As I see it, Booz Allen and the government stole our information. (Reply #130)

In the discussion thread: I am getting the odd sense that some don't like Snowden because he made the establishment look bad [View all]

Response to CakeGrrl (Reply #93)

Sat Jul 6, 2013, 06:19 PM

JDPriestly (57,936 posts)

130. As I see it, Booz Allen and the government stole our information.

Snowden just told us that they were stealing it.

Snowden did not take anything that didn't already belong to us, the people.

Remember.

Ours is a government of the people, by the people and for the people.

Since we are the government, since we govern ourselves, who took our metadata? It is a small elite clique, a rogue group in our government that operates under the color of authority but that does not have legitimate authority. Why does this program lack authority?

Because once people understand what is happening and what the repercussions of this spying and collection of our metadata means for our self-determination, for our press, for our freedom of speech, religion and association among other freedoms, this spying will have no authority whatsoever. It is a program that operates under the color of law but is as illegal as police brutality.

Snowden has brought out the facts. It will probably take years, but the program's inevitable excesses and abuses will come to life and the people will take back their authority and end the program.

Reply to this post

Back to OP Alert abuse Link to post in-thread

Always highlight: 10 newest replies | Replies posted after I mark a forum

Replies to this discussion thread

179 replies	Author	Time	Post
I am getting the odd sense that some don't like Snowden because he made the establishment look bad [View all]	The Straight Story	Jul 2013	OP
Perhaps instead of trying to make up something about why those opposed to Snowden feel that way....	VanillaRhapsody	Jul 2013	#1
I tried, but there is never any audio, just a bunch of text	The Straight Story	Jul 2013	#2
Smart ass answer. You know exactly what the poster was asking for.	bluestate10	Jul 2013	#27
Heh. Ilk. Nice use of the word.	The Straight Story	Jul 2013	#36
"Bet if Romney was in you wouldn't be so passive about it."	tex-wyo-dem	Jul 2013	#68
Romney is not in, Obama is, and he is the most honest politician in modern history.	tridim	Jul 2013	#152
You're joking right?	raindaddy	Jul 2013	#154
You know we will have shitty presidents after Obama, right? The precedents the good ones make	Ed Suspicious	Jul 2013	#157
This is a war between the 1% and the 99%. Which side do you choose? You wont say will you? nm	rhett o rick	Jul 2013	#43
No they won't	warrant46	Jul 2013	#95
"fast and loose with the truth"	Jakes Progress	Jul 2013	#71
Nixon Lied....Kennedy Lied	VanillaRhapsody	Jul 2013	#155
Never said that I did.	Jakes Progress	Jul 2013	#172
I guess I'm one of the ilk you apparently find disgusting. I like that stand your ground	A Simple Game	Jul 2013	#121
you could enlighten us.	nashville_brook	Jul 2013	#5
That would involve an honest discussion rather than an	CakeGrrl	Jul 2013	#18
It comes down to how much you value democracy, representative government. I value it greatly.	JDPriestly	Jul 2013	#72
Beautifully stated!	TM99	Jul 2013	#84
Thank you. We freedom-lovers have to stick together.	JDPriestly	Jul 2013	#85
We do, even when called 'libertarians'.	TM99	Jul 2013	#87
Many thanks... I agree with you entirely.	nenagh	Jul 2013	#86
Well, this was more subtly stated than the usual	CakeGrrl	Jul 2013	#93
The M$M would sooner be bastinadoed than talk about policy, particularly in respect to surveillance	Fumesucker	Jul 2013	#94
Bingo	malokvale77	Jul 2013	#104
The law	LiberalLovinLug	Jul 2013	#116
