Originally Posted By Dabob2 <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/10/09/spying.on.americans/index.html" target="_blank">http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US...dex.html</a> No one started a topic on this. Have we just gotten so used to Bush usurping our civil liberties that we don't get outraged any more? " A terrorist surveillance program instituted by the Bush administration allows the intelligence community to monitor phone calls between the United States and overseas without a court order -- as long as one party to the call is a terror suspect. Adrienne Kinne, a former U.S. Army Reserves Arab linguist, told ABC News the NSA was listening to the phone calls of U.S. military officers, journalists and aid workers overseas who were talking about "personal, private things with Americans who are not in any way, shape or form associated with anything to do with terrorism." David Murfee Faulk, a former U.S. Navy Arab linguist, said in the news report that he and his colleagues were listening to the conversations of military officers in Iraq who were talking with their spouses or girlfriends in the United States. According to Faulk, they would often share the contents of some of the more salacious calls stored on their computers, listening to what he called "phone sex" and "pillow talk." Both Kinne and Faulk worked at the NSA listening facility at Fort Gordon, Georgia. They told ABC that when linguists complained to supervisors about eavesdropping on personal conversations, they were ordered to continue transcribing the calls." Remember how Bush and pals assured us that only the bad guys would be wiretapped or eavesdropped on? Remember how the conservatives here told us the same thing - that if you weren't al Qaeda, you had no worry about these warrantless searches? And don't worry your pretty little head about the 4th amendment or anything? Still feel like your privacy is respected?
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/10/09/spying.on.americans/index.html" target="_blank">http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US...dex.html</a> No one started a topic on this. Have we just gotten so used to Bush usurping our civil liberties that we don't get outraged any more? " A terrorist surveillance program instituted by the Bush administration allows the intelligence community to monitor phone calls between the United States and overseas without a court order -- as long as one party to the call is a terror suspect. Adrienne Kinne, a former U.S. Army Reserves Arab linguist, told ABC News the NSA was listening to the phone calls of U.S. military officers, journalists and aid workers overseas who were talking about "personal, private things with Americans who are not in any way, shape or form associated with anything to do with terrorism." David Murfee Faulk, a former U.S. Navy Arab linguist, said in the news report that he and his colleagues were listening to the conversations of military officers in Iraq who were talking with their spouses or girlfriends in the United States. According to Faulk, they would often share the contents of some of the more salacious calls stored on their computers, listening to what he called "phone sex" and "pillow talk." Both Kinne and Faulk worked at the NSA listening facility at Fort Gordon, Georgia. They told ABC that when linguists complained to supervisors about eavesdropping on personal conversations, they were ordered to continue transcribing the calls." Remember how Bush and pals assured us that only the bad guys would be wiretapped or eavesdropped on? Remember how the conservatives here told us the same thing - that if you weren't al Qaeda, you had no worry about these warrantless searches? And don't worry your pretty little head about the 4th amendment or anything? Still feel like your privacy is respected?
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy I'd be outraged if there was more to this story than just eavesdropping on the military. Service members don't enjoy the same rights as regular citizens. The military is able to monitor all the correspondence of military members to ensure that military plans aren't being communicated intentionally or unintentionally.
Originally Posted By ChurroMonster I'm wondering how this will effect gay service men and women who are living under the "Don't ask Don't tell" policy. I can see people being outed as a result of the sharing of their private phone conversations and then being discriminated against.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <I'd be outraged if there was more to this story than just eavesdropping on the military.> It also mentions journalists and aid workers. And that's just what we know about so far. They don't give up those rights. Outraged yet?
Originally Posted By mawnck >>Have we just gotten so used to Bush usurping our civil liberties that we don't get outraged any more?<< Exactly. I'm all outraged out. About all I can do about it is vote for a guy who will appoint Supreme Court Justices who don't go for this sort of thing.
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy << It also mentions journalists and aid workers. And that's just what we know about so far. They don't give up those rights. >> Oh, there's plenty of outrage here over the eavesdropping in general. This article just doesn't get into areas that are really all that nefarious, and the NSA linguists interviewed are not leadership positions. I'm more outraged by the fact that there are a lot of government bureaucratic leaders and military leaders that have not resigned, spoken out, or otherwise rocked the boat about all of the ridiculous things this administration has done to undermine the Constitution. We have a lot of smart people in our government -- they know exactly what's going on here, but are too attached to a comfortable paycheck and benefits package to speak out and confront issues that impact our way of life as Americans.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 No doubt. I hope some specifics about the journalists (and other americans) gets out, like the military stuff has. People need to see exactly what's happening.
Originally Posted By WorldDisney Yeah, I saw a report of ABC's Good Morning America talking about this a week ago, it was pretty shocking. Just one of those things that I think people who oversees stuff like this just let it get out of hand. And knowing its journalist, the people who let us know about this stuff, was being targetted IS A little surprising they havent done more stories on it over their own personal outrage. If Jack Caffety from CNN finds out people was listening to his conversations though, there WILL be hell to pay lol.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip It gets increasingly harder to be outraged about this stuff. In the Internet age there is no privacy anyway. What difference does it make?
Originally Posted By ecdc The difference is huge. If someone posts pictures or personal information online, or sends pictures to someone they shouldn't trust, that's foolish on their part. But if a third-party involves themselves then it is an invasion of privacy. If you had an intimate conversation with your wife are you really saying there's no difference if someone listens in? Then is it ok for the government to videotape you too?
Originally Posted By Mr X I understand the apathy that RoadTrip feels. It definitely seems as though freedom and privacy are a thing of the past. I dont WANT my conversations tapped, but I also dont feel like I would have any say in the matter if someone in power actually cared to listen. Sometimes I think about the whole security issue, to the point where I feel as though the only way to really protect yourself these days is to get off the grid entirely. Which is something not many of us are willing or able to do (computers aside, there is just no way to avoid leaving a money trail if someone really wants to check up on you).
Originally Posted By dshyates "What difference does it make?" What difference does the U. S. Constitution make? None if we allow it.
