Comments on: NSA Spying: Two Views

By: ok.sure

ok.sure — Tue, 10 Jan 2006 07:22:04 +0000

How do you know they are only looking at communications between AL Quada? In order for them to know it was Al Quada in the first place, they have to listen in first and decipher the intent and parties to the communication. If the NSA secretly knew who every Al QUada agent was and what specific communications were “Al quada related”, the war would be over. Please grow some brains.
And Amy, I suggest you read the Constitution. And all those fancy machines you use, someone else in the next room over could be using them for not so honorable purposes. Such as political espionage, industrial espionage, and profiling the citizens in this country to carry out a more sinical conspiracy.
Data mining, keywork searching, discerning intent, mood, emotion, of all the communications has been going on for the last 10 years. It is nothing new, just people are ignorant and the majority in this country think it is needed.
Im going to start talking in code when I use the telephone, this way the NSA cant figure out wth im saying. Either that or I will start making comments like “Must blow up the big guy”. “Its time”, and “Big rover is in the hangar, time to roll”. Either that or I will come up with a dynamic algorithm that only me and my party will be able to decipher. Thatll teach them.
Too bad everything I do on the internet is monitored.
BOMB
UNITED STATES
AL QUADA
(Sorry was just attracting the attention of the NSA’s super domestic spying supercomputer with three randomn w0rds)

By: Andy

Andy — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 15:04:46 +0000

This NSA “spying” operation is problematic. On the one hand, I absolutely agree that if you’re within the U.S. you have NO EXPECTATION OF PRIVACY in your communication with anyone involved with Al Qaeda. It would be like expecting to have your communications with the Japanese protected by the 4th amendment in 1943. It would be absurd to expect that you could communicate by phone or email with the enemy in time of war, and that that communication should be protected. If, in fact, the Executive Branch of government is monitoring communications and/or activities of people in contact with the enemy overseas then I have no problem with them doing so.…Except.…
I don’t trust the Executive Branch of government, nor do I really trust any branch of government. Government is not your friend. By its nature, government will always seek to expand its power, and ultimately the result of that will be an erosion of our individual liberty. That is why the framers of the Constitution established checks and balances, and divided power among 3 branches of government. They understood that power corrupts, and that no one in government could be trusted.
That being said, the problem is (as I understand the issue…admittedly my understanding of it is incomplete, as I don’t know all the details of what the NSA is REALLY doing, nor should I…it’s a secret!!) that the Executive Branch of government is carrying on this activity with no check or balance from the other 2 branches of government…no warrants, no judicial review, no congressional review, etc.
Perhaps my suspicion is unwarranted. MAYBE the Executive Branch of government really is my friend, and maybe they really do care about me, and maybe…just maybe…I CAN trust them not to eventually steal my freedom. But I don’t think I’m willing to take the chance.
In short, YES, I want the NSA to stop these people. YES I want the Executive Branch to have the power to monitor communications and gather information to break up terrorist cells and stop terrorist attacks. YES I realize we are at war, and that this activity must go on. BUT…not without judicial and/or congressional review of the activities of the executive.

By: Amy

Amy — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 22:56:33 +0000

I used to work at NSA when I was in the Air Force & as far as I am concerned, we knew & know what we are doing there! There is a reason for all the things we did & people should not be reviewing what NSA is doing! We are all highly trained & detect many things in the world that should or should not be going on. Trust the Military & other NSA workers for once!!

By: rutty

rutty — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 22:43:59 +0000

Why would Tice choose to first go to that pinko tinfoil hat factory Democracy Now? Link: http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/01/03/1435201. Those people make World Net Daily look sane.