As I see it, Booz Allen and the government stole our information.	JDPriestly	Jul 2013	#130
yes	marions ghost	Jul 2013	#146
Bravo!	kentuck	Jul 2013	#96
Don't even wonder about this	Aerows	Jul 2013	#97
Thanks.	JDPriestly	Jul 2013	#106
In the not to distant past government employees...	Blanks	Jul 2013	#117
The government did not track our mail until recently.	JDPriestly	Jul 2013	#136
simplistic thinking	marions ghost	Jul 2013	#147
That's sure to be it.	Blanks	Jul 2013	#160
No need	marions ghost	Jul 2013	#171
Who are the Kardashians?	Blanks	Jul 2013	#174
Trust me--this is an everyday issue	marions ghost	Jul 2013	#175
I appreciate your reasoned response, but...	Blanks	Jul 2013	#176
OK I get it...	marions ghost	Jul 2013	#177
100% right on! Beautifully said.	Enthusiast	Jul 2013	#126
JDPriestly	lordsummerisle	Jul 2013	#143
+1 (nt)	Kurovski	Jul 2013	#165
"Because if he can be exempt, why should ANYONE be held to account for their crimes?"	rhett o rick	Jul 2013	#105
More of the attempted condescension	CakeGrrl	Jul 2013	#167
I know of lot's of bankers that broke the law in a much more serious	xtraxritical	Jul 2013	#118
LOL yep we bail out the criminal banksters but Snowden gets nothing. There's no real justice anymore	L0oniX	Jul 2013	#120
Agreed.	JDPriestly	Jul 2013	#137
upside down cake	fascisthunter	Jul 2013	#149
lol... we have	fascisthunter	Jul 2013	#148
nah, just drones. nt	galileoreloaded	Jul 2013	#3
Thats pretty much it.	HooptieWagon	Jul 2013	#4
So more putting words in their mouth?	VanillaRhapsody	Jul 2013	#6
Obama	kardonb	Jul 2013	#51
fuel gauges don't register when no fuel.	HooptieWagon	Jul 2013	#57
The plane had to land because of a problem with the fuel gauge indicator	JDPriestly	Jul 2013	#80
Our government should eat humble pie and apologize.	Enthusiast	Jul 2013	#127
Yes.	JDPriestly	Jul 2013	#138
Actually, information access should be asymmetrical.	woo me with science	Jul 2013	#7
Indeed. But I don't think they believe we employ them but the other way around	The Straight Story	Jul 2013	#9
OK. Then, when we have another Oklahoma City or 9/11, and believe me, we will if your	bluestate10	Jul 2013	#21
Or another Bosten bombing?	usGovOwesUs3Trillion	Jul 2013	#30
Death by terrorist is statistically zero compared to other causes of death. Yet	rhett o rick	Jul 2013	#45
"If people are so afraid of dying, they'd be better off chasing down drunk drivers"...	Kurovski	Jul 2013	#166
We'll have another Oklahoma City or 9/11 whether or not we live in a security state.	winter is coming	Jul 2013	#33
+1,000 n/t	Lugnut	Jul 2013	#55
You put STFU in your post (on DU of all places)	go west young man	Jul 2013	#46
They said "please".	Enthusiast	Jul 2013	#131
TERRA!	woo me with science	Jul 2013	#50
Why do you worry about these singular events when a MILLION Americans die	mbperrin	Jul 2013	#63
+1000!	tex-wyo-dem	Jul 2013	#78
Yes, and that's why single payer universal is STILL my top priority!	mbperrin	Jul 2013	#103
There are too many factions profiteering on our health care.	Enthusiast	Jul 2013	#133
If you want safety, buy a house on a big lot and build a bunker on your property.	JDPriestly	Jul 2013	#75
So, you would have no problem explaining how this would have stopped either	Egalitarian Thug	Jul 2013	#90
Frankly, I don't give a fuck. Those events happened even with government invasion of privacy.	JVS	Jul 2013	#92
I'll take 'What a scaremonger would say' for $50	bobduca	Jul 2013	#110
Careful ...I hear Conda Sleeza Rice is roaming around on DU.	L0oniX	Jul 2013	#125
Except that all this spying has not stopped ANYTHING.	alarimer	Jul 2013	#123
I hear there's a possible mushroom cloud if we don't go to war right now.	L0oniX	Jul 2013	#124
Bush had plenty of information to stop 9/11. It could have been prevented.	JDPriestly	Jul 2013	#140
I agree.	JDPriestly	Jul 2013	#139
