We have known since 2006 that mass domestic surveillence was going on in America..

[NewEngland4Obama]

The republicians are trying to start another faux scandal..

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-10-nsa_x.htm

[allan01]

1. re:We have known since 2006 that mass domestic surveillence was going on in America..

thanks for posting

[limpyhobbler]

2. Why do Obama and the Republicans support mass domestic surveillance?

Obama is basically a Republican on this issue. To me it seems like most of the complaints are coming from people who are not Republicans.

[Lilyeye]

7. I have seen a lot of republicans bitching about this as though it is new.

Average Americans that is.

[limpyhobbler]

21. Seems like most of the Republicans rushed to Obama's defense because they like spying on Americans.

[Lilyeye]

32. I meant your average republicans, not politicans.

[awoke_in_2003]

29. Yeah, now they are noticing...

I have been bitching about it since the Patriot Act was passed. I did not stop bitching about it when my guy took office.

[NewEngland4Obama]

30. Maybe they know something we don't..

[limpyhobbler]

33. Maybe they are perverts who enjoy reading people's emails.

[still_one]

3. Before that. However, the argument being made was that President Obama promised he would end it,

And instead is using it himself, and thus lied.

The Presidents argument was that he is using it to protect America from legitimate threats, and is doing it under current law through the patriot act with congressional knowledge

When the patriot act was passed many progressives were outraged, the right had no problem with it. Now that it is still being utilized still outrages many progressives, but the difference this time is many on the right are joining the progressives in their outrage. The press editorials are expressing outrage now, when they did not do it for the most part under bush.

It is that difference that bothers a lot of centrist Democrats because of the unfairness. In other words the bush administration got a free pass, and the current administration is being admonished for continuing those policies.

It is unfair. Why does Obama take so much heat that Bush never had too?

From the right it is all politics, it has nothing to do withe the Constitution

For Progressives it has very little to do with politics, it is about the Constitution

However, to throw all this at the feet of Obama is unfair. Yes, he failed on his campaign promise

but that the outrage should NOT just be directed at him, it has to be directed at much of Congress, and the previous administration, and to not do so is not representative of the whole story

[Lilyeye]

8. I agree with you 100%

I notice that a lot of republicans I know are screaming bloody murder over this. Some have went as far as to say that Bush was a better President and they miss him. It seriously makes me ill over how ridiculous these people are. I have no issue with people being upset at Obama over this because he deserves to be criticized for it. However, to see so many acting though this is something new pisses me off.

[still_one]

12. That is what is so frustrating

[wandy]

11. Something to consider on issues like this.....

Legal or not, we believe this to be wrong.
Possible or not we trusted Obama to fix this problem.

We might admire the republican commitment to team and know that when dealing with them we must present a united front.
At the same time, we must maintain that united front without sinking to the republicans level. Their mindless loyalty and lazy manner of following blindly are amongst the things that disturbed us the most about them.

Great, I can state the problem. Just don't ask me if I have an answer.

[still_one]

13. I don't know either, but all parties should be held accountable and I don't think they are

[uponit7771]

18. This is false, he said he'd compromise with FISA ...that he didn't like it but a compromise was best

[still_one]

19. I don't know if that is accurate or not, regardless, the question is, is this the compromise?

[Purplehazed]

4. In 2009 PBS aired NOVA...

"The Spy Factory"
Examine the high-tech eavesdropping carried out by the National Security Agency. Aired February 03, 2009 on PBS

[LeftInTX]

17. Yep, I've seen it!

[Puzzledtraveller]

5. It's all made up, anything negative that is, all of it, all lies.

We are in serious trouble.

[DirkGently]

6. ...and yet, weirdly, it still bothers sane people. Huh.

Fail.

[woo me with science]

9. Why on EARTH do you support mass domestic surveillance?

Good god.

[Initech]

10. 2006??? We've been a surveillance state since the early 90's!!

[usGovOwesUs3Trillion]

15. And it is still a scandal, and DU is still against it, as are most americans.

FYI: There is no expiration date on this outrageous violation of the 4th amendment.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

16. That simply does not make any sense --

because the GOP were and are totally onboard with mass domestic surveillance. You saw the people who were immediately out in front and defending him and the programs -- GOPers -- frickin' GOPERS! How the hell is this supposed to be a "Democratic" and or "Obama" scandal? What is the "scandal" from the GOP point of view? Who is supposed to be outraged and why?

So far, the only people who are "outraged" and the same folks who been outraged for the past 12 fucking years about the same damn thing.

[eridani]

20. And we elected Obama to put an end to it, not to continue it n/t

[ananda]

22. Except this really is a scandal, truly horrible.

But it didn't start with Obama.

[sibelian]

23. It is not a "faux scandal"

It is a direct assault on civil liberties, of the kind that was explicitly disavowed by the administration. Attempts to draw parallels between this and the idiocy of things like Umbrellagate reveal only the flexibility of imagination necessary to perpetuate the appearance of integrity.

[JCMach1]

25. It is, however, very bad reporting on the part of the WP

We also need to remember that this type of program is nothing new... part of the creep of domestic spying that has been going-on since the Cold War.

You are right, it is an invasion of civil liberties, but we need to walk-balk the whole bundle of spyware and programs... not just this one relatively small thing that has been sensationalized by the WP.

[sibelian]

27. I agre with that. As a narrative it's actually been rather badly handled by both "sides".

I also think it's extemely unfortunate that the administration has been caught in a period of history where making this kind of narrrative blunder will cost far more than it should.

I'm a fan of Obama, but this is a mess. He needs to find a way through that simultaneously reinstates the privacy of the individual whilst retaining his image.

It might not be possible.

[JCMach1]

24. ECHELON- We have known about these things for years...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ECHELON

and yet we did nothing..., I find the latest outrage a bit comical as we have been spying on our own communications for decades...

[KharmaTrain]

26. Want To Roll Back The Abuses???

...it sure ain't gonna happen by ranting on a website...it only can happen through changing the political balance inside the beltway. History has proven that once power is granted to the executive they will use it and never relinquish it. The only way is if Congress, who gave the power, takes it back. We need a new generation of Frank Churchs and Henry Waxmans...public servants who exposed the abuses in the government and worked to reigning in those powers. We need a new generation of more liberal and progressive congresscritters who will value the 4th ammendment over the 2nd...and to push for a more progressive agenda overall. Stomping feet and calling Obama names accomplishes little...in the hardball game of American politics the only way you get a seat at the table is to barge in. It's winning elections and building up the party from the bottom up...making voices heard and the legislation will follow...

[treestar]

28. I wouldn't call it surveillance until the part where they get the warrant to listen

in with wiretaps. Just amassing the data isn't spying per se.

Everyone was fine with the idea that credit card records be mined too, for patterns of buying terrorists supposedly had.

This country is full of hypocrites - just a few years ago the public wanted this kind of thing, saying it was to protect us.

The line of hysteria that it is to spy on it is disingenuous in my book. We can say we are walking it back in the light of reason and ask Congress to repeal laws. But acting the victim of something we had nothing to do with - that's dishonest.

[MNBrewer]

31. OH, it's a real scandal.

but it's not just Obama's

[reformist2]

34. I don't care who is "starting" this scandal, this one is real.