Why would you care? They probably only spy on tea party groups or patriot groups. As the old saying goes Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.

A boat is safe in a harbor, but that's not where a boat belongs. What makes anyone think we can wrap ourselves up in a security blanket and stay there? Life is full of potential problems, accidents, even violence from strangers on our streets. Do you drive a car? Do you walk your streets? Do you take vacations? A week or so ago a bunch of school kids went fossil hunting in this area in a popular fossil hunting site. Suddenly, because of the rains, there was an avalanche, and 2 of the kids didn't make it out. Should we keep our kids inside all the time? Deny them field trips? SOMETHING MIGHT HAPPEN!

Yes, of course most of us are willing to live with uncertainty. We always have. And no matter who is spied upon and what anti-Constitutional measures are taken for our "safety," we will still have uncertainty. Do you know about the Joe McCarthy era? Some of the other witch hunts that took place in our country? Lives were ruined; sometimes people died. I do not ever want to see anything like that again.

If you're afraid, stay home in the dark, lock your doors, sit in the dark with your guns.

Pre 9/11 intelligence indicated an imminent bin Laden terrorist attack involving aircraft in the NYC and Washington, D.C. area. In fact there was a steady flow of info regarding this... all gained without the Patriot Act. The Cheney administration refused to act and we all know why. If we dropped the Patriot Act, I suspect our nation's current intelligence system would still be just as capable as this pre 9/11 performance.

The difference however......Obama's administration would act upon the intelligence.

This is perfect for this administration. It is a diversion from the real problems in the US like the economy. Only 175,000 jobs where created in June 5 years after the recession started I can't believe you put up with it. Just to put in perspective Canada created 94,000 but we have one tenth of your population so it's 940,000 to your 175,000.

What I don't understand is where was this passion about being spied on when this stuff was implemented in 2005/06. I don't remember a huge uproar, especially from the GOP side and people who now call themselves members of the "tea party" when Congress passed the Patrio Act that was to serve as a linchpin in te war on terror. Sure, some people complained and what they said was ignored (probably cause it was considered too liberal).

The intelligence officer who leaked the information to The Washington Post said, “They quite literally can watch your ideas form as you type.”

That is very cool. Moreover, very challenging, so of a program that is mirror to everything your word processor editor constructed is viewed by someone else remote you don’t know. Absolutely the coolest way to form an ultra-advanced transparency in data base intelligence. Consider millions of ideas will move quicker driving the slow obstruction way loony.

That is unintended reasoning is now connected very hard to legislation, or policy to either party, unless they are very careful to take action on laws or those laws expire. That is reasoning for a do nothing Congress. Hello, did you get that, doing nothing to run out the clock on existing legislation. Stock stuff you bet, IRS stuff oh yah. Just like that commercial about “shake and bake, and we helped too” Hello America did you get that the media helped. Run out the clock so current legislation runs out. Is that called statute of limitations? You law ant no good no more.

It’s so weird with those that authored the data algorithm find that they are really sucked into a vortex in revealing themselves. The best part they cannot back out of such algorithm until the energy in its context is exhausted. There is a serious debate using the term “entropy”. Entropy in energy is different than energy of data entropy. The term is commonly interchanged by Journalist or the intuitive notion as energy entropy or data entropy is suggested either way. The kicker is entropy is not the same in a data way. Energy described with entropy is different.

I fully realize that to stop all terrorism, some people need to have their information monitored.

What I object to is the NSA's insatiable false belief that they need to store ALL of our posts, all of our written and verbal communications - even photos - so that one day in the future, when the new servers are up and running in the Utah metadata storing faciity, they can go back to things our young people are currently posting everywhere, just because the NSA CAN... What I say, personally, doesn't jeopardize me. I know better than to say stupid or dangerous things on the internet. Apparently our teens and young adults who have grown up in the information age, have no idea how much they are jeopardizing their future jobs, relationships, healthcare, etc. I don't think the ramblings of an unevolved teenager or a hot-headed young adult should be stored and "pulled out at random" when someone from the NSA sees something with the words "bomb" and a plethora of others on their list, are used in mostly innocent & immature statements, long before they become savvy adults.

akunard: Truth matters, so just in case you don't believe me, here are some facts........."House Democrats issued a memo stating that since 2010, House Republicans have consistently voted to reduce the embassy security funding requested by President Obama by half a billion dollars. This was done despite security concerns and the need for updated or additional construction of security walls for some embassies and consulates such as the one in Benghazi.".......Greta McClain article.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz a Tea Party favorite has admitted that he voted to cut embassy funding.

