I will tell you what I've been told for many years: [View all]

[PCIntern]

I am professionally acquainted with a gentleman who used to work in National Security, followed by a stint in the Philadelphia Police Department at a very very high level, followed by a return to an unnamed Federal Service.

He told me, without any bluster or hesitation, that if an individual uses certain words in a telephone conversation or email, that it will automatically trigger a red flag and that flag will be investigated. Whether law enforcement decides to pay you a visit or not depends upon other issues which he would not go into. He did state that this has been ongoing since well before 9/11/2001.

He is not a BS artist or a wannabe. This fellow has connections to incidents of which I am aware, having known him for over twenty years, which I would not dare mention here.

I mention this because I am quite frankly amazed at the surprise and outrage by so many that this is actually going on. Of course it's going on and of course the Administration stands by it. It is a fundamental protocol of the country in which we live - how many Intelligence movies do you have to see, or Ludlum-esque books which you have to read, or quite frankly, news reports about conversations gleaned from surveillance until you realize that this is a given, and is not going to be stopped ever. By anyone. The Republicans are using it against "us" and we are in general, so stupid as to allow them to run roughshod over "us" once again, and we will most certainly oblige them and slit our own wrists one more time. Instead, since it is a given that this will continue despite message-board protesting, the better response might be that of Harrison Ford's character as Jack Ryan where instead of avoiding it, says that we embrace it. It completely disarms the other side, and since we are going to live with it in any case, deemphasizes it as a political issue.

Yes yes, I can hear you now...it's an abrogation of our rights. It is. You're right. Go after the Dems on this and every other issue like the triangulating Rethugs want you to do, and you'll be on the Board in four years hyperventillatingly criticizing President Paul and rending your clothes at the prospect of REAL fascism encroaching. If we would even be able to HAVE a board.