They're reading your mail. Yep.

[italiano_Pride]

This is just fuckin' nice:

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10740935/

[RoyalOrleans]

They can read whatever they want to of mine. I have nothing to hide, nor a guilty conscious.

[italiano_Pride]

Yeah, but dosen't it piss you off in even the slightest way that they're invading your privacy like that?

[eisanbt]

I find it odd that he scoulds them for making no secret of the fact that they tampered with his mail. I think it much more appropiate that the letter's reciepient know somebody else has been buggering with their mail. If they'd tried to make a secret of it that would be a tad more devious.

 

Still don't think its right, but it could be worse (As if that's a valid excuse)

[TheJenn88]

IP, why would it piss you off? At least they're not trying to hide it. You should be thankful that your country is, by all means possible, protecting your ass.

 

As for the guy in the article, he seems a tad off and a bit paranoid. "I think someone is watching me!" is the message he's sending. Well, I'll be damned. He served in the military - he knows the importance of protecting his home country.

 

And not only that, he seems more disturbed at the idea that Customs was caught, rather than being discreet.

But we didn

[builder]

While I can understand the kerfuffle about tapping phones and unwarranted snooping, I think it is mainly directed at political opponents for blackmail purposes.

 

To my knowledge, the echelon network has been up and running for decades now.

 

Get over it. If I type, b-u-s-h is a c-u-n-t, I can fully expect to be sending help messages from gitmo within the week. Will you all come visit me?

[RoyalOrleans]

Yeah, but dosen't it piss you off in even the slightest way that they're invading your privacy like that?

 

My life is an open book, IP. I grew up in rural Georgia, spent some time in the Corp, married twice, spent some time in the can, and here I am today; a half a wise-ass.

[italiano_Pride]

I find it odd that he scoulds them for making no secret of the fact that they tampered with his mail. I think it much more appropiate that the letter's reciepient know somebody else has been buggering with their mail. If they'd tried to make a secret of it that would be a tad more devious.

 

Still don't think its right, but it could be worse (As if that's a valid excuse)

 

Just the fact that he's getting into our personal lives and what we do in them. We are all entitled to a private life and this is one step closer to taking that right away from us.

[Lethalfind]

First let me say that I'm not shocked at all that they have been reading our mail, email and listening in on phone calls without proper judicial review. Am I the only one who is realistic enough to see that politicians don't give a damn about the little man and our rights??

It does piss me off because I have a right to privacy but my hands are tied. As long as people like Bush (and Nixon in his time) are left to run unchecked, the petty little liberties like our rights to privacy will be trampled. Its that simple.

The only truly funny thing is that if they are taking the time to read my correspondence they must be truly bored.

Its a slippery slope when you start spying on your own people without having to prove probably cause. Whats the next liberty of mine they will throw away like so much trash?? Maybe they will be knocking on my door demanding my completely legal hand guns be handed over to them, wait, they have already been doing that to some citizens...

[eisanbt]

I sad thing is that statistics and practice show that those who are the most self-serving and ruthless are by a great majority those who climb to the top of our systems. When somebody has power it is by greater chance they achieved such status by ill means and to abuse that power for thier own interests then it is for somebody most would consider to be a good/reasonable person to attain the same status by their own, desirable, means.

[TheJenn88]

Just the fact that he's getting into our personal lives and what we do in them. We are all entitled to a private life and this is one step closer to taking that right away from us.

 

You're entitiled to privacy so long as there's no suspicion of your "privacy" causing others harm. That's cock and bull if you think your private webcam sessions you're sending to someone in the Middle East are more important than security. Why would you be offended if you found out that you were fraternising with an enemy and they were using you in some way? Are you going to feel intruded upon? Well, suck it up princess, because there's more important things than just how private your love life, social, academic, whatever life is. Like, oh..I unno. National Security? Smarten up and stop caring about only yourself. Care about the greater good.

