Snowden 'can give testimony to Germans in Russia'

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

They were on the Terrorist watch group and somebody forgot about them.

Yeah. That would be incompetents and bureaucratic inefficiency.

[Peikko 1,575]

They were on the Terrorist watch group and somebody forgot about them.

I doubt they were 'forgotten' but if you go about intelligence with this scatter gun approach you have too many 'suspects' to watch and not enough real intelligence to make a determination if a person is indeed a threat. Not the best way to go about things really.

[Janelle2002 3,865]

This is why we need intelligence. Are you suggesting we stop spying on our citizens and people in other countries? How would we survive? And again we are not the only ones doing this.

[Peikko 1,575]

This is why we need intelligence. Are you suggesting we stop spying on our citizens and people in other countries? How would we survive? And again we are not the only ones doing this.

Quite honestly I doubt much of the spying serves any useful purpose at all so I am up for that for the most part. BTW, I have never suggested that the US IS the only country engaged in spying, but I really have no idea why they trawl through endless emails and phone calls. In all honesty I bet they can't tell anything meaningful from most of the chatter that goes on, and the down side is, do we know if anything we do on the internet is private in the real sense at all? I personally value the ability to maintain a low profile but it's less and less easy to do.

Edited November 2, 2013 by The Truth™

[Janelle2002 3,865]

Quite honestly I doubt much of the spying serves any useful purpose at all so I am up for that for the most part. BTW, I have never suggested that the US IS the only country engaged in spying, but I really have no idea why they trawl through endless emails and phone calls. In all honesty I bet they can't tell anything meaningful from most of the chatter that goes on, and the down side is, do we know if anything we do on the internet is private in the real sense at all? I personally value the ability to maintain a low profile but it's less and less easy to do.

Our life isn't private. We lost privacy the minute we decided to use computers. Cell phones, debit card transactions, email chats, ordering online, skype all this stuff is stored somewhere. They can watch me. They will get bored as ####### and realize my life is not interesting.

[Peikko 1,575]

That's the point, most lives are very, very boring so how can 'spying' on everyone indiscriminantly lead to anything significant in terms of catching terrorists?

[Janelle2002 3,865]

That's the point, most lives are very, very boring so how can 'spying' on everyone indiscriminantly lead to anything significant in terms of catching terrorists?

Most lives are but it's apparent some are not. But their spying is not indiscriminant. They are profiling people.

[Pooky 3,786]

This is why we need intelligence.

Our problem is that we need to apply this requirement to the people legislating, administering, analyzing and utilizing the information, not just the information itself.

[Peikko 1,575]

This is why we need intelligence. Are you suggesting we stop spying on our citizens and people in other countries? How would we survive? And again we are not the only ones doing this.

People like Angela Merkel? That's astonishingly ridiculous if that's an example of the people that get profiled.

[Janelle2002 3,865]

People like Angela Merkel? That's astonishingly ridiculous if that's an example of the people that get profiled.

Not my fault they are picking the right people. But none the less, spying is a necessary evil.

[Peikko 1,575]

Not my fault they are picking the right people. But none the less, spying is a necessary evil.

I am not accusing you. Indiscriminate spying is not a necessary evil and that's what has been revealed. It surprises me that more people in the USt dislike the practice as they do in Europe, strongly. Privacy is well, more private back home

Edited November 2, 2013 by The Truth™

[Janelle2002 3,865]

I am not accusing you. Indiscriminate spying is not a necessary evil and that's what has been revealed. It surprises me that more people in the USt dislike the practice as they do in Europe, strongly. Privacy is well, more private back home

Whoops, that should say they are not picking the right person.

I can't see your home it's not on your name. What is your country and is it constantly under attack like the U.S.? And I don't understand, if it keeps or heads from being blown off they can listen to me every once in a while.

[Dakine10 5,452]

Most lives are but it's apparent some are not. But their spying is not indiscriminant. They are profiling people.

It pretty much is indiscriminant. That's the problem. As Snowden said, they record everything about you and when the time comes, they make it fit what they want it to fit. Today they are looking for terrorists, tomorrow it might be political adversaries. We have enough examples of this in history to know that when you give up freedom for security, you end up with neither.

Tapping Merkel's phone is not a revelation to anyone.There was a reason that the recent information released by Snowden came just before the aniversary of the patriot act. Even the senator who originally authored the "patriot act" is now working on the "freedom act", whose primary intent is to undo the collossal mistake of the patriot act.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

i suppose you aren't aware of the depth of an investigation for a top secret clearance - which makes AP look like a cakewalk?

It is not necessary to be aware of anything to post on VJ. The TOS rules do not require knowledge. They are similar to the rules for voting.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

It pretty much is indiscriminant. That's the problem. As Snowden said, they record everything about you and when the time comes, they make it fit what they want it to fit. Today they are looking for terrorists, tomorrow it might be political adversaries. We have enough examples of this in history to know that when you give up freedom for security, you end up with neither.

Tapping Merkel's phone is not a revelation to anyone.There was a reason that the recent information released by Snowden came just before the aniversary of the patriot act. Even the senator who originally authored the "patriot act" is now working on the "freedom act", whose primary intent is to undo the collossal mistake of the patriot act.

Excellent!

It applies to ALL freedoms. even the ones you don't like or use yourself. If we give up our freedom what would the terrorists have to do?

I hope Snowden spills ALL the beans to everyone. Obama could have had him back from Russia if he had played his cards right. Instead he snubbed Putin over "gay rights" in Russia (Brilliant!) which requires Putin to bend Obama over and pound sand up his popah...while shirtless and on horseback. He did so by granting Snowden asylum. Obama, not learning his lesson, snubbed Putin again by saying he would not talk to him "I'm not playin ghere anymore...I'm picking up my marbles and heading for the door" Putin then made SURE Obama would talk to him by slam dunking Obama on Syria. Obama stays clear now, but Putin is not done yet. Putin will invite everyone to come meet Snowden at the executive Dacha on the Black Sea for an intimate weekend of conversations.

Now Obama stays clear of Putin, says nothing of Gay Rights in Russia and goes back to his "I know nothing" position on his "landmark" healthcare debacle. What a #######.

He could have asked anyone married to a RUB woman and had better advice.