If Snowden is lying and making up crap then why is the NSA on the defense?

[Logical]

If this guy is totally a scam artist, why the huge reaction from the administration?

[ProSense]

1. He's likely not

"If Snowden is lying and making up crap then why is the NSA on the defense? If this guy is totally a scam artist, why the huge reaction from the administration?"

...just a "scam artist," but also one who is now up shit creek.

He leaked classified information, a crime, about a legal program.

Being anti-government makes people stupid.

[sabrina 1]

8. And what is your opinion based on? Are you familiar with who he worked for?

Put it this way, I don't really care what he released, what I have learned because of this story is far more concerning than any leaks, and frankly considering who he worked for, NOTHING would surprise me.

HE is not the story now. The story is the vast, for-profit 'Security Business' whose main goals are profits, billions in profits. Private Contractors, populated by Republicans loyal to Bush and his policies, already controversial for their actions, with a revolving door into our Government then back again to their 'businesses'.

I am way more concerned about our rights being in the hands of private, for-profit security Corps who have former CEOs in our government, whose main goals are certainly not our Constitutional rights already proven in other revelations.

Maybe we all need to start working to protect this country from the corruption and profiteering that is at the heart of all the 'fear' propaganda, which now that I understand more about how it has been working, confirms my suspicions that this is all about money, big money.

Thanks to Ron Wyden for his efforts to inform us, I knew he was very concerned but his hands were tied in terms of what he could say.

We need to begin the demands to release people like Wyden, from any restrictions on his ability to inform us of what has caused him so much concern. It's interesting that his words mirror the words of this leaker. 'If the American people knew what they were doing'.

Please keep worrying about a guy who whose role in this is negligible compared to the roles of those who for some insane reason have been entrusted with guarding our rights.

[ProSense]

10. Actually,

"Please keep worrying about a guy who whose role in this is negligible compared to the roles of those who for some insane reason have been entrusted with guarding our rights. "

...I was responding to the OP, which in case you didn't notice, is about that "guy."

I've made other points about the issue if you're interested.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022977943

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2984758

[randome]

2. You always call out someone for leaking classified info.

What I find most amusing is this: Greenwald (and plenty of DUers) saying the Obama Administration has prosecuted more leakers in practically all of History.

Guess what? The Bush Administration prosecuted leakers, too. In fact, ALL Administrations have prosecuted leakers. If Obama is prosecuting more of them, then clearly there are MORE LEAKERS!

When someone goes public with national security documents, you don't simply say, "There, there, it's okay." These people have jobs to do and they are not doing them.

Obama set up a very robust Whistle-blower system so there would be fewer leaks but that doesn't seem to be working out very well.

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[font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font]
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[Atman]

3. Because he's not making up EVERYTHING...

...but he's making up enough bullshit to cause trouble.

My view of this is quite different; if the NSA's surveillance program is so vast, so omniscient, so all-encompassing, why didn't they know about the Boston Bombings or any of the other "incidences" BEFORE they happened? The way you hear the hysterical crowd tell it, they've monitored everything we've done, and even know the ppm of stink particles in our farts. Yet somehow, they didn't catch the Boston bombers, or any number of other incidents. Hmmm...sounds like a failed program. Maybe that's why they're upset. When you fail and no one knows about it, have you really failed? But now we know. And now it's time to stop the program.

Or do what Bush did years ago...TELL US he stopped the program, but kept doing it anyway. Remember?

[bowens43]

4. we know absolutely that a sweeping violation of the constitution has occurred and continues to occur

we have this info from various sources in including members of the senate. The true believers will accept or create any dumb-ass conspiracy theory before admitting that Obama doesn't give a shit about freedom or the constitution.

we have been screwed by parties. On the important issues there are very few difference between the parties.

[Atman]

9. Why are you here?

Still not sure how this is a "sweeping violation of the Constitution." It was, sadly, a legal program which we as citizens allowed to happen by not holding our elected officials accountable. And, quite frankly, it is not a violation of 4A. There was no "search" nor "seizure" without legally allowed warrants. No one was listening in on your phone lines.

Years ago, the SCOTUS ruled that if you threw stuff in your trash, there was no longer an assumed privacy. People could search your trash. Old phone bills are usually thrown in the trash, and it is known that the phone companies tossed them after 90 days (thus the NSA's desire to archive them before they were discarded, in case they were needed as evidence in nationally security violations; cases which rarely would take place within three months).

While I'm sure many will want to label me one of the "apologists," that is not the case at all. But I am a realist. Being in my fifth decade, I've ALWAYS known that someone was listening in on my phone calls. I've never liked it. But it's always been accepted reality. Now, the young people who post naked pictures of themselves doing bong hits in their dorm rooms are OUTRAGED! OUTRAGED, I tell you, that they have no privacy.

I'm must trying to keep it in perspective. We need to stop electing self-serving idiots to make our laws. And we need to start enforcing our Constitution when they refuse to do so.

[Puzzledtraveller]

5. Well, he's not perfect so how can he possibly be intelligent

and have got a good tech job, apparently he may be socially akward too and is having problems managing his finances so there's no way he can be worth anyones trust right?

[Logical]

7. Good point!

[Recursion]

6. Let me show you why

The red words at the top left of the PowerPoint slide he released:

Top Secret, Sensitive Information, Originator Controlled, No Foreign Dissemination

One of the NSA's primary jobs is to make sure that those red caveats are enforced