When people start demonizing the Bolivian president, not for anything he actually did, but	Marr	Jul 2013	#8
If these are truly Democrats that are saying that, then it shows that...	AZ Progressive	Jul 2013	#10
His story stinks,	jazzimov	Jul 2013	#15
You won't make any statements, but Morales is a liar	DisgustipatedinCA	Jul 2013	#25
For his story not to be true it would have to be a stream of lucky	go west young man	Jul 2013	#49
We'll roll us a fattie.	Enthusiast	Jul 2013	#135
Any theory contradicting his story rapidly descends into obviously farcical nonsense.	sibelian	Jul 2013	#91
What Morales said agrees with what the Austrian and French sources say.	JDPriestly	Jul 2013	#141
I am truly sorry that you are getting that sense,	jazzimov	Jul 2013	#11
Nice try on that last part	The Straight Story	Jul 2013	#17
I'm more concerned about what Obama admitted to than what is in the documents.	JDPriestly	Jul 2013	#156
He makes the people look powerful...	kentuck	Jul 2013	#12
I think that's totally it	Hydra	Jul 2013	#13
Pretty much. To some, Obama is their personal hero	LittleBlue	Jul 2013	#14
I don't like Snowden because he is a coward and a traitor. No one else, in the history	bluestate10	Jul 2013	#16
Given we have tortured people and put them in jails without charges and keep them there	The Straight Story	Jul 2013	#19
You tell it just the way it is...we are not the same	movonne	Jul 2013	#47
Thank you for saying it well.	mbperrin	Jul 2013	#64
Some might define coward as someone who targets civillians with drones.	HooptieWagon	Jul 2013	#59
Mark Felt hid for over 30 years before he was revealed as Deep Throat	muriel_volestrangler	Jul 2013	#99
Apparently you've never heard of ...	GeorgeGist	Jul 2013	#132
Snowden took aim at President Obama on the international scene	hardcover	Jul 2013	#20
you think leaking info to the Chinese & Russians is "making the establishment look bad"? LOL!	KittyWampus	Jul 2013	#22
Most emphatically, yes. n/t	DisgustipatedinCA	Jul 2013	#28
Keep waving that flag blindly. We didn't use to do so in last admin	The Straight Story	Jul 2013	#31
It's disingenious anyway, as he has not exclusively shared anything with the chinese or russian gov.	Democracyinkind	Jul 2013	#89
he looks bad because he is being used as a doormat	Blue_Roses	Jul 2013	#23
That may be true for some folks, but mostly likely in my mind is	ZombieHorde	Jul 2013	#24
It's just the same sort of blind partisanship you see from Sean Hannity or some other Fox News type.	Douglas Carpenter	Jul 2013	#26
it will self-correct in 2016	Skittles	Jul 2013	#48
HUGE K & R !!! - Thank You !!!	WillyT	Jul 2013	#29
Snowden is a coward.	ProSense	Jul 2013	#32
The government should let it go	noise	Jul 2013	#37
Not likely. n/t	ProSense	Jul 2013	#40
No, a coward is someone who kills kids using drones from thousands of miles away	The Straight Story	Jul 2013	#38
How about	ProSense	Jul 2013	#42
If you are bombing people not a threat to you. Yes. They call it something else when citizens do it	The Straight Story	Jul 2013	#44
Song for you courtesy of Roger Waters. "The Bravery Of Being Out Of Range"	go west young man	Jul 2013	#53
Others might call that state-sponsored terrorism. nt	HooptieWagon	Jul 2013	#60
...	Apophis	Jul 2013	#65
Strange definition of "coward"	LiberalLovinLug	Jul 2013	#128
Is calling Snowden a coward just another psy-ops technique?	JDPriestly	Jul 2013	#161
+ Democracy	Octafish	Jul 2013	#173
Makes sense to me...	fadedrose	Jul 2013	#179
Wide scale surveillance	noise	Jul 2013	#34
You got it right	nadinbrzezinski	Jul 2013	#35
Oooof. "The Establishment"	alcibiades_mystery	Jul 2013	#39
What's wrong with "The Establishment"? Yes, it's somewhat outdated but the	Cleita	Jul 2013	#56
