America slipping further and further into a police state

[kochman]

http://rt.com/usa/news/surveillance-spying-e-mail-citizens-178/

'Everyone in US under virtual surveillance' - NSA whistleblower
The FBI records the emails of nearly all US citizens, including members of congress, according to NSA whistleblower William Binney. In an interview with RT, he warned that the government can use this information against anyone.
I don’t think they are filtering it. They are just storing it. I think it’s just a matter of selecting when they want it. So, if they want to target you, they would take your attributes, go into that database and pull out all your data.

RT: You blew the whistle on the agency when George W. Bush was the president. With President Obama in office, in your opinion, has anything changed at the agency, in the surveillance program? In what direction is this administration moving?
WB: The change is it’s getting worse. They are doing more. He is supporting the building of the Bluffdale facility, which is over two billion dollars they are spending on storage room for data. That means that they are collecting a lot more now and need more storage for it. That facility by my calculations that I submitted to the court for the Electronic Frontiers Foundation against NSA would hold on the order of 5 zettabytes of data. Just that current storage capacity is being advertised on the web that you can buy. And that’s not talking about what they have in the near future.

I mean, it's all in the guise of our security of course... seems legit to most, apparently.

 

[Crezth]

Hey. You.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Ooooh Police State. That is such a scary term! Don't slip into that America.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

All hail the glorious Obama!

Ooooh Police State. That is such a scary word! Don't slip into that America.

Too late. The goons have already been dispatched to get you.

Run while you still can!

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Too late. The goons have already been dispatched to get you.

Run while you still can!

"Have you seen this man?"

"May have beard or wear pink glasses"

 

[hobbsyoyo]

How did you edit those glasses onto your avie pic anyway? It looks very professional.

 

[Formaldehyde]

I guess it is fortunate that the US didn't elect two even more authoritarian presidents the last two elections.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

How did you edit those glasses onto your avie pic anyway? It looks very professional.

To be honest I nicked the picture. Ran into it some way or another.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Ah, I see Ziggy. What a great find!

 

[kochman]

Zigismund... perhaps since you're not in America, you haven't seen the slip... or you don't care.

However, our basic rights have been getting trampled on.
The NDAA effectively took away the 6th Amendment - when it authorized the indefinite detention of citizens without trial.

Spoiler :

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

This action shows the 4th Amendment is abandoned - search & seizure

Spoiler :

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Of course, the Patriot Act is a part of this being "ok"... it's only against the bad guys after all. Bad guys like... General Petreaus.

The stop & frisk going on in certain cities... also violates the 4th Amendment.

I don't personally find this to be a laughing matter... I rather enjoy freedom and privacy, regardless of who is president. Some people don't seem to mind as long as their party, republican or democrat, is the one doing it. Then they rationalize it away and say it's for our safety, etc.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

I can't wait till the feds come to take all of Kochman's guns and arrest him for thought crimes.
The moment is nearly at hand!

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Zigismund... perhaps since you're not in America, you haven't seen the slip... or you don't care.

I have seen the copious use of hyperbole slipping further into the absurd, if that's the slip you're talking about?

I don't personally find this to be a laughing matter... I rather enjoy freedom and privacy, regardless of who is president. Some people don't seem to mind as long as their party, republican or democrat, is the one doing it. Then they rationalize it away and say it's for our safety, etc.

You made it a laughing matter by using that loaded term into your thread title. It signifies this thread is not to have some sort of meaningful discussion, but the use of "Police State" makes the thread a parody of the possible serious point you're trying to make.

If you would have started: this is the measure and I think it's not a good one. I'd take that seriously. This however, I cannot.

And you cannot accuse me it's "my party" doing it. My party is a party I'm not very proud of at the moment, and at the same time I am. But that's because of compromises they needed to make, had to make, but I am not very happy with some of them.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

You're party isn't even an American one, thus is irrelevant to any discussion of our 'police state', right?

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

That's right

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Well it's still your party that is ruining our freedoms. Duh

 

[Synobun]

This is news? I thought we already knew this.

 

[kochman]

I have seen the copious use of hyperbole slipping further into the absurd, if that's the slip you're talking about?

You made it a laughing matter by using that loaded term into your thread title. It signifies this thread is not to have some sort of meaningful discussion, but the use of "Police State" makes the thread a parody of the possible serious point you're trying to make.

If you would have started: this is the measure and I think it's not a good one. I'd take that seriously. This however, I cannot.

And you cannot accuse me it's "my party" doing it. My party is a party I'm not very proud of at the moment, and at the same time I am. But that's because of compromises they needed to make, had to make, but I am not very happy with some of them.

First, it's both parties... that's one point I was trying to make clear.

As our rights get stripped, we are slipping toward a police state. Ideas that this country was founded on, freedom and justice, are being ignored, because of "terrorism". Our media conditions people to accept it by putting cop/military show and show on air, and while people bicker over laws that are already set in stone the powers that be slip one thing after another by.

I am really curious why you are so against what I am saying here that you consider it hyperbole?
Why are these changes ok, in your opinion?
And why is the manner in which they are occuring ok, in your opinion?

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

I am really curious why you are so against what I am saying here that you consider it hyperbole?

I specifically told you.

Police State and the state of America are so immensely far apart that saying "slipping into Police State" is a joke.

Why are these changes ok, in your opinion?

Oh, I see. I see indeed.

I said these changes are ok did I?

And why is the manner in which they are occuring ok, in your opinion?

Quite, quite, I also said the manner in which they are occuring are ok.

I said that.

Very well.

 

[kochman]

I specifically told you.

Police State and the state of America are so immensely far apart that saying "slipping into Police State" is a joke.
Oh, I see. I see indeed.

I said these changes are ok did I?
Quite, quite, I also said the manner in which they are occuring are ok.

I said that.

Very well.

Well, Ziggy... you go from free to not free... on a continuum. Is this not slipping toward the not free side?
You obviously agree these are bad things, and how it is taking place is not cool either...

Since 9/11 this area has been changing at a rapid rate in this country. It's disturbing to me...

 

[NedimNapoleon]

Nothing new, stealing mail has always been preformed.