NSA Chief Keith Alexander Takes His PRISM Pitch To YouTube 165
Daniel_Stuckey writes "There's definitely something strange about the video's attempt at looking/sounding like a NOVA episode. Alexander, who defended the agency at Black Hat this summer and recently announced his retirement next year, takes care to emphasize the agency's privacy compliance precautions and oversight. 'We have not had any willful or knowing violations in those programs,' he says referring to sections 215 and 702 of the Patriot Act, which relate to the telephone metadata and PRISM programs respectively. 'There have been [violations] in other programs, but not in those two.'"
Have they not worked it out yet? (Score:5, Insightful)
All the lies and deceit that has come along from them so far means that WE. DO. NOT. TRUST. WHAT. YOU. SAY.
Your words are pointless, because you are almost certainly lying. "How do you know when an NSA spokesman is lying?" "His lips are moving"
By a strange coincidence (Score:2, Insightful)
when accused thieves an murderers are in the dock, they always assure us they are innocent too. "I may have done some minor thing, but not what I am accused of. Definitely not." And they generally believe it. Mental gymnastics should be an olympic sport.
Willful or knowing violations (Score:5, Insightful)
So, just involuntary and ignorant violations, then.
He lied ... (Score:5, Insightful)
Assertion without evidence - dismiss without it (Score:5, Insightful)
It's nice that you say so. The problem is: I don't believe you. I cannot. There is no oversight whatsoever concerning your actions. You say that no transgressions happen, that's nice. But let's say I assert that I'm no terrorist, does that mean you stop spying on me? No. Why? Because you cannot verify that I'm not.
So why the hell should I believe you without any kind of evidence or any kind of ability to verify your claims?
Surprise (Score:2, Insightful)
A pathological liar telling lies. You should be scared shitless that slime like this have so much power.
Re:He lied ... (Score:2, Insightful)
Because that would make Barry look bad.
Should DoD be propagandizing directly to public? (Score:5, Insightful)
Doesn't this amount to the Department of the Defense propagandizing directly to the U.S. public? What is acceptable and what is not?
I can see press conferences, announcements, and factual information, but when does it become an attempt to persuade the public?
Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)
Not convinced (Score:2, Insightful)
When Comrade Alexander posts the full log of his phone calls and visited websites for the past year he might earn credibility amongst the proletariat. No harm done, because it's only metadata, right?
Re:Much ado about nothing (Score:5, Insightful)
People are wringing their hands over an automated system that might see your super secret facebook Like of the latest Lil Bub video
Yeah! Who cares if they spy on everyone and blatantly violate the constitution? No big deal. No government has ever abused their powers or used information to their advantage. Also, laws are unchanging and always just, so what could possibly go wrong?
Re:Much ado about nothing (Score:4, Insightful)
Umm... That is sort of the American left's mantra. The Constitution is a living document which meaning changes as society changes and holding it to strict interpretation is obsolete. Why would you think they would be concerned with protecting it or it's enforcement or the ramifications of it?
That is something the American right and/or people who actually give a fuck about this country simply do not understand. Hell, even many on the left who do care don't understand it but follow that ideology to some degree because it is convenient to their other goals. There are entities who care fuck all about the constitution, what limits it places on the government's abilities (unless they conveniently need them at the moment), as long as their version of whatever makes it through. Expecting them to care is simply foolish.
Seriously, we just had a law passed (PPACA) that couldn't survive on it's own merits constitutionally and the Supreme Court had to rewrite a penalty provision to become a tax penalty that completely bypasses the 5th amendment's due process of law clause in order to force it into compliance with the Constitution and the American Left are championing it as a great victory over the mean terrorist republicans. Despite 16 million people with insurance loosing that coverage due to the strict grandfather clause in the law, Despite massive increases in premiums for those who get to keep their insurance, despite companies dropping employee hours to avoid full time employees, despite companies dumping retirement coverage onto medicare and the exchanges, despite companies dumping spousal coverage if they work because they can get insurance elsewhere now, we have an administration that rewards it's political allies by giving unions and large companies waivers and delays but will not delay the mandate for the common man even though the exchanges are completely messed up right now. And you expect them to understand or care about anything other then their agenda.
Now stop bothering me, I gotta find out what Brittany is doing next.
They are preaching to the sheeples ... (Score:5, Insightful)
All the lies and deceit that has come along from them so far means that WE. DO. NOT. TRUST. WHAT. YOU. SAY.
Don't you get it yet ?
They are using Youtube, a place where the sheeples congregate
They are NOT talking to the people like you and me --- they are talking AT the sheeples
As long as the sheeples in America ( and the world ) believe their lies, and the sheeples do believe them, NSA will get to continue their deceits without any hindrance
Re:Have they not worked it out yet? (Score:4, Insightful)
In effect, you've given them every incentive to not change at all.
No. I think people just want them to do more than just talk. I think people want them to stop what they're doing.
Re:Have they not worked it out yet? (Score:2, Insightful)
Yeah I'm sure you'd believe them if they suddenly started supporting such policies.
As for the "they have only themselves to blame", you're wrong. The government should have arranged independent oversight long ago.
In any event, thanks for proving my point. They have no incentive to change at all. I sure as fuck wouldn't.
Threat narrative? Yeah, fuck right off. (Score:5, Insightful)
Just a reminder: Heart Disease and Accidents cause more deaths every single year than over four hundred 9/11's. It's been over a decade now... That's more than 4000 September 11th sized attacks. Are you scared to eat and/or drive now? That's how fucking pathetic the fear narrative is.
This is America. We drive fast cars to fast food restaurants without a second thought. You want me to continue to ALLOW an expensive totalitarian spying apparatus to protect us from 0.00025 the danger we face from cars and cheeseburgers? What the fuck can the ineffectual terrorists do? If the NSA wanted to protect us they'd be making tastier health food and building self driving cars or the Hyper-Loop.
Fucking "intelligence" bullshit; Protip: All government labels mean the opposite. "PATRIOT Act", yeaaah. "Intelligence?" hahah... oh man. No wonder the basement dwelling NSA stinks so bad. If they're afraid of terrorists, just imagine how they feel about the many times greater threat of falling down in the bathtub!