Thank you for putting it into words, The Straight Story.	Octafish	Jul 2013	#41
speaking of security agencies.money and bodies	questionseverything	Jul 2013	#81
end game	questionseverything	Jul 2013	#82
oh for sure, that's what's so creepy about.	allin99	Jul 2013	#52
.	blkmusclmachine	Jul 2013	#54
I don't like him because he has been actively interfering in foreign diplomacy	pnwmom	Jul 2013	#58
What diplomacy?	mbperrin	Jul 2013	#69
He shared documents about our spying on China when Obama was meeting with	pnwmom	Jul 2013	#70
Okay, so the Chinese and the Russians had NO idea that we were spying on them before Snowden, yet	mbperrin	Jul 2013	#102
Are you kidding me? The American people didn't know that we spy on China and Russia	pnwmom	Jul 2013	#162
A 29 year old low level civilian contractor can access all that info	mbperrin	Jul 2013	#163
He wasn't low level. He had high levels of access in his last position	pnwmom	Jul 2013	#164
He's a 29 year old employee working for a private firm for a short time.	mbperrin	Jul 2013	#170
I'd imagine a lot less outrage here if Romney had won the election. nt	Incitatus	Jul 2013	#61
Trust them....sure.	ohheckyeah	Jul 2013	#62
ding, ding, ding. . .the peon made the nobles looks like shit. Nobles want blood	Nanjing to Seoul	Jul 2013	#66
Ya think?	Th1onein	Jul 2013	#67
This is an excellent OP.	Uncle Joe	Jul 2013	#73
From an objective non-ideological PoV, who is Snowden actually helping?	struggle4progress	Jul 2013	#74
This message was self-deleted by its author	blue cat	Jul 2013	#76
Many HATE him because he is a TRAITOR!	Lady Freedom Returns	Jul 2013	#77
You are assuming he has given secrets to foreign powers	muriel_volestrangler	Jul 2013	#100
Bush & Cheney = much bigger fish ...peep ...pin drops	L0oniX	Jul 2013	#119
K&R	DeSwiss	Jul 2013	#79
He doesn't seem to care about consequences. And with the responsibility he had, that should be	SleeplessinSoCal	Jul 2013	#83
What specific things has he said that you regard as treasonous? (nt)	muriel_volestrangler	Jul 2013	#101
"Our" establishment, not "the".	Democracyinkind	Jul 2013	#88
+ 100 - Well Said	cantbeserious	Jul 2013	#98
Ha who knew	felix_numinous	Jul 2013	#107
I am getting the odd sense that you hit the nail on the head.	Autumn	Jul 2013	#108
I don't like Snowden because he is a far right wing hypocrite.	phleshdef	Jul 2013	#109
So you're ok with NSA spying on us, but are only mad because the public exposure of it makes Obama	rusty fender	Jul 2013	#112
Wow, the illiteracy is strong with this one ^	phleshdef	Jul 2013	#113
Illiteracy? Really?	rusty fender	Jul 2013	#114
Oh my, grahamar air ers!!!!	phleshdef	Jul 2013	#115
TPTB have now become the overly jealous, domineering, controlling lover.	Jamastiene	Jul 2013	#111
Yes, because they are "our" leaders.	alarimer	Jul 2013	#122
Gettin' there, are ya?	Iggo	Jul 2013	#129
Maybe because Snowden violated laws in a nation of laws	Progressive dog	Jul 2013	#134
Funny Thing Those Laws - Seems They Don't Apply To The 1% - But Do For The 99%	cantbeserious	Jul 2013	#144
Perfect reply!	fascisthunter	Jul 2013	#150
You are off topic and wrong, the USA has special prisons for the wealthy	Progressive dog	Jul 2013	#168
Thanks For The Scolding - I Needed That - We Will Have To Agree To Disagree	cantbeserious	Jul 2013	#169
That's not the reason I don't like Snowden.	classof56	Jul 2013	#142
Obama was better . . .	another_liberal	Jul 2013	#145
Easy	Rex	Jul 2013	#151
I'm getting the not-so-odd sense	Summer Hathaway	Jul 2013	#153
Could be Summer.. who knows what produces these "odd feelings"	Cha	Jul 2013	#159
I think Snowden is the one who makes himself look bad. So you	Cha	Jul 2013	#158
Then that tells me that you don't understand the issue at all	jazzimov	Jul 2013	#178

Edit History

Please login to view edit histories.