Quote BMetcalfe:What I say, personally, doesn't jeopardize me. I know better than to say stupid or dangerous things on the internet. Apparently our teens and young adults who have grown up in the information age, have no idea how much they are jeopardizing their future jobs, relationships, healthcare, etc.

Isn't that precisely the point in question. All this collection of data is reminiscent of J. Edgar Hoover, the former head of the FBI, who did exactly the same thing and used that information to blackmail anyone--including Presidents of the United States--into doing anything he wanted. Everyone should listen to what BMetcalfe is saying--just because this poses no threat to ourselves doesn't mean it won't come back to bite our children in the future. Imagine a J. Edgar Hoover today in the digital information age. That's blackmail on steroids! Imagine a future where our grandchildren are participating on a blog such as this and are afraid to say anything that isn't positive about the government. I heard one story on a recent documentary on the History channel that once a newspaper reporter did a story critical of J Edgar Hoover. The next day all the competitor newspapers received in the mail high resolution photos of that reporters wife engaging in sex in a car with someone else. It is believed that was to send a message to the other papers not to repeat that mistake in the future. Now imagine the power if that same message could have been sent out with a simple email. There is a good reason that the founding fathers wrote privacy into our Constitution. They understood the vital importance of privacy to the security of the nation.

Quote Laura Enright:What I don't understand is where was this passion about being spied on when this stuff was implemented in 2005/06.

The media downplayed the passion, but it was there. It is still there as is evident by this topic. Don't you remember that in 2008 we elected the first black man in history to the office of the President of the USA? Is it no coincidence that this same black man had the background of a Constitutional scholar. Do you think a black man with a PHD in economics would have won? I think not. I think it was his background in Constitutional law and the fact that this country was experiencing a Constitutional crisis and cried out to the best qualified person to fix it. I think people were more concerned about the fate of the Constitution than their own economic plights. That is how much passion the people of this country have about the Constitution. It makes them color blind.

Quote Jussmartenuf:All this talk about invasion of citizen privacy is Faux news stuff.

That's the most compelling argument I've heard yet. Apparently you are more than Jussmartenuf, Jussmartenuf. The media has been smothering this story now for 7 years. Now they are jumping on it like its breaking news. Obviously, they have ulterior motives in acknowledging this Constitutional travesty. Perhaps to simply spearhead an attack on Obama to prevent him from talking about his current agenda. Fine! They couldn't have picked a better smoke screen. This topic is far more urgent than any matter that the President has in his agenda anyway. It is the precise time that this topic needs to be addressed as well; for, only with this President do we the people stand a chance at getting this bogus unconstitutional legislation removed. After all, that is why we elected this man in the first place isn't it? Faux news stuff, indeed! Let us also pray it is a huge Faux news error in strategy as well.

On this Credo website you will find a petition you can sign to pressure President Obama into providing full justification for his spy program. It doesn't solve our problem; but, it is an excellent start:

http://act.credoaction.com/sign/nsa_spying/?sp_ref=2472429.4.162.o.1.2&referrer_akid=8115.6860497.JufbfP&source=clickcopy_sp

Quote historywriter:I don't know if the Espionage Act is still in force, but it doesn't need to be. Now we have spying on everyone on a 24-hour basis that is infinitely more effective thanks to a variety of technological "advances."

My mother probably would have been safe; she could never quite figure out the internet, and never said anything on consequence on the phone.

Yes, my friend, the Espionage Act is still in force. It has been changed several times since originally enacted in 1917, but it is still being enforced. Daniel Ellsberg and Bradley Manning are the latest victims charged with violating the act. The Sedition Act of 1918 which was a set of amendments to the Espionage Act meant to expand its meaning to include restrictions of freedom of speech was repealed in 1921; but, unfortunately, the Espionage Act remains. It along with the Patriot Act, and the 'War on Drugs', should all be repealed as unconstitutional.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espionage_Act_of_1917

By the way, your mother sounds like mine. My mother used to always say, "If you don't have anything good to say about someone, don't say anything at all." Sound advice when talking about family and friends. However, I think that concerning social issues and the Government, the worst thing you can possibly say is not to 'say anything at all.'

It has been alleged that Twitter is not among the listed "contributors" to the NSA. Is that because it said no? A few no's to the congress and the security state by American citizens might have a real salutary effect. (See Klein's piece on Common Dreams this week)

You don't really know if you know better than to say stupid or dangerous things on the internet. You have no idea what someone might decide to look for. We're not talking about future jobs or relationships: we're talking about your freedom to say what you want on anything without your voice being stopped or your life or livelihood put in danger. Human brains aren't fully developed until people are in their 20s. I don't think that's what this is looking at.

