Thank You, Eugene Robinson !!! - 'Defining the NSA's Role'

[WillyT]

Defining the NSA's Role
By Eugene Robinson - RCP
January 7, 2014

<snip>

WASHINGTON -- President Obama's anticipated reform of the National Security Agency's practices needs to go beyond ending the mass surveillance of innocent Americans' phone calls. He should force the agency to think less about the quantity of information it gathers and more about the quality.

Obama should ignore the choir of apologists singing in lamentation over the beastly way the NSA is being treated. I refer to voices such as that of Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., who on Monday accused Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. -- and, by extension, all the agency's critics -- of "trying to create this paranoia among Americans that the NSA is spying on everyone."

In fact, the NSA is spying on everyone by keeping a detailed log of our private phone calls. This practice was sanctioned by secret court rulings that stretched the words of the Constitution and the Patriot Act beyond recognition. We couldn't challenge these rulings because we weren't allowed to know about them. When asked last March whether any such blanket domestic surveillance was taking place, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper lied to Congress and said no. In what universe is it "paranoia" to be angry about all of this?

King and the rest of the NSA chorus blame whistleblower Edward Snowden for getting the agency in trouble over the phone surveillance and other rogue practices, such as eavesdropping on the cellphone conversations of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and secretly tapping into the data streams of major Internet providers. But Snowden just revealed these abuses. It was the NSA that committed them -- and brought this world of hurt on itself.

The Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies -- one of two blue-ribbon panels Obama appointed to examine the NSA mess -- recommended that the agency stop compiling its comprehensive log of domestic phone calls. This information should be kept by the phone companies or some third party, the review group said, and the government should have to obtain warrants to search it.

Obama should go further...

<snip>

More: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2014/01/07/defining_the_nsas_role_121143.html

[questionseverything]

1. whenever i read someone say but it is legal

. This practice was sanctioned by secret court rulings that stretched the words of the Constitution and the Patriot Act beyond recognition. We couldn't challenge these rulings because we weren't allowed to know about them.

Read more: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2014/01/07/defining_the_nsas_role_121143.html#ixzz2pqHTyyTs
Follow us: @RCP_Articles on Twitter

I will refer them to this writer

[hootinholler]

2. Seems like there's a sort of ramdom universe around here where this is considered paranoid.

Thanks Willy for the post!

[sabrina 1]

3. Yes, there is and it is utterly reprehensible. Especially the occasional, random attacks on the

Constitution itself, right here on DU. I remember seeing that back when exposure of Bush's spying using the Telecoms occurred coming from the far right. 'But the founders were imperfect people' therefore, the 4th Amendment abuses were just fine. That kind of logic was expected considering the sources back then.

All you have to do to know whether you are on the right side of history is to look at who is defending these egregious abuses.

[WillyT]

7. Anytime, hootinholler... Anytime...

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

4. This is a classic case of blaming the messenger to avoid prosecution of the criminals.

[tblue]

5. Constitutional Law Professor knows

But will he act? That's always the question.

I love Eugene Robinson. I've yet to disagree with anything he's said.

[JDPriestly]

6. K&R. Excellent commentary.

[WillyT]

8. Agreed !!! - And Man... Isn't It Quiet In Here ???

[neverforget]

9. K & R!

Great read!

[neverforget]

10. This part sums it up for me:

In every example of thwarted attacks cited by NSA apologists, analysts searched the data for previously identified individuals or phone numbers. So why on earth does the agency need to store my phone records, and yours, when it can quickly obtain a court order instructing the phone companies to turn over information about communications involving known or suspected terrorists?

[WillyT]

11. Exactly !!!

[Solly Mack]

12. K&R