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How to Decode the True Meaning of What NSA Officials Say
A lexicon for understanding the words U.S. intelligence officials use to mislead the public.
By Jameel Jaffer and Brett Max Kaufman
Posted Wednesday, July 31, 2013, at 5:29 PM
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testifies before the House Select Intelligence Committee in Washington, D.C., on April 11, 2013. Photo by Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
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Surveillance. Every time we pick up the phone, the NSA makes a note of whom we spoke to, when we spoke to him, and for how longand its been doing this for seven years. After the call-tracking program was exposed, few people thought twice about attaching the label surveillance to it. Government officials, though, have rejected the term, pointing out that this particular program doesnt involve the NSA actually listening to phone callsjust keeping track of them. Their crabbed definition of surveillance allows them to claim that the NSA isnt engaged in surveillance even when it quite plainly is.
Collect. If an intelligence official says that the NSA isnt collecting a certain kind of information, what has he actually said? Not very much, it turns out. One of the NSAs foundational documents states that collection occurs not when the government acquires information but when the government selects or tasks that information for subsequent processing. Thus it becomes possible for the government to acquire great reams of information while denying that it is collecting anything at all.
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Relevant. The NSAs call-tracking program is ostensibly based on the Patriot Acts Section 215, a provision that allows the government to compel businesses to disclose records that are relevant to authorized foreign intelligence investigations. The theory, it seems, is that everybodys phone records are relevant today because anybodys phone records might become relevant in the future. This stretches the concept of relevance far beyond the breaking point. Even the legislator who wrote Section 215 has rejected the governments theory. If relevance is given such a broad compass, what room is left for irrelevance?
Targeted. The call-tracking program is only one of the NSAs surveillance efforts. Another is whats been branded PRISM, a program that involves the acquisition of the contents of phone calls, emails, and other electronic communications. Americans need not worry about the program, the government says, because the NSAs surveillance activities are targeted not at Americans but at foreigners outside the United States. No one should be reassured by this. The governments foreign targets arent necessarily criminals or terroriststhey may be journalists, lawyers, academics, or human rights advocates. And even if one is indifferent to the NSAs invasion of foreigners privacy, the surveillance of those foreigners involves the acquisition of Americans communications with those foreigners. The spying may be targeted at foreigners, but it vacuums up thousands of Americans phone calls and emails.
Inadvertent.
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http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2013/07/nsa_lexicon_how_james_clapper_and_other_u_s_officials_mislead_the_american.html
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)that the movement to end the abuses revealed by Snowden are 'unstoppable'. When they return from their break, there will be a bi-partisan bill brought to the floor to begin to reign in these abuses.
The vote that failed by a very narrow margin, where many Dems went against the Party Leadership, was described as 'just the beginning' by members of Congress on both sides of the aisle.
As Ellsberg stated about Snowden 'he is the man we have been waiting for, for 40 year.
Thank YOU to all the Whistle Blowers who have risked everything over the past decade, and especially to Bradley Manning, for doing the job our Representatives were afraid to do, until you all led the way.
For the first time since Bush stole the WH I feel genuine hope that finally, Bush's anti-Constitutional policies can no longer be protected.
Catherina
(35,568 posts)And the politicians on both sides of the aisle who stuck their neck out aren't going to back down. Nor are the journalists, activists and outraged citizens who were spied on.
On Friday, intelligence officials acknowledged in a letter that there have been some "a number of compliance problems" with the NSA's collection of phone records, but no findings of any intentional or bad-faith violations, ones Clapper said generally involved human error or highly sophisticated technology issues related to NSAs compliance with particular aspects of the Courts orders.
Wyden told CNN today that the violations that the intelligence community, General Clapper specifically referred to, were violations of court orders, Jake, violations of court orders with respect to the bulk collection of the phone records.
http://thelead.blogs.cnn.com/2013/07/31/sen-wyden-nsa-has-actively-misled-congress/
zeemike
(18,998 posts)But not so good that I forget my pessimism compleatly...for I know if they can redefine the meaning of words, just as the OP said, that they can re define any law passed by congress and still do what they want...
My greatest hope is that I will have to apologize for my pessimistic view of things and beg forgiveness for doubting your optimistic outlook at all.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)there is behind the scenes that can get to Congress as they did when Congress voted down the Wall St. bailout, and it was forced back for another vote. That was after, we now know from members of Congress, they were threatened by Paulson with dire consequences if they did not vote the 'right way', and I remember when it happened after we thought the people had won, the feeling of despair people felt.
What is different this time is that Members of Congress have said that there was 'tremendous pressure' applied to force them to vote 'no' on the NSA vote but in spite of that, many of them resisted the pressure and in a rare show of strength, many Dems voted against the leadership.
And now they have stated, members of both parties, that something has to be done as things have gone way out of control.
I am aware that they could use some of that 'data' to 'persuade' members to vote the 'right way' again. And I know they have so much to lose they will not be wasting time, they will be pressuring Congress from now until the vote.
But, there does seem to be a difference in the comments from members of Congress, more confidence, maybe because this time it isn't just Democrats, they have major support from some high-ranking Republicans. Remember when Ashcroft surprised everyone that one time and actually tried to do the right thing? Maybe because he was so ill and thought he might not survive, whatever it was, he acted out of character and in a weak state to get help to protect him from Cheney who was coming to his hospital bed to get him to sign off on breaking the law.
I feel like some Republicans have, miraculously, reached such a moment themselves.
I hope I'm right, we'll see, and if i am, you don't need to apologize, just help me celebrate if it happens.
zeemike
(18,998 posts)muriel_volestrangler
(101,154 posts)Freedom. Slavery.
Ignorance. Strength.
spin
(17,493 posts)Catherina
(35,568 posts)BlueCheese
(2,522 posts)... in her Post op-ed.
Catherina
(35,568 posts)I wonder how much time she has left. There are too many other good people to replace her.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)I don't know how they sleep at night.