Bernie Sanders On NSA Leak Revelations: We're Heading For An 'Orwellian Future'

[marmar]

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I.-Vt.) shared some impassioned criticism of NSA surveillance on MSNBC's "All In With Chris Hayes" Monday night.

Sanders criticized the "Orwellian" future he sees looming for the United States if it continues to record its citizens' activities in the name of national security.

The Vermont Senator argued that focusing too much on NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden -- how he leaked the information and how he'll be dealt with by the US government -- is a distraction from the more fundamental questions raised by his disclosures about the NSA. "The question is what freedom and liberty mean in the United States of America? What does our constitution mean? What kind of country do we want to be?" Sanders said.

"Kids will grow up knowing that every damn thing that they do is going to be recorded somewhere in a file, and I think that will have a very Orwellian and inhibiting impact on our lives," he argued. ..................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/11/bernie-sanders-orwellian-future_n_3419173.html?ncid=txtlnkushpmg00000037

[In_The_Wind]

1. Are we really surprised ?

[Puzzledtraveller]

2. Thank goodness

A voice of reason.

[eShirl]

3. Only if global warming, killer asteroids or mega volcanoes don't mass-extinct us all first.

Place your bets, folks.

[G_j]

4. he is right about the focus on Snowden

it really doesn't matter if he mowed his lawn or smiled at his neighbor's dog.

[democrank]

5. Bernie Sanders....

One of the very, very few principled politicians left. A true man of the people.

[Autumn]

6. Bernie Sanders.

Recommended

[BenzoDia]

7. Didn't this guy vote for The Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists?

[MannyGoldstein]

12. He did not vote for the AUMF

Or did you mean a different bill?

[BenzoDia]

14. The Afghanistan one, not Iraq?

[MannyGoldstein]

15. Afghanistan, yes.

You're right.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

21. I think, at the end of the day, his vote in favor of the 9/18/2011 AUMF enhances his credibility

It shows that he is not a dove in the face of flagrant attack on the US but at the same time speaking out on this says the government has gone too far. It shows an absence of extremism and the presence of maturity.

[JimboBillyBubbaBob]

25. Well Said.....

Well said, indeed!

[Egalitarian Thug]

8. K&R The only consistently reliable voice of the people.

[MannyGoldstein]

11. Hey! What about *my* senior senator?

Elizabeth Warren: "I’m very troubled... We need to have a public debate about this."

Not as long of a tenure, but lots of firepower.

[Egalitarian Thug]

13. Maybe. She certainly shows promise, but it is that tenure thing. Same with Grayson,

love his fire and his attitude but time will tell.

[kenny blankenship]

37. Watch Merkley

[Egalitarian Thug]

40. I have and am. I lived in Portland when he and Novick were battling for the nomination, and

inevitably the office. Merkley is a good politician and panders to what he believes is leftishness, sort of. He's not bad, but I wouldn't count on him for anything more than what he thinks is enough people to get him elected, wants to hear.

He's no Bernie Sanders. By that I mean someone that has a well defined and firmly held set of principles that he will fight for, win or lose. He will do whatever, say whatever he thinks will get him what he needs at the moment.

He'll be a reliable vote as long as he believes that the 'not republican' brand remains popular, but he's no leader.

[xchrom]

9. Du rec. Nt

[Pharaoh]

10. We are already there........

[JayhawkSD]

16. Given that 56% of the population...

...approves of the surveiellance state in the name of keeping us safe from the threat of 0.001% of us being killed in an event that has a 0.01% chance of happening in any given year, I'd say we are not looking at an Orwellian future, we are living in an Orwellian present.

We are giving up our liberty in the name of "national security," when this nation faces nothing which has even a miniscule possibility of threatening our ability to survive as a nation. We use "national security" when we mean "the safety of individuals," and a rather small number of individuals at that; practically speaking, "me."

Meanwhile, we ignore entirely that which poses very real threat to our ongoing national vaibility, with even lip service on global climate change diminishing and action still entirely lacking. While willing to give up our liberties to remain safe from an imagined threat, we are unwilling to give up our creature comforts to obtain safety from a very real and much larger threat.

[snappyturtle]

22. +1

The ridiculous part is the idea of being secure from terrorists. Terrorism is so fluid with no delineated battleline that it is bogus to me and only an excuse to collect individual info to keep us compliant.

You're so right about the real threats facing us.

[snagglepuss]

28. Hear. Hear.

[tex-wyo-dem]

32. Bravo! Excellent points!

Stunning that we will throw $trillions at "national security" and defense for largely imagined threats that, as you point out, have basically no probability of affecting you or me. Yet problems such as climate change, which will eventually threaten (or have already affected) everyone on this planet, are barely discussed.

There is a common thread to what is going on...that thread is the power elite and their ability to keep the status quo of generating obscene wealth. Always follow the money and you will find your answer.

[ReRe]

17. The future?

... I think today. New cover stories coming out about Snowden by the private corporate contractor that employed him.

[Fuddnik]

18. Remember back in grade school, when teachers used the "This all goes on your permanent record"threat

Guess they weren't lying.

[nashville_brook]

19. kr

[davidn3600]

20. Orwell also said such a state has an ongoing perpetual war

War on Terror fits it perfectly.

[awoke_in_2003]

33. We have been at war...

for the last 40 years. Some of them may have been small fights, but we have always had one going on somewhere.

[broadcaster75201]

24. "Heading my ass. We're there. n/t

nt

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

26. Quick! Someone check to see if Bernie has a girlfriend in Hawaii or doesn't trim his nose hair!

[marmar]

27. LOL

[magellan]

38. *snort*

[L0oniX]

29. Oh but we are so much more enlightened now. Why lower ourselves to Franklin's way of thinking?

Fools exist in every age ...but so does wisdom and that wisdom along with history can be used to safeguard us against repeated mistakes and failure. Only a fool would discard that wisdom ...and only fools would give up rights for security. We are seeing those fools here on DU and in the slight majority of US people. It's a national shame.

[Locrian]

30. 1984 - it's a cookbook!

[DLevine]

31. Absolutely agree. Orwellian indeed. nt

[hunter]

34. More like Brazil...

... a mad deadly circus, not a crushing omnipotent "1984" security state.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088846

Don't get caught in the wheels.

[BlueCheese]

35. How sad that the most principled supporter of Democratic ideals isn't even a Democrat.

Maybe that's partly why he's so effective. As an independent, he doesn't have to get caught up in the partisan food fight that demands you support your party above all.

[Octafish]

36. While Totalitarian Repression Will be Bad for 99-Percent of We the People...

...Secret Government does represent unprecedented opportunity for the 1-Percent and the wolfpack of satanic Plutocrats who own them.

[woo me with science]

39. Huge K&R