General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I just can't stop thinking about Snowden and what a jerk he is. [View all]JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)take this to court and challenge whether it is constitutional.
I think it chills speech and association and might well be deemed quite illegal.
What's more. It could cause us trouble internationally. I read an article in Der Standard, a reputable Austrian newspaper, stating that the European Union has been trying in vain to negotiate an agreement with the US that would allow EU citizens to sue for privacy violations in US court and that would require American companies to comply with European privacy laws when operating in the EU. Angela Merkel plans to discuss this with Obama when he visits soon.
This program would permit a sitting president (or someone on his staff) to review the phone records of a political opponent or a member of Congress. That could corrupt our election process because of course the political opponent would not have the same access to the sitting president's phone records -- or e-mail.
This is Watergate times millions. It is disgusting. If true, and as I said, I haven't heard any persuasive denials thus far.
IF they are going to collect this information then we should be given access to our personal files. They should report on what they find out about us TO US.
That is my view. We should have the same information that our government has.