With grudging apologies to Apple for the pun, I think it's time to set some people straight about the recent revelations about the acquisition of phone meta-data and e-mail account access on the part of the FBI and the NSA.
For those of you who don't bother watching or reading news, one Edward Snowden, a CIA contractor for three months, revealed the existence of two major investigative tools on the part of the U.S. Government to a foreign news agency – the Guardian. The first revelation was the FBI's use of "secret courts" to issue warrants to acquire phone meta-data records – times, numbers, lengths of calls, etc. The other revelation was the disclosure of a program called PRISM managed by the DoD (Department of Defense) and run by the NSA (National Security Agency) which has access to many major "public" e-mail servers to read people's e-mail.
Massive public shock, dismay and outrage ensued. Some claim he's a hero and should be pardoned. Others want a public trial so we can find out of the man's claims (that the NSA did what it did illegally) are true.
My take on all this "invasion of privacy"?
Meh... I was underwhelmed.
OF COURSE they're doing this. These programs were authorized by congress almost 12 years ago as provisions in the Patriot Act. They were strengthened over time. They've been doing it for more than TEN YEARS. The biggest shock I had was that anyone was actually shocked, let alone outraged. How could they NOT know this was going on? It was debated ENDLESSLY then and today. The provisions were highlighted by privacy advocates as questionable to terrifying (Depending on the advocates level of paranoia), and they ALL SAID THIS WOULD HAPPEN.
What the hell, people? Were you DEAF?
I didn't like what was happening then. I'm not exactly happy about it now. I don't like Mondays either, but there's not a damn thing I can do about either this program OR Mondays so I nut-up and deal with both of them like an adult. It's legal, it's been vetted by the Supreme Court, so it's constitutional. There's really nothing to bitch about.
But here's the thing I don't get, or maybe I get it too well (It depends on how much of a conspiracy nut you might think me to be). The loudest voices against this have been the RIGHTISTS. You know, the brainless, diaper-wearing, peeing-their-pants-in-fear fucktards who demanded the government DO SOMETHING after 9/11/2001 and didn't seem to mind the concept of universal spying THEN. After all, they were only going to spy on terrorists, right?
How the hell do you think they were going to FIND the terrorists in the first place? Ouija boards? Smoke signals? Tin cans and a string? You need to find them before you know they're terrorists. That means going through a lot of data to find them. That means access to that data. And you HAVE to do it LEGALLY because if you don't, your case is tossed. So that means do things in secret. They passed a law that lets them do that.
So why are the rightists so pissed about this? Yes, yes, I know that they think the "liberals" are taking over and this is how they do it. But what gets me is that the EXACT SAME BEHAVIOR was trusted by them when the rightists were in charge.
Let me repeat that: They were fine with rightists legally "invading the privacy" of everyone but not fine with leftists legally "invading the privacy" of everyone for exactly the same reasons with exactly the same results and exactly the same techniques.
Now, one, I suppose, COULD chalk it up to the inevitable outcome of years of demonizing the left by scapegoating them for 30 years, but let's look a touch closer at the subject.
Back in 2009, in February, I believe, the DHS put out a report on the threats to the security of the United States and declared that domestic "patriot groups" (Link is to the declassified DHS report) were at the top of the list.
Ever since Obama was elected there have been those who openly talk about secession, revolt, riots, death threats, revolution – all apparently in response to liberals (or a black man) being in charge of government. Bills were introduced to create an official "state religion" in defiance of the first amendment. Districts have been gerrymandered in states where the majority of the votes were for leftists but the majority of the representatives elected were rightists. They are even arming themselves (admittedly with pop-guns, but hey, they think they're Rambo).
It would appear that rightists are not exactly taking the results of democracy like good Americans. Quite the contrary, in fact.
So, what do we have? We have rightists who are the number one threat to the nation talking about revolution, secession, even civil war. Back in 1861, the U.S. didn't have the Internet or phone meta-data to find out who was conspiring with whom and to arrest the leaders of the revolt before they had a chance to start it. Doing so would have saved more than 700,000 American lives.
But today, we DO have the ability to ID ring-leaders before their rings can do much damage. And rightists have shown no regard for life or limb – other than for themselves, of course. So why are rightists so pissed about these newly revealed programs?
Because chances are really fucking good that they're part of a conspiracy to undermine or destroy the democratic foundations of the United States of America through civil war. I don't expect it's a coordinated effort – yet. But I do think it's happening.
Yes, these spying programs are going to filter out terrorists, but the fact is, the timing of the phone records searches indicate a summer offensive. Waging insurrection is best done during good weather (never mind that the U.S. military has all-weather capability) and they figure it will all be over before winter sets in because the rest of the nation will rise up as one and join them. They'd be wrong, of course, but they live in their own world as is evident by the fact that their chief flag waver – Karl Rove – lost it when Obama won the election ON NATIONAL TV. He couldn't believe it. He was so lost in his own little, made-up world that he didn't see the reality that was right in front of his nose, and refused to believe it until his nose was rubbed in it.
And this was a guy who was supposed to be on top of things? Imagine how deluded the rank and file are! So they actually believe they'll be joined by all the other Americans out there in waging war against their government despite the fact that a solid majority of Americans voted FOR that government, and a gigantic number of Americans were so put off by the rightist rhetoric that they didn't vote at all!
So, yes, there are a lot of highly deluded people out there in America who are now screaming about the invasion of their privacy by the government because they have been actively planning to attack it and now realize that they are basically fucked.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
As for the spying, deal with it. It's going to happen whether we want it to or not. Revolution isn't going to stop it. But consider this: If the terrorists can get us to fight among ourselves, why bother trying to kill us? Yes, this whole thing was masterfully manipulated by the enemies of the United States to get Americans to fight with their fellow Americans. From the unity we had on 9/12/2001 to the talk of secession and civil war on 6/10/2013, American unity has been shot to hell.
The moment any American shoots another American over a difference of political ideology, the terrorists have won.