The collection of piles of information has been going on for a long time. Nothing really has changed because the government and the companies who collect the data have asserted their right to do so and have never been challenged. Is this data mining necessary? Is it even a good thing? What would happen if we DIDN'T collect all this data? AND, most important of all, WHY do we collect all this data? ..... I cannot even come close to answering any of those questions. But do we ever hear a dialogue about it that makes sense or brings light to the topic or leads to some kind of resolution? I'm clear on that one. The answer is NO! .... My opinion is that our global war on terror has given birth to so many new "necessities" that are so very expensive and that are making so many people rich- ER, that I suspect that the biggest reason for any of this is: it's just another way to get the tax money flowing into the hands of people who make the gadgets and do the jobs that collect the data. Later, when we start to see how they are going to USE the data AGAINST US, then THAT will probably be making some folks rich-ER, too.

DAM - I have tried to stay away from Hartmann's blog and not comment on the stupid remarks made by you and others who have a neurotic compulsion to voice your ideas, even when they show you will make comments on subjects that show your lack of understanding in the present world we now live in. The world you have this need to reference to no longer exists and to try to make reference to the era of our fore-fathers in most part is ludicrous when applied to our need of privacy. Who is going to monitor that element out there that declared war on America if our Government doesn't? I have tried not to comment on your statements because you truly bring out the very worst in me, and I do not wish to be arrested for making threats that I may or may not carry out. You my friend have used this blog as a soap box to make your comments into monologues that have very little relevance to the subject at hand. After reading your comments on this subject, it takes all my strength not to state the level of loathing I have for you and your statements. Let's just say if we both entered a bar, only one of us would leave and that is the level of distain I have towards you and your statements. It is like listening to someone who has the deep needed desire to be heard, yet has nothing of value to say. You’re afraid to state your name or show your face, yet attack others for not coming forth with more information on which they may be. You sir are a coward of the highest ranking and hide behind a mask of unimaginable stupidity.

Those of you who do not want the Government checking on social media sites or on phone calls will be the first to cry out the government has failed to protect us when the first nuke or biological weapon goes off on American soil. You cry out that a foul is being committed against our rights without mentioning any other recourse the Government could employ to keep us safe. Instead of crying like children, why don't use except the fact we no longer live in the age of our ancestors and we as a nation face a multitude of threats from a very varied source of enemies from Red China to Al Qaida and one form of protection may not apply to all threats. As stated in a comment earlier on this subject, the Terrorists who killed and maimed Americans in Boston were only apprehended because of their own stupidity and lack of sophistication. And you can be reassured the next attack, and there will be more to come, will not lack the sophistication these home grown Terrorists were without. Instead of telling us how evil our Government is and cannot be trusted, please illustrate how you would prevent the next attack we will face. I am afraid the cowards who use this blog page to demonstrate how our big bad government is spying on us have no inclination of what may have been stopped by the so called domestic spying that our Government feels is necessary to protect us. People like DeAnnMarc and that Canadian Kend can do nothing more than illustrate how the government spies on us, without even mentioning a way to combat modern day terrorism we face today. To me they are simpletons who cry out in the night against those who are attempting to keep us safe from attack, while gloating in their attempt to show how brilliant they are. Again I repeat my sentiments, they are cowards who are neurotic to the point they have a need to comment on something they can only condemn without giving any logical solution to the threats we face as a nation today.

Another commenter states that the only reason we are trying to implement these measures is for monetary gain. DDAAAHH! Of course someone will make a profit if they can supply the goods and technology needed to help prevent the next attack in the war we find ourselves in. These morons seem to think if we hide our heads underground the bad guys will all go away or if we act in a different manner politically, and we all know it is all our (America's) fault, those who wish to harm us in all manners will simply go away. Do you idiots not understand those who would do us harm could care less about how we handle ourselves as a nation, it is a holy war to some and to others they wish to simply have the upper hand in the military strategy as in the case with Red China and their constant attempts to steal our military and commercial secrets. Will you cowards please wake up and realize this is the 21st. Century and not 1776! Yes we need to keep a watch on what the Government is doing and we need to keep an ever diligent eye on those who would do us harm for whatever gain they may have in mind! One of my biggest fears is that more people will fall for your phony wolf cries that our Government is trying to harm the American Public through the attempts to know what we are doing. Anyone who uses the Internet or uses cell phones can be spied on by almost anyone with the technological know-how, so if you’re afraid of your privacy being violated, start using the pen and paper method and send all your information to others via certified mail and wait the time it takes to arrive. Or you can face up to the fact the internet and cell phones do not afford anyone privacy in this era we now live in! K.W.

