Government Surveillance

[iAbide81]

I watched this segment with John Oliver where he interviewed Edward Snowden and while it was depressing to me how talking about the Patriot Act had to be dumbed-down, it was still an insightful discussion and one that I think is worth having.

Note: I tried to post the link to the YouTube clip but I keep getting an error message that I'm not allowed to post external links. Could be because I'm still a bit of a n00b. Just search "John Oliver Government Surveillance" and you'll find the video.

[meekon5]

You're just a few more post away from being able to post links.

don't give up yet.

And you could just post it as text.

[iAbide81]

Okay, maybe if I try typing it like this?

youtu(dot)be/XEVlyP4_11M

Just replace (dot) with an actual period, of course.

What's being examined is Section 215 of the Patriot Act and Executive Order 12333, which is a sort-of extension to the Patriot Act. These have to do with NSA surveillance, which is what Snowden exposed.

[MrEazy]

Just a bit more patience and you can post links already 

[iAbide81]

Oooh, can I now?

https://youtu.be/XEVlyP4_11M

Woo-hoo! Awww, yeah!!! 

[The Dude Shepherd]

Oooh, can I now?

https://youtu.be/XEVlyP4_11M

Woo-hoo! Awww, yeah!!! 

Now I know for sure the NSA has seen my penis... I wonder how many have looked at it

[Reverend Al]

The world truly is turning into "Idiocracy", isn't it?  I'd laugh hysterically if the U.S. Government actually named one of their surveillance ops "The Dick-Pic Program".  Here's a thought--if you don't want the U.S. Government to have photos of your genitals, don't take any photos of your genitals.  And don't go through the x-ray machines at the airports either.

Off-topic:  Back in the days before digital photography a friend worked at a local shop that developed photos.  They would regularly get film with photos of people in various states of undress, but by law weren't allowed to print photos that showed certain body parts--they would simply return the film to the customer with a note that explained why "those" photos weren't printed.  Of course, that didn't stop them from printing copies for their own amusement. 

Back to the topic, I have difficulty getting all worked up about what the U.S. Government (or any government, for that matter) is doing without our direct knowledge.  First, because I'm not in a position to do anything about it.  Second, because there's a simple six-word phrase that pretty much allows them to do whatever they want anyway:  "In the interest of national security..."  They can justify it however they want to, but utter that simple phrase and all of our individual rights go right down the toilet.

By the way, for anyone who doesn't know, "Idiocracy" is a 2006 movie starring Luke Wilson and Maya Rudolph in which their characters are transported 500 years into Earth's future to discover the majority of mankind has de-evolved into having the I.Q. of a moron.  It's not a great movie, admittedly, but it's worth seeing at least once and is becoming more and more prophetic every day.

[SagebrushSage]

Six words? Nah, you only need two words for a president to justify anything: prosecutorial discretion.