This hurts, and I am fucking Mad about it

[LaydeeBug]

...For one thing, under an Obama presidency, Americans will be able to leave behind the era of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and "wiretaps without warrants," he said. (He was referring to the lingering legal fallout over reports that the National Security Agency scooped up Americans' phone and Internet activities without court orders, ostensibly to monitor terrorist plots, in the years after the September 11 attacks.)
It's hardly a new stance for Obama, who has made similar statements in previous campaign speeches, but mention of the issue in a stump speech, alongside more frequently discussed topics like Iraq and education, may give some clue to his priorities.
In our own Technology Voters' Guide, when asked whether he supports shielding telecommunications and Internet companies from lawsuits accusing them of illegal spying, Obama gave us a one-word response: "No."

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9845595-7.html

Spare me the R S T L N E responses of "this isn't new" or "they've *been* doing this" or "It's in the Patriot Act" and the like. This is the sort of thing we were hoping to change by electing Barack Obama . Turns out, his idea of change was providing the companies with permission so they wouldn't need a court order showing probable cause. smfh

[clarice]

1. I'm mad too. This kind of thing is WRONG under ANY administration. nt

[DisgustipatedinCA]

2. Recommended.

[MotherPetrie]

3. K&R

[joelz]

4. I didn't think this was the

kind of change one would expect from a nobel peace prize winner let alone a constitutional lawyer but hey they all say it's legal now thats audacity

[LaydeeBug]

5. Welcome to DU joelz. I'd still take Obama over the only alternative, but not over ANY alternative

This just fucking hurts when he actions are every bit as right wing as the one before.

That's not an outside the beltway approach, that's politics as usual

And they should fucking stop this.

[Kolesar]

6. You're not very clear

Funny acronym, too

[LaydeeBug]

12. Remember his DNC speech in 2004? "We don't like people poking around in our library records"

and so maybe I seem unclear because he wasn't.

[tularetom]

7. Obama isn't ever going to change this policy

He'd get his ass roasted by the republicans and the liberal media if he were to take any action to eliminate or cutdown on government surveillance.

I don't envy him, he's between a rock and a hard place on this. But hey, he wanted the job, so he had to know what he was getting into.

It's ironic. Every day, I'm more disappointed in the president than the day before. And yet, I still find myself defending him on a regular basis to idiots whining about Benghazigate, IRSgate, APgate and whatever other -gate fox news has dredged up out of the muck that day.

[Dustlawyer]

9. He is OWNED by the same corporate masters as the Republicans!

You do not get to be POTUS without being obligated to the rich and corporations. Our system is set up to allow legalized bribery of our politicians. Most, not all (Bernie Sanders, Elizebeth Warren, ?) are bought off! It is how Washington works. If you do not play ball, you do not get re-elected. The system is rigged so that "We the People" pay for everything and they get whatever they want regardless of whether there is a Republican in the WH or a Democrat. It has been class warfare for a long time. We allow Defense Contractors (GE) and other huge multinationals to own and use our public airwaves so that we are continually fed propaganda. They have made the parties very polarized so that we overlook what "our" team does that is bad, or make excuses for them, while hating and attacking the other side on Gay marriage, guns, abortion... Those are all very important issues, but meanwhile back at the Bat Cave they are slipping little things in Bills here and there that give them what they want. ALEC was created so they could get the laws exactly how they want them and disseminated throughout the country quickly. They literally write the laws they want! Why do we not see and hear in depth reporting on how widespread the corruption is, because they already control the media. Why have Keith Olberman, Cenk, Bill Moyers, Phil Donohue, and Dylan Ratigan disappeared from the networks? Dylan Ratigan came out one day on his show and spoke the truth, now he is a farmer. He claimed that the Congress was bought and that Obama should come out in a speech to the American public and explain that corruption has totally engulfed our political system. He wanted Obama to push for real campaign finance reform, publically funded elections! He was gone only a couple of months later!
The people here at DU are way above the average American in that they care about the politics of our nation and try to keep themselves informed on the issues. Unfortunately, most get caught up in the propaganda and/or distracted by the endless battle of Democrats vs. Republicans. We should care what is going on and side with a political party that best represents our views, but only if we have truly representative government! Right now we have 2 sham parties pretending to be our Representatives!

[LaydeeBug]

13. I know he would and respect the need for some precautions, but it was wrong then, and it's still

wrong now.

[Lint Head]

8. There is a reason George Bush, Dick Cheney, Condi Rice and Donald Rumsfeld are not in prison.

As all truths have done throughout mankind's history they come out slowly. The current political and societal model has us all by the throat and it takes time to forcibly loosen that grip. The money and power has a hard time letting go. Obama can only do so much but I think he can do more. And he should have done more. Courage is 'facing the monster' and I don't think there is anyone in Washington willing to do so. We are not currently living in a democratic republic. We live in a fascist theocratic corporate country simply because it takes a lot of money controlled by a powerful group of people who believe in a particular political belief that always gets 'their facilitating person' in office and appointed to political positions. It does not matter which party that is.

I'm for a radical ending to anything smelling of politics and instituting something I call it realitics. Reality is, people are dying, starving and losing their homes and lives because some people have a certain political belief and don't give a good shit who dies while they proceed to institute their particular political beliefs. This is not the true vision of what America should be.

I've heard the old saw, "You have a right to your own truth but not your own facts." In fact, when you have a 'fact' it is 'true'.
Ethics is something we as atheists and people of faiths of all types can embrace. We should not rob each other, destroy each others property, degrade each other or kill each other. These things are not just things one would find in a book some omnipresent being gifted to human beings.

[indie9197]

10. Until polticians are required to take a vow

of poverty, I don't see how things will ever change. And even with that they would probably find a way to work around it. Our system is broke. Our founding fathers underestimated the forces of evil.

[LaydeeBug]

18. Maybe we could just bring back Glass Steagall and start being ETHICAL again. nt

[socialist_n_TN]

19. Leaving aside whether they ever WERE actually ethical before.....

, I don't think they want to even PRETEND anymore. Pretense was so confining!

We're not getting out of this without some drastic and concerted action.

[LaydeeBug]

20. If people only took ALL of the Amendments as seriously as they did the 2nd one.

smh. There has got to be a better balance than this.

[LaydeeBug]

14. "Obama can only do so much but I think he can do more. And he should have done more." <<--- this nt

[Sunlei]

11. what "telecommunications and Internet companies" have spied on us and need shielding from lawsuits?

[LaydeeBug]

15. Here would be a good place to start...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022963663

[Sunlei]

16. thanks for reply, I didn't mean the bush era 'anti-terror' federal/state run programs..

I meant all them like verizon,sony,telstar,bell, all those the general public uses..I don't think they should be 'shielded from lawsuits' either.

[LaydeeBug]

17. That's because they slipped it all in the Patriot Act. nt