Wow DAnne, I think it is time to put down the "blunt" and get the license plate of that truck that just ran you over. I think KW thinks you smell like a fish.

Thom.

I came across this gentleman the other night here in Las Vegas on channel 3 news. I believe that you might find Dr. James Lenhart interesting to interview him either on the big picture or your radio show.

The information below I got from his website.

Dr. Lenhart is a practicing physician, teacher and writer – now leverages his career in healthcare to promote health as a human necessity, health as a human right. With medical degrees from the University of New Mexico and Brown University, Dr. Lenhart's commitment to lifelong learning recently culminated in a Masters degree in Public Health from the University of Liverpool in England

To contact Dr. Jim or for further information, email him at drjim@drjimshealthline.com or like him on Facebook a I on his Facebook page.

For a fact there is nothing new here, the same was going on in '75. Although back then the phone records were delivered by courier instead of over IP. Laws were passed (original FISA) and post facto warrants were born and ALWAYS approved.

There are a couple of crucial points to make.

1) The Fourth Amendment's standard of "probable cause supported by oath or affirmation" was streamlined to "reasonable suspicion" by Bush and now the standard appears to be "we must have everything because we can win any game of Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon (potential eco-terrorist)" - Allow this to apply to emails, cloud storage and phone records and eventually books, businesses, kids and guns will follow. The right wing nuts smell this but can't quite state it clearly. Their precious 2d Amendment rights will get swallowed in a trice once the 4th is gutted. Which it has been.

2) Anyone else notice that it's private corporate contractors carrying out this policy? The NSA couldn't possibly hire enough people to handle their rapid expansion so now we have the delicious irony that the 'most transparent admin ever' pretends to be progressive and lets itself be called socialist even though it has secretly granted corporations the power to harvest, collect and sift all manner of information about ALL the people (including their emails) while vigorously prosecuting (in the media and the courts) anyone who dares expose a corporation's emails to the public. Corporate email privacy is defended by the gov't while the gov't pays corporations millions in no-bid secret contracts to gather and analyze the emails of human people. Ummm ... there is much, much more that could be said about the reamifications of the privatization of the security apparatus but simply put, fascism is as fascism does.

If the American people deserve their Constitution and their former freedoms there will be a lot of turnover in Congress next year - after all Congress has been briefed on PRISM, nu? Otherwise, ho hum, business as usual - until we get another 'true believer' as President - then as Snowden says, it will be time for "turnkey tyranny". No help from the courts (already been rubber stamped) - damning evidence is secret (no defense possible) - guilt by indirect association (can reach anywhere)... I predict they will get efficient and just contract out the sham trials to a court where the judge is a robo-signer paid by an unnamed contractor. Or maybe they will get lazy and just skip all that legal mumbo-jumbo - if the gov't says you're a threat then you're a threat and threats will be met with lethal force. Oh wait... they are already doing every bit of this except for the privatized courts, ain't they?

Yeah, turnover in Congress or it's all over soon ... Remember the old saw "I'd tell ya, but then I'd have to kill ya"? Never was funny except in rare cases of irony or sarcasm. Pre 911 that became old, but it elegantly describes secret gov't programs defended by willing private death squads. Neoliberalism is coming home to roost as fascism with a friendly face. Lose the kindly front man and then ...

Well said, Thom... Just because it may be legal does NOT make it constitutional. In the words of Justice Marshall, " A law repugnant to the constitution is void"...or at least it is until you dumb down society enough to get away with it, apparently. I maintain that our federal public servants, who swore an oath to uphold the constitution are potentially committing treason when passing laws that are blatantly unconstitutional and specifically designed to subvert the constitution and our civil liberties. They have an obligation to speak out against such abuses. This may sound strong, but I think that what is going on with the revolving doors between D.C & private for-profit spy, prison, war/security & financial industries is nothing short of "legalized" extortion. These industries, especially the banks, are using the framework of our government to suck all of our tax dollars out of our commons & infrastructure and into their pockets and saying "pay up (taxes) or else". I have no affiliation what-so-ever with wartaxboycott.org, but I'm beginning to think it may be one of the only acts of civil disobedience many of us have left that could possibly make a difference. If they not only deprive our schools of needed tax dollars, but go after them to close them, if they will not only let our infrastructure crumble, but also refuse to spend our taxes on even the inspections needed to keep people from being hurt/killed in bridge collapses, if they refuse to provide enough tax dollars to the OSHA sufficient to prevent an entire town from being leveled by a fertilizer plant explosion, if they spend trillions on unnecessary wars paying private military twice as much as public military...need I say more? If I had a job, my federal taxes would go to a non-profit social/environmental justice organization.