Michael Moore calls him the "hero of the year." Glenn Beck describes him as "the NSA patriot."
This is further evidence that the threat posed to our rights and liberties by the secret data collection activities of the government crosses party lines and ideologies. American citizens concerned about the slow and steady erosion of their rights, done in the name of providing them with security from terrorists, owe a heartfelt thanks to one man, a former CIA technician who has been a defense contractor working for the NSA, one Edward Snowden, who admitted, in a UK Guardian video, that he is the one who blew the whistle on the National Security Agency's massive and clandestine operations that should alarm every freedom-loving individual. "I don't want to live in a society that does these sorts of things," said Snowden, who is currently holed up in Hong Kong. I don't blame him. It remains to be seen if Snowden is a hero or a traitor. What exactly is his connection, if any, with China? Did he really act on his own, prompted solely by his conscience. He wouldn't be the first. There have been others, though none apparently made off with such damning documentation. But whatever his motives, they don't change the fact that he has made Americans aware of something they need to know about, something that has been going on for years. Since the "We Lost America" post, which was based on the revelation that the government was collecting consumer data from Verizon, we have learned that the government's secret surveillance of the populace is much more widespread. Here's what we know... Not only is the government collecting telecommunications data from Verizon, but also on Sprint and T-Mobile customers, and probably AT&T as well, unless the powers-that-be have some reason to believe the terrorists they allegedly are looking for are boycotting that provider. In addition, the NSA has been monitoring Internet activity between American citizens and foreign nationals and entities in a project called Prism. This has been going on for years; Microsoft was included in 2007, Yahoo in 2008, Google and Facebook in 2009, YouTube in 2010, Skype and AOL in 2011, and Apple in 2012. It's worth noting that these service providers turned NSA data-mines claim they had no knowledge of all this; but to decrypt much of the digital stream the NSA would require "master keys" which poses the question, how did the NSA acquire such keys? Prism has allowed the government to monitor and collect email, chat (video, voice), videos, photos, stored data, VoIP [internet phone calls], file transfers, video conferencing, and online social networking data. Has these intrusions into your privacy been effective in thwarting terrorist assaults? It didn't seem to help in Boston recently, did it? There has been mention of one thwarted plot, but naturally we can't get any details. The government insists that it has not indiscriminately collected data on American citizens -- that would violate our Fourth Amendment protections, to wit "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.* (The Justice Department declares it does not need warrants for emails and chat transcripts -- so much for your constitutional rights.) The NSA has collected an enormous quantity of personal data over the past few years -- billions of pieces of data every day from US_based computer networks alone -- so unless a great many citizens are engaged in collusion with terrorists, we can assume that the NSA is casting too wide a net. Snowden certainly seems to think so. "I understand that I will be made to suffer for my actions," but "I will be satisfied if the federation of secret law, unequal pardon and irresistible executive powers that rule the world that I love are revealed even for an instant," he said, when he disclosed numerous secret NSA documents and consented to his identity being revealed by The Guardian. Snowden is sacrificing a great deal -- a stable career with an annual income of about $200,000, a home in Hawaii, a girlfriend; "I'm willing to sacrifice all of that because I can't in good conscience allow the US government to destroy privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine they're secretly building." Like I said, a hero. Going public was a smart move, as it probably reduces the risk that Mr. Snowden will meet with a fatal accident in the near future. What worries Snowden most is that nothing will come of his courageous act. As great a potential threat to our freedoms as the government is the indifference of many Americans to these revelations. The commonly heard response from these benighted people is that they have not done anything wrong, and so have nothing to hide. This misses the point entirely. The erosion of our rights and liberties is being carried out incrementally. The Justice Department, the NSA, the FBI, the IRS, are potential enemies of the people. They will seize as much power as we let them have. Consider what all this personal data may be used for. Consider that it will rest in the hands of a vast bureacracy that is notorious for careless and sometimes venal unconstitutional activity. Let's say you join or give money to a political group, say the Tea Party, which the regime considers a threat, if not terroristic. You earn a red flag in the IRS and find yourself being targeted for years to come. You can't say that couldn't happen, given what we know about IRS activities of late. Or let's say you read about these ricin letters sent to government officials and, curious to know how ricin is made and how it is that so many people seem able to get their hands on it, you read some online articles about the substance, or even buy a book about it through an online seller. Next thing you know, the FBI begins to take a keen interest in your everyday affairs. Or let's say your data is mishandled by a bureacracy justifiably notorious for its carelessness, and you are investigated for activity you never participated in. If you're willing to give up your freedoms and live in a police state where Big Brother monitors and dictates your every move, decides what websites you can visit, what books you can buy, where you can go, what you can say, what job you can do -- all for the sake of 'national security' -- then you should continue to pay more attention to the Kardashians, and use Yahoo as your chief news source, and be happy in your blissful ignorance for as long as you can be. That is to say, until they come knocking on your door. |
EDWARD SNOWDEN - AMERICAN HERO?
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