The Top 5 Claims That Defenders Of The NSA Have To Stop Making To Remain Credible - EFF

[Savannahmann]

27. The anti-Greenwald/Snowden people

Since this broke, the defenders have shifted from using so many of those talking points so regularly, to regularly attacking Snowden/Greenwald. They did before, but their talking points about how many terrorist attacks have been prevented went pretty much by the wayside when the Presidential Commission reported that no, none have been prevented. The it's only metadata was posted many times. The "Perfectly legal necessary tool" argument is used by the usual people every time it comes up.

All you have to do is get a thread going with something critical of President Obama renewing the PATRIOT ACT when it was placed before him for his signature and they come out of the woodwork. Post that the NSA is violating the 4th Amendment, and wham they're there to defend the indefensible. So yes, they are here among us. Yes, they use those talking points, and these examples were just off the top of my head. Not a detailed search in other words. I am sure I could overload many of our friends bandwidth with links to the same nonsense posted time and time again, but since I put a user on ignore for posting these kinds of talking points in such a fashion I would feel rather hypocritical. I put several of the users on ignore because I was disgusted by the nonsense they were spouting.

Yeah, they're here among us. Yes, they actually drag those things out from time to time to defend the unconstitutional actions of the Government. I wish it wasn't true, but sadly it is.

Now, since so many people have links to the NSA talking points disproven, many of these same people now run around shouting that Greenwald is a Libertarian and Snowden is a horrible person who should be executed, and then tried for treason. Interestingly what is really upsetting them lately is that 55% of the people seem to agree with the actions of Snowden and Greenwald. I hate say this, but I suspect that it won't be long before the defenders of the NSA will be bringing Greenwald's sexual orientation into the discussion. I think they are grasping at straws even now, and will be reduced to that most disreputable of talking points since the Libertarian cry isn't working to sway public opinion.