Snowden and Greenwald Beginning to Self-Destruct; ‘The Nation’ and ‘Mother Jones’ Raise Questions

[JDPriestly]

37. Smith v. Maryland was decided in 1979

and did not concern the facts we have now -- computers with enormous, massive, unimaginable capacity and social networking online. Smith was about a pen register that was pretty simple.

And there was no ability on the parts of phone companies to save the content of all electronic transmissions including speech and e-mails. In fact, e-mails did not exist.

The court order that I saw required Verizon to maintain a database of incredible amounts of information to make available to the government. Just having a list of the phone numbers that Scalia and his clerks call and from which they receive calls would reveal a great deal about their lifestyles, tastes, friends, partners, business interest, brokers, banks, hairdressers or barbers, doctors, psychiatrists . . . . You get the message.

That's way overbroad.

That kind of way overbroad court order or request for subpoena based upon which the order was issued will chill speech, association and all kinds of fundamental rights.

This could easily be deemed to be unconstitutional or be constitutional only if each request for subpoena is very specific and based on probably cause.

We shall find out who is assessing the programs correctly. But a person who repaired computers and could access central programs or whatever back-up system the private company that is processing the information has could key into a very broad and massive amount of data it would seem to me.

I think this is a huge story. The fact that so many of the seemingly professional Obama apologists on DU are fighting this story makes me think that the situation is really bad.

In addition, the testimony before Congress of the officers involved in administering this program suggests to me that the program is shockingly intrusive. There is a lot of lying going on.

I don't think that the NSA has been honest with Congress or fully informed them. Loretta Sanchez' comments are worth watching if you haven't already seen them.