[Rockhard]

Remember a a conflict called wwll, seems there was little fellow with a mustache under his nose. he came up with a list of laws that are almost word for word the " patriot act" which bush wants to make permanent. If they take away your right to privacy what other freedom do they take next. bush just doesen't want people to know they are being spied on like the kgb and gestapo did. This way it would no longer be against the law to spy on the oppposite party. Remember watergate. I truly believe absolute power corrupts absolutely. let this pass and you can have the ussa very shortly. and that was not an accidental double keystroke

[Lethalfind]

You're entitiled to privacy so long as there's no suspicion of your "privacy" causing others harm. That's cock and bull if you think your private webcam sessions you're sending to someone in the Middle East are more important than security. Why would you be offended if you found out that you were fraternising with an enemy and they were using you in some way? Are you going to feel intruded upon? Well, suck it up princess, because there's more important things than just how private your love life, social, academic, whatever life is. Like, oh..I unno. National Security? Smarten up and stop caring about only yourself. Care about the greater good.

 

ANYTHING sent over the internet has no real expectation of privacy, webcam sessions, emails etc.

All I ask is that the request to spy on people be reviewed and approved by a judge like any other such request rather then our politicians making such a decision on their own. Thats not how America is supposed to be. We were supposed to be the land of liberty where people came to escape things like this.

[eisanbt]

But if that liberty is to continue then is sacrificing or atleast limiting it for the moment justified so it may be maintained for the future? Could not this be excused (for a time, not perminence) if it is found by the majority, who have the authority , to be most effective? Ours systems allow for representation upon the majority's behalf and this is the decision they came to, like it or lump it this is how our democracys work.

 

(I agree with you, just trying to cause some conflict about ends justfying then means and the best path to maintaining freedom etc..)

[hopeUslide]

If this abramoff thing is in fact something, I will concede that the NSA may be gathering info. on political opponents.

[snafu]

If you guys think this is something new your dead wrong.

The only difference is they

[ToriAllen]

I find this whole thread humorous. I didn't think there was anyone out there that did not know the government monitors us and has since the advent of the technological capability. We are monitored everyday by other agencies as well. They monitor what sites we visit online, what books we buy and checkout, what our spending habits are with our credit cards, what shows and movies we watch. It is a part of life. They are not monitoring the phone calls and letters of the average citizen. They are monitoring calls and mail from high risk countries. They do not open mail or listen to calls between you and your aunt Mae, and if they did, what a boring job that would be. Perhaps, you should be feeling sorry for them. I can not imagine what serious information you would want to keep from strangers that they may learn through listening in on your conversations. They really don

[eisanbt]

I never questioned Hitler abilities as a leader, he did his job well I just used that ever famous qoute as I feel it relates to practices of an ever corrupt government.

[scout]

I find this whole thread humorous. I didn't think there was anyone out there that did not know the government monitors us and has since the advent of the technological capability. We are monitored everyday by other agencies as well. They monitor what sites we visit online, what books we buy and checkout, what our spending habits are with our credit cards, what shows and movies we watch. It is a part of life. They are not monitoring the phone calls and letters of the average citizen. They are monitoring calls and mail from high risk countries. They do not open mail or listen to calls between you and your aunt Mae, and if they did, what a boring job that would be. Perhaps, you should be feeling sorry for them. I can not imagine what serious information you would want to keep from strangers that they may learn through listening in on your conversations. They really don

[ToriAllen]

I never questioned Hitler abilities as a leader, he did his job well I just used that ever famous qoute as I feel it relates to practices of an ever corrupt government.

It's alright, I wasn't referring to you.

[builder]

And now your gov is not trying to hide the fact.

 

2 years in jail. Hmmm, do we need to post our address and phone numbers in our profiles?

[snafu]

They also have computers that listen into calls. Then if key words are said they get more scrutinized.

[italiano_Pride]

ah, don't you just love freedom of speech?

[Lethalfind]

I find this whole thread humorous. I didn't think there was anyone out there that did not know the government monitors us and has since the advent of the technological capability. We are monitored everyday by other agencies as well. They monitor what sites we visit online, what books we buy and checkout, what our spending habits are with our credit cards, what shows and movies we watch. It is a part of life. They are not monitoring the phone calls and letters of the average citizen. They are monitoring calls and mail from high risk countries. They do not open mail or listen to calls between you and your aunt Mae, and if they did, what a boring job that would be. Perhaps, you should be feeling sorry for them. I can not imagine what serious information you would want to keep from strangers that they may learn through listening in on your conversations. They really don

[Vander]

The job every gossipy housewife dreams of...