The "real" reason for alleged NSA excesses?

[stupidicus]

I've long thought as many others no doubt have, that big brother is less worried about threats from without as those from within.

After all, what foreign threat threatens the corporate grip on power in this country, and all that entails? Since 9/11, OBL has won if the goal was to witness that pain and worse with some of the self-inflicted variety to follow. Sadly that's happened, and we all know who has suffered the most and worst of it, and it ain't the 1%.

If you assume that big brother is mostly a righty given the way our gov has married the corporate/monied interests, then it's pretty clear he has problems within his own family on the domestic front. The reason why they so vociferously killed the 2009 DHS report on the growing rightwing extremist threat in this country was no doubt due to the guilt by association thingy, and it also no doubt had a role in their recent outrage over the IRS thing. Maintaining victim status while being the victimizers is critical to the success of any "Big Lie" effort. That is after all, what underlies the great "war on terror" we're embroiled in that this NSA stuff is alleged solely attached to/directed at. The fear that rightwingnuttery itself (in its current form here in this country anyway) might become suspect as a governing ideology should more McVeighs arise, is likely a rational one, so I can understand why they'd wanna ride herd on their own.

And then of course is the threat of we good guys to consider.

But why have Western security agencies developed such an unprecedented capacity to spy on their own domestic populations? Since the 2008 economic crash, security agencies have increasingly spied on political activists, especially environmental groups, on behalf of corporate interests. This activity is linked to the last decade of US defence planning, which has been increasingly concerned by the risk of civil unrest at home triggered by catastrophic events linked to climate change, energy shocks or economic crisis – or all three.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/06/14/nsa-prism-pentagon-bracing-for-anti-government-activism-over-climate-change-disasters/

Methinks they've long recognized and rightly feared this looming perfect storm, and that inevitably it will be non-ideological climate change and dedicated self-interest it will foster in the individual that give the storm its fury and strength. After all, to mitigate the human toll and suffering here and abroad AGW will bring is likely gonna require "socialistic" solutions their ideology will never entertain or offer -- not without a big fight anyway. That's why I've long seen the neverending and increasing wealth inequality and increasing radicalization, apathy, ect of the rightwing in this country as analogous to the building of the arks in the movie 2012. They want their horde of wealth to be maximized before circumstances and happenstances start wittling away at it, so that they are still on the top of the wealth mountain when the waters recede.

While they've always played the survival of the fittest/laws of the jungle game, never before have they faced the existential threat to their power they are in this country. Hell, I'd guess that looming brown demographic tsunami alone (who as we all know, is comprised soley of lazy and freeloading socialists) would be sufficient cause for their fears. They should just make their job of spying on them easier, and give them all Obamaphones like so many trojan horses.

[Eddie Haskell]

1. Snowden says he joined the service in 2003

The Army says 2004. Suppose Snowden is right and spent that year in special training with the CIA. I think Snowden still works for the CIA and went to the NSA for cover. Snowden says he could listen to anyone's conversations, including the Presidents. Maybe that assertion was a veiled threat. Maybe they already had listened. Obama has been under intense pressure to change his Syrian policy. Perhaps there are those within the CIA that wanted to insure Obama makes the right decision.

[stupidicus]

3. I wonder

there could be some merit to that http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7408 http://mondoweiss.net/2013/06/reneged-progressive-promises.html

"Only the shadow knows" as they say. All I can say for sure is, this is one of many reasons why we need to get money out of our politics in this country, because that's who/what they are all working for. The power is no longer in the hands of "we, the people". http://www.truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/item/18006-widening-economic-inequality-in-united-states-is-a-deliberate-result-of-government-policy-new-study-finds

[Vinnie From Indy]

2. It is folly to think that the 1%'ers have not for decades

had the best minds for hire focused on long term future threats to their wealth. These people are playing the long game which is invisible to 99.9% of the population here and abroad. It does seem as though the pace of laying the foundations for their protection and survival has picked up as the effects of global climate change intensify. We wonder why we are digging holes for them and they are wondering when we will wake up to the fact that the holes we are digging are our graves.

[stupidicus]

4. excellent

closing statement.

I think they fear we are waking up to it, and that all this NSA stuff is more about identifying and dealing with domestic threats to their hold on power than the threat posed by the muslim bogeyman.