That's the irony. If these attacks were allowed to happen, there would be outcry to find a way to stop them first. But because we don't know about these attacks, we don't think we need to by spied on to stop them. That's the real issue. We don't like the Government watching our every move but we do want them watching those who are threats. How do you expect them to identify threats if they aren't watching everyone?
They don't care if you're cheating on your wife or are pregnant but not ready to share the news yet. People aren't the ones reading everything you write on an electronic device or are saying to friends. Computers filter through everything and look for key words. If you say or write words like "bomb", they read it to determine if they should be alert. People are only paying attention to the writings and communications of those who talk about attacks.
I asked my Mom about why people are so upset. She has a friend who worked for the NSA. My Mom told me about all the interviews and steps her friend had to go through to get clearance for that level of security. It was really detailed. I felt safe knowing the people searching for threats where checked that thoroughly.
But my Mom told me that after 9/11 they started using outside contractors for some things to handle the extra threats. These contractors didn't go through the same level of clearance. It was supposed to be only for a few years but never ended. The problem is less about the spying and more about who they let see the important things. Snowden was one of these contractors.
http://www.biography.com/people/edward-snowden-21262897#aftermath&awesm=~oH0uJEBke3cLps
Still curious about the Snowden circus, I read his bio on the above link. He did illegally steal those documents. Everything he is being charged for, he did. He's a coward for running away to avoid punishment and clearly was just looking to be famous.
"On June 14, 2013, federal prosecutors charged Snowden with theft of government property, unauthorized communication of national defense information, and willful communication of classified intelligence with an unauthorized person."
trai·tor
noun \ˈtrā-tər\
: a person who is not loyal to his or her own country, friends, etc. : a person who betrays a country or group of people by helping or supporting an enemy
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/traitor
Yes, by this definition, he was a traitor. Not only did the release of those files tell terrorists what threats the government was on to, but it told them they were being watched in the first place. While the theory is that this would stop them from their attacks as is the NSA goal, the result is better planned attacks that the government doesn't know about and can't stop. Just when we need this surveillance, the public wants less. So more attacks sneak through and more lives are lost that could have been prevented. But I don't think he was thinking about terrorists when he released the documents. He is a traitor but his intention was to let Americans know what was going on. He never considered how that will help terrorists.
trea·son
noun \ˈtrē-zən\
: the crime of trying to overthrow your country's government or of helping your country's enemies during war
I think his actions are treasonous but I don't think he did that on purpose either. Again, he wasn't realizing how he helped the enemy by his actions. I'm can't respect someone who runs like he did instead of facing the consequences. If he truly just wanted to tell the public about the NSA spying, he could have done that without running away. But running made him a celebrity. He didn't have the heroic intentions he is portrayed as having.
One of our favorite shows on CBS is "Person of Interest" (currently Tuesdays 10pm). It just finished season three. It's about a rich Engineer who built a super machine for the government. It watches what everyone is doing. Social Security numbers appear of people that are either the perpetrator or the victim. They don't know which until they start investigating that person. The government handles the "relevant" list or the terrorist threats. The Engineer, Finch, has a team to handle the "irrelevant" list. Those are crimes against an individual.
Three seasons, it's a popular show. So why was it such a surprise that, in a way, it's real? In season 3 they address the NSA issue. It ends on a cliffhanger where those involved in creating a machine like the one Finch created, the government using Finch's machine, as well as Finch, are put on trial. They were kidnapped to get there. A group named "Vigilance" had been after them, their leader has a law degree.
The Government[edit]
The following characters are tied to a government conspiracy related to the development and use of the Machine.- Control (Camryn Manheim): the woman who is the head of the ISA's operation (code-named Northern Lights) regarding the Machine
- Hersh (Boris McGiver): Special Counsel's enforcer, a former member of the ISA.
- Special Counsel (Jay O. Sanders): a shadowy figure from the Office of Special Counsel who appears to be coordinating the activity regarding the Machine and sees Reese as a threat.
- Senator Ross Garrison (John Doman): a U.S. senator charged with overseeing Northern Lights.
- Alicia Corwin (Elizabeth Marvel): a liaison between Ingram and the government while the Machine was being developed and a former member of the National Security Council.
- Denton Weeks (Cotter Smith): the official who commissioned the development of the Machine while he was a deputy director at the NSA.
Decima Technologies[edit]
The following characters are involved in the Decima Technologies storyline, in which a shadowy organization attempts to gain control of the Machine.- John Greer (John Nolan): a mysterious British figure is a Director of Operations Decima Technologies.
- Lambert (Julian Ovenden): an operative for Decima Technologies, and Greer's right-hand man.
Vigilance[edit]
The following character is involved in the Vigilance storyline, in which a violent organization professes to protect people's privacy.- Peter Collier (Leslie Odom, Jr.): a field agent whose job is to protect the organization.
"Vigilance" speaks for a lot of people. I can understand feeling uncomfortable knowing that the government knows the things you would rather keep secret. But I see this with perspective. They aren't watching from outside your window as you do dishes and there aren't any Government-installed cameras in your bathroom mirror. A machine is seeing what you write online and type in a text. It hears what you say. But an actual person is only clued in if you are saying or writing something that could be a national threat. As long as you don't mention "bomb" and a high-profile location, you're fine. Your wife won't find out about that affair from the NSA.
It's a tough choice. We want our privacy but the price of privacy is death. It's selfish to not care if the attacks happen as long as you have your privacy. What if next time it's you or a loved one in an attack that could have been prevented? Is your privacy worth loosing your spouse to a bomb at an airport? If it happened, you would ask "why couldn't they stop it?" They couldn't stop it because you wouldn't let them identify the people planning it. Because you didn't want them monitoring all of us to find who is a threat.
Not all attacks are by Muslims. Not all Muslims come from the Middle East. You can't say "track them, they look like a terrorist" because even that quiet but nice kid next door might be converting without you knowing it. How many people aren't suspicious but are planning attacks? We don't know. But they exist. Sure, that nice IT co-worker might take a lot of trips to Yemen. You might not think anything of it if he has family there. But you also might never know the government read his emails and found out he was learning to build bombs and stopped a threat. A threat you probably will never hear about. All you know is that he's no longer working for your company and a nice new person is sitting at their desk. You probably will never know the truth. But the NSA just saved your life by reading those emails.
I don't like that they don't check the backgrounds of their contractors as thoroughly as their own employees. THAT needs to be changed. But I like knowing that they are doing what they can to protect me and my loved ones from dying in attacks. I know I used enough suspicious language for a person at the NSA to actually read this. I thank them for all the lives they saved in possible attacks I will never know were being planned. Realistically, nothing on the internet is private anyway. If they are listening in on my phone calls, then it's a reminder of why they want to protect us anyway. You only have to worry if you are actually appearing to be a threat............we aren't perfect but most of us are not setting off red flags either.
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