I know enough about how the internet works and how computers work to know that this sort of system has very limited capabilities. I'm sure you know that as well, don't buy the hype, you?re smarter than that.
I'll give you that. It is possible that this particular system may be limited but the NSA has many other similar systems that does pretty much the same thing, and each is more powerful than the last. We know next to nothing about them, so lets not rule out what we may think is impossible. You and I don't know exactly what they are capable of doing, which is part of the problem. Don't rule it out. Ignorance is a powerful weapon, your smarter than that.
The laws protecting these programs read more like a Nazi Third Reich party speach than a law that came from the land of the free and the home of the brave. That should be of some concern to Americans.
Everyone that isn't an American citizen, and isn't in America, has no rights for protection from the US. Or is there something in our constitution that says we must behave according to the documents of another country? As far as I can tell, only if the senate agrees to some sort of treaty that says as much.
Ok let me explain what happens when Americans are caught spying on Canadians just for example. First I would walk into my local MPs office with a letter of complaint and hand it to his secretary. Within a few weeks it would end up at Queen's Park in Toronto in the legislature where the MP would cry foul about Canadians being spied uppon for no apperant reason by our so called "best friends to the South". The RCMP would lauch a hallow investigation along with CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) which would really do nothing since they are both in bed with the US inteligence angencies and are likely a part of the spying to start with.
At some point the MP or a higher up official would speak with the US Ambassador to get answers, whom would, like a good puppet that he/she is, gives a political "I duno anything" statement. At some point an investigation is launched and everything is tabulated, in which case the RCMP and CSIS is forced to co-operate and reveal why they were helping to spy on a Canadian and if they had a lawful right to do so. They would pull out their ace, Bill C-36, which allows them to do pretty much whatever the heck they want and claim they were just acting on good inteligence at the time. They would get off the hook and no one would get anything more than a wooden statement from the CIA/NSA and more than likely no appology even if the spying was not warranted. In which case I would have the option to drag them into court based on violation of the Canadian Bill of Rights by the RCMP, CSIS and it would also name any US agency or person whom may be responsible because it violates Part I subsection 1. a) and Part II subsection 5. 1.
It wouldn't be so much of a court battle to get money from them for defamation (good luck getting a job after this mess), but rather a court battle to clear my name and defeat the laws which allows agencies like the RCMP and CSIS to be party to the trashing of basic civil liberties in this country.
If it was in front of a jury I guarantee you that I would win and I would get the law repealed by the jury since they have that power with "jury nulification". Good luck trying to pass that law a second time, there would be so much political preasure on anyone who would attempt it that it would mean political suicide.
Just as well.
As for just spying in itself, the CIA and NSA can spy all they want on Canadians technically and technically the RCMP and CSIS is supposed to protect Canadians against this with their counter-intelligence branch since its part of their charter. They simple don't do it very often.
it's cool, I know your upset about the arrogance that I?m coming at this with.. I?m not for American over-supremacy in the world.. But you have to realize that the world is a jungle, and might does make right.. At lest in the eyes of the history books.
Which idiot was teaching you history or rather which idiot wrote that book? I known a few in my own school but I think this tops even them. Might makes right is a statement that comes from totalitarian governments such as the Nazi party or a dictator, not from a democratical system. You are right that statements are judged through the eyes of history books, but history books are supposed to be objective or they aren't history books anymore but rather propaganda. My gosh what do they teach you people in American schools? Apperantly not world history.
Now I don't want to be rude.. But if you actually read the constitution you'll see:
1.) That "separation of church and state" doesn't exist.
2.) The "right to privacy" is completely imaginary.
3.) The right of a non mailitia citizen to own a gun is no ware is to be found.
4.) The maximum number of justices on the USSC isn?t limited.
1. Where does it says that God or the Church is a part of the State. Oh it doesn't.
2. That's your oppinion not fact. Fact is the 4th Amendment gives you a right to privacy, its not imagined.
3. The meaning will be forever debated by lawmakers. However your right a non militia citizen has no right to bear arms. Too bad a US citizen constitutes as being part of the militia since it was not clarified as to whom can and cannot be a part of it that is a citizen.
4. And your point is?
It's through the elastic clause that the SC has been able to invent new amendments to the constitution. I highly doubt that US intelligence agencies give much credence to them, less PR problems. Just so long as the dog-and-pony show goes on in public, and the NSA can get what it needs to done in private, everyone is happy and the imbalance of powers is ignored.
Your right. Which is scary because the US shouldn't be acting like the that which it tries to so valiantly fight around the world. Whom are anti Democratic nations. The US is becoming one in your own words.
sure man, anonymous tip which leads to an 'investigation' ... insert fake evidence for the warrant ... you caught yourself a slime ball.
What leads to an investigation? Courts. Which is your due process. Which is ok. The problem is when the courts have no say what so ever about whom they investigate, collect information on and then detain without any rights and hold them in secrecy for as long as they wish.
Patriot act is just letting the SC know that it needs to back off its imaginary amendment of 'right to privacy'...
Oddly, of all of the amendments added to the constitution by the SC, the right to privacy seems to be the only one that America would actually pass.
SC doesn't have squat to do with allowing the 4th Amendment. It was ratified by Congress and the states therein in the late 1700s. Reread my above little quote. It comes right from here:
http://www.house.gov/Constitution/Amend.html
Also the USA Patriot Act is so broad in its wording that it not only tells SC to back off but it outright wipes them off the face of the legal system alltogeather, in fact it wipes out the legal system alltogeather since you virtually have no more rights with the USA Patriot Act. USA Patriot Act II, coming soon, will make sure anything left of your rights is also gone.
This isn't Democracy, this law was passed without anyone even reading it and there wasn't one second of debate on it. The same is true in Canada with Bill C-36, no debate, it passed without a word giving sweeping police state powers to agencies.
I'm not being dramatic. Its simple fact. The only ones whom have or had the same power over its citizens are/were dictators, Communist Russia, and Nazi Germany.
Agencies that held this power in their palms were the East German STASI and other similar Soviet Bloc inteligence agencies, Soviet KGB, and the Nazi Gestapo to name the most well known.
Now you can add the whole alphabet soup of spookdom of the US, UK, Canada, and Australia whom passed similar laws, to the list including the CIA, DIA, NSA, RCMP, CSIS, MI5, MI6, ASIS and the alphabet soup goes on and would cover the next several pages with acronyms.
ps:
good choice on the sound system for your future rig Aelius, enjoyable going back and forth with ya
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Hey thanks. I do my research. Kind of obvious huh? =p
P.S. I do enjoy a smart spirited debate.
Edit: just fixing spelling here and there
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