snowden

Your tax dollars at work, once again. Edward Snowden, who told us all about Prism, which can trace internet and cell phone signals in real time. While Snowden had a high level security clearance and all of the responsibility that goes with it, were his actions of divulging the information truly criminal, and if so, is he really guilty of treason? He did not go to any of our enemies with information about the fourth amendment rights of Americans getting violated, he came to the American people with it. Now that he has done that, he is the subject of an investigation, and his last known whereabouts were a hotel room in Hong Kong. He has since been offered asylum in Iceland.

Something that is rather disturbing is described in the video below, in an interview with Christiana Amanpour and Glenn Greenwood. Greenwood suggests that it is now no longer safe to be an investigative journalist, because if a journalist spends too much time with his source, he could also be considered culpable in some way, should the story covered concern a crime, and be charged as an accomplice! Also, an editor for the Washington Post, covering the story about Snowden, reportedly overheard security officials in a discussion at an airport stating that Snowden should "be disappeared", rather than extradited back to the United States to stand trial! So much for justice and due process. Perhaps it is easier, when possible, to just deny a person his day in court and skip due process!
 

As for Prism, it has always been sound advice to remember that there really are no secrets. The programs in use by NSA to store and interpret meta data stores such a large volume every day that the effort becomes counterproductive through having too much information to sort. The real invasion of privacy comes in the form of tracked computer information and cell phone data.....while one's calls are not necessarily heard, they are tracked. The trail of telephone numbers is logged, and of course, one's location, or approximate location, is also traceable. But then, there have been cameras on traffic lights for quite some time, now. Most stores have surveillance systems, decent schools have cameras, and Walmart sells cheap security cameras for homes. There really isn't much privacy to be had at this point in our history as humans. Anything that cannot be determined by studying the above mentioned methods of spying can often be divulged for free by the local Avon Lady.

 

Edward Snowden. A petition to pardon him for any crimes with which he may be charged is here.