General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Dear Pres. Obama: Dissent isn’t Possible in a Surveillance State (By Juan Cole) [View all]JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)of anyone you meet with.
If they wanted to trace my contacts with other members of my Democratic Club they could easily see that I call so-and-so about the time and place our Club is meeting. Then I contact the people I am picking up to take to the meeting.
They probably won't arrest me for participating in the Democratic Club, at least not now. But who knows what the future will bring. Ted Cruz in the White House? Might he round me up for being a Unitarian? What else?
Best not collect the phone and other communications data in the first place. What do they want that huge, comprehensive mass of data for if not to control people, to know where they are, who their friends and family are and be prepared to round up folks, just in case?
I have not thought of a rational answer to that question other than someone somewhere has in the back of their mind the desire to control those with whom that someone disagrees. There is not that much terrorism in the US. There aren't that many terrorists. I know a lot of crazy people. The number of people who contemplate violence based on their politics is pretty small. And generally they are easy to identify without comprehensive collection of phone pen register data.
The system the NSA has devised does not make sense. It is irrational unless it is intended for suppression and oppression. Not now. But just in case. Not now. But when the dominoes are in place. I lived in Europe and spoke to too many people running from Communist oppression as well as people who lived through the NAZI era to not understand where the NSA spying is headed. I've seen this before.