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Topic: Edward Snowden (Read 11199 times)

Re: Edward Snowden

Reply #25 –
Quote
Talk about unfortunate implications. Not even eastern germany had flags in each class room or required nationalistic rituals every day ( heck, where I grew up they barely did it once a year )

I don't know what the implications are. I don't like it, but don't see it as significant. There's a growing movement to back off of our bad habit of international meddling.

My grandboys don't strike me as dangerous stormtroopers.

Re: Edward Snowden

Reply #26 –
Quote from: Jimbro3738 on

Quote
Talk about unfortunate implications. Not even eastern germany had flags in each class room or required nationalistic rituals every day ( heck, where I grew up they barely did it once a year )

I don't know what the implications are. I don't like it, but don't see it as significant.

Well, the people who ran the place before were kind of big on flags, oaths of allegiance, nationalistic rituals, oppressing minorities, warmongering etc.

Quote from: Jimbro3738 on

My grandboys don't strike me as dangerous stormtroopers.

There's a bunch of idiots that would like them to be.

Re: Edward Snowden

Reply #27 –
I think jimbro is on the right direction. Why it is felt a dedicated requirement to have the national flag in every classroom seems a wee bitty ludicrous.  The children and youths know their flag and sticking it everywhere is a bit over the top and overly nationalistic.  You can respect a flag without having it stuck in your face everywhere and equally everywhere you go in a classrom.  As I say it is one thing having a basic flag respect but it is overdone in this matter.
"Quit you like men:be strong"

Re: Edward Snowden

Reply #28 –
Quote
The National Security Agency has built a surveillance system capable of recording “100 percent” of a foreign country’s telephone calls, enabling the agency to rewind and review conversations as long as a month after they take place, according to people with direct knowledge of the effort and documents supplied by former contractor Edward Snowden.

At the request of U.S. officials, The Washington Post is withholding details that could be used to identify the country where the system is being employed or other countries where its use was envisioned.
source


Only pariah countries and criminals are frightened by U.S. surveillance so I see no reason for the request of U.S. officials to withhold details about the country where the system is being employed or other countries where its use was envisioned.

Re: Edward Snowden

Reply #29 –
Eh - only pariah countries need be frightened (Merkel for example, etc) ?  For goodness sake what right does the US have to do this on such a wide scale. It always falls back on the 2 old hoary ones such as "security" and " defending our interest." There is no God-given right for this at all and is a nonsense. It is highly imperial and dictatorial and wants to think it has a right to run the planet and stuff everyone else. Unbelievable supremacists ideas and immoral.
"Quit you like men:be strong"

Re: Edward Snowden

Reply #30 –
Angela Merkel is in good company according to a top secret chart of the NSA. :left:

source

Re: Edward Snowden

Reply #32 –
And she has got on well with Putin. She is also a very clever cookie by all accounts. I would phone here but I don't want what we chat aobut to be broadcast everywhere.....
"Quit you like men:be strong"

Re: Edward Snowden

Reply #33 –
BWA-hahahaha!!
Excuse me, this is too good.
(rolls on floor, holding my sides)
Weeeeee!! I don't know when I've seen such a "Pot calls the kettle black" headline
After Edward Snowden revealed that our spook agencies are collecting reams of data on friend and foe alike, citizen and stranger, I now come into possession of an article where the US actually has the gumption to accuse another nation of spying. In this case, the other nation is Israel.
Now, anybody who has spent any time reading the spy novels will know that Israel has a well-deserved reputation for spying, and not always being too careful in differentiating between friend and foe. They're pretty good at the game, so good that sometimes our own agencies collaborate with them when they need info on Middle Eastern affairs amongst other things.

What makes this a howl is the idea that the US, after being caught with its pants down this badly over the Snowden business (which, incidentally, that business is still not over) would dare accuse another nation of overstepping the bounds where spying is concerned. We have agencies that have tried to learn more about everybody than even God is supposed to know, and they would dare to say somebody else is going too far.

Well, here's the article that gives rise to my attack of mirth, enjoy:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-accuses-israel-of-alarming-even-terrifying-levels-of-spying-9341264.html
What would happen if a large asteroid slammed into the Earth?
According to several tests involving a watermelon and a large hammer, it would be really bad!

Re: Edward Snowden

Reply #35 –
Spying isn't uncommon. I don't know if this list is exhaustive, but it isn't a short one. It includes Russia, Iran, North Korea, South Korea, Bahrain, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Germany, France, Zimbabwe, Syria, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, Philippines, Japan.

According to Russia Times (rt.com),
Quote
Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands and several other EU countries were named among “third party partners” in the NSA-led global signal intelligence program, a new leak submitted by journalist Glenn Greenwald to Danish TV reveals.

According to the document, obtained by Swedish TV program ‘Mission: Investigate’, that has been probing Sweden's participation in global spying operations, nine European countries were added to the list of NSA accomplices.

The "third party partners" to the Five Eyes nations has now grown to include nine states - Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain.


I don't trust my country's politicians, so why would I trust the leaders of other countries, including those of the Vatican?

Re: Edward Snowden

Reply #36 –
Quote from: mjmsprt40 on

BWA-hahahaha!!
Excuse me, this is too good.
(rolls on floor, holding my sides)
Weeeeee!! I don't know when I've seen such a "Pot calls the kettle black" headline

That's a good one indeed :insane: :lol:

Quote from: mjmsprt40 on

What makes this a howl is the idea that the US, after being caught with its pants down this badly over the Snowden business (which, incidentally, that business is still not over) would dare accuse another nation of overstepping the bounds where spying is concerned. We have agencies that have tried to learn more about everybody than even God is supposed to know, and they would dare to say somebody else is going too far.

Weapon grade hypocrisy. You know, when we do it it's fighting terrorism, when others do it we throw a fit of faux outrage. Then again, Israel of all places could probably make a far more convincing case of fighting terrorism if they wanted to.

Re: Edward Snowden

Reply #37 –
Quote from: Jimbro3738 on

Spying isn't uncommon. I don't know if this list is exhaustive, but it isn't a short one. It includes Russia, Iran, North Korea, South Korea, Bahrain, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Germany, France, Zimbabwe, Syria, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, Philippines, Japan.

We know the german spooks are in bed with the NSA. We know they have access to at least part of the NSA data and provided some software to dig through it. We strongly suspect that this cooperation happens at least in part to get around constitutional limits on domestic spying in .de.

Re: Edward Snowden

Reply #38 –
It is a shame he has to find somewhere else to live even though he has indicated he would love to be in his home country. Trouble is that the political system in his homeland is not as honest as it should be and much of what he imparted was a disgrace by the DC brigade.
"Quit you like men:be strong"

Re: Edward Snowden

Reply #39 –
Quote from: Jimbro3738 on

Spying isn't uncommon. I don't know if this list is exhaustive, but it isn't a short one. It includes Russia, Iran, North Korea, South Korea, Bahrain, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Germany, France, Zimbabwe, Syria, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, Philippines, Japan.


Spying is one thing, mass surveillance of everyone, whether suspected of criminal activity or having valuable information or not, is something slightly different.

Re: Edward Snowden

Reply #40 –
A fair point there by any reasonableness with that reply. When a country gets to the almost fanatical zeal of such widespread control and intrigue something very basic has been lost.
"Quit you like men:be strong"