Rep. Dennis Kucinich: Abolish The NSA And Give Snowden A Parade
from the taking-a-stand dept
There was a showing of the new documentary, Terms and Conditions May Apply late last week in Washington DC, and Rep. Dennis Kucinich stopped by and made some very pointed remarks while discussing the NSA's surveillance activities. The (well-timed) documentary, of course, looks at how companies and the government use and abuse everyone's digital data. Kucinich's remarks are well worth listening to, as he suggests that Congress should abolish the NSA, while also saying that Ed Snowden deserves a ticker-tape parade.
The key quotes come in response to the film's director, Cullen Hoback, asking what would it take for Congress to hold James Clapper accountable for lying to Congress:
Well, you know it's illegal to lie to Congress, but everyone lies to Congress. As soon as they raise their right hand, watch out! Clapper should be held responsible, but he won't be, because that's the condition we're in right now. In a just world, Snowden, we'd be having ticker tape parades for him. But that's not what's going to happen.There have been a lot of strong words about all of this coming from some members of Congress, but these may be the strongest yet.
[....] We have the CIA, the FBI, a dozen other intelligence infrastructures. Frankly -- and I'm saying this with a lifetime's experience in government here -- it's time to punch the NSA's ticket here. They've ruined the brand. They've destroyed the idea of privacy. We need some kind of symbolic and profound approach here, that says, 'look, you've violated something that's very dear to the American people -- you don't get to do that.' We talk about the death penalty for individuals, which I oppose, but I think there needs to be for government agencies that so broadly betray the public interest, there needs to be a measure of responsibility. And if they go beyond the pale, which the NSA has, they just ought to be abolished. We don't need the spying.
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Shocked...
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Are you just some completely dogmatic anarcho-capitalist??
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Re: Are you just some completely dogmatic anarcho-capitalist??
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What does the current generation want? They want a place to live, health, education, justice, basic transportation and food. They are not interested in luxury cars or lavish mansions. They are not about possessions ("to have") but rather about life experiences ("to be"). This is but a rough interpretation but I expect much from the current generation (20 to 40ish) and there has been a lot of advances despite the grim outlook.
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In all fairness, if the problems are big enough then that's exactly what you have to do. I don't think the problems are big enough in this case, though.
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Yes, IS going to be another day of all-NSA Masnicking.
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Re: Yes, IS going to be another day of all-NSA Masnicking.
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Re: Yes, IS going to be another day of all-NSA Masnicking.
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Re: Yes, IS going to be another day of all-NSA Masnicking.
Because they have a little more trouble getting out of the country than simply purchasing an airline ticket.
I think Snowden did the right thing, but I am sure it would have been a much more difficult decision if he had to stay in the country and be executed for it.
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Um...
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Yes, but it's common to still refer to former officials like that with their former title...
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I think calling him a "former-Representative" would be the way to make a nutjob appear more important and relevant.
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It does in that he has no more voice or vote than anyone on the street. He can't hold a hearing, submit a bill, vote on a measure, etc.
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The Pendulum swings
My definition of intelligence is to be able to predict the outcome of actions and situations with accuracy. I guess my definition differs from most peoples.
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Re: The Pendulum swings
The NSA does have many incredibly intelligent people. Their crypto teams are some of the best in the world, both in terms of breaking crypto systems, and in coming up with crypto systems that are very difficult to break. They probably have many very smart analysts just like Snowden, who are genuinely trying to play by the rules as best they can.
But those people are the worker bees. They take their orders and direction from the bosses.
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Re: The Pendulum swings
That's called fortune telling.
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That's totally true. They do have a branding problem now. They are going to need a new logo, mission statement, website, everything.
Obviously, they will need a new acronym. Possibly something like:
Department of
Interior
Command
For
Oversight of
Responses and
Sends
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I don't like your title though. Not Orwellian enough. I think it should be somethings like the Department of
Protecting American Civil Liberties and the Bill of Rights.
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...Hmm... Nah, doesn't work right.
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/10/31/kucinich-i-did-see-a-ufo_n_70566.html
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Perhaps there is a little something extra in the political waters...
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Yes, because the NSA and Obama administration clearly don't have a credibility deficit.
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The NSA and Obama have been digging the credibility hole so long we all ended up in China.
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Kucinich, she writes on page143-144 of the book, "had a close sighting over my home in Graham, Washington, when I lived there. Dennis found his encounter extremely moving. The smell of roses drew him out to my balcony where, when he looked up, he saw a gigantic triangular craft, silent, and observing him. It hovered, soundless, for ten minutes or so, and sped away with a speed he couldn't comprehend. He said he felt a connection in his heart and heard directions in his mind."
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No wonder he's spooked by the NSA. They're actually following him!
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Response to: Anonymous Coward on Aug 19th, 2013 @ 10:42am
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Re: Response to: Anonymous Coward on Aug 19th, 2013 @ 10:42am
".... [feel] a connection in his heart and heard directions in his mind."
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All Things Considered...
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why
No matter what Kucinich is called, he is sorely missed in the house and as a leader of truth and peace. We need more public support of the anti-nsa conversation. This is 2001 one again, "if you aren't with us, you're with the terrorists."
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He is; but the story is more compelling when Masnick misleads his readers to believe that it a sitting Congressman saying this. Not that anyone paid him much notice when he was in office.
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Dennis Kucinich
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The US used the two nuclear bombs on Japan, also Japan had already capitulated. Why? The US spend so much money to build those bombs.
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For Once...
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aye to this
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