Daniel Ellsberg on PRISM: We're "a Turnkey Away from Tyranny"

[bananas]

Source: East Bay Express

Daniel Ellsberg and a panel of legal and political experts warned an overflowing crowd at St. John's Church in Berkeley on Tuesday night that American civil liberties are in jeopardy.

The consensus of the (well-timed) panel — which, in addition to Ellsberg, included legal activist Nadia Kayyali, journalist Norman Solomon, and Icelandic Parliament member Birgitta Jónsdóttir— was that the government's recent collection of American citizens' phone records is unconstitutional. And we should all be concerned.

Ellsberg, who rose to fame in 1971 when he turned over the infamous Pentagon Papers to The New York Times, pulled no punches. He said that Edward Snowden's recent leak — which revealed that the National Security Agency has been collecting Americans' data for years — is the most important in United States history, and that the government's sweeping access to our metadata leaves us “a turnkey away from tyranny.”

“It could become a police state almost overnight,” he said, to nods of agreement among the crowd and fellow panelists. “Our constitutional protections have been waved away by our public figures.”

<snip>

Read more: http://www.eastbayexpress.com/SevenDays/archives/2013/06/13/daniel-ellsberg-on-prism-were-a-turnkey-away-from-tyranny

[KoKo]

1. We Are..but, it's the Older DU'ers (who remember WWII and Beyond..and some

of the Young who had good History Teachers who are left to try to clean it up.

It's not Enough.

So, I agree with him. A "TurnKey Away.'

K&R!

[JDPriestly]

12. Yes. We actually read and studied and had to write papers on

the Constitution in the high school I attended. And it was not a really good school. It was a backward southern school.

But we had excellent government classes. We even learned how to read the stock quotes in the newspaper.

Today, some kids barely learn the difference between the Senate and the House. Read the Constitution? Hardly.

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. "could become a police state"????????

"Could"...?????
We've been approaching it at warp speed.

[newfie11]

7. Damn right. nt

[Fuddnik]

3. I think we're closer than he thinks.

But, he's in a much better position to know, so I'll defer.

[Civilization2]

4. Yes and the amazing thing is how many seem OK with it?

Why are so many people defending this private-contractor corporate/military that is taking over democracy world wide? This seems rather odd to me,. I would like to see more outrage at the rise of fascism,. less ho-hum please.

Democracy died of apathy is guess.

[Occulus]

10. See my post #6

They are the ones to watch.

[WeekendWarrior]

5. Yeah, he pretty much said the same thing back in 1971

And I believed him then.

[Occulus]

6. Funny thing here.

Those here on DU who are so against what Manning did deny that his act and Ellsberg's are remotely similar, when Ellsberg himself compares Manning to himself, and calls Manning's actions heroic.

These are the very selfsame DUers who are insisting the NSA spying that's been revealed to have taken place is nothing special to worry about.

Pay attention to their names. You'll find a direct, one-to-one correlation between the groups.

They do not belong on DU. Period.

[newfie11]

8. +1 million. nt

[MisterP]

9. they're not "Koolaid drinkers," they're more like Jones's henchmen

[NoodleyAppendage]

11. Yep. I've always had my suspicions of "thought" motivators around here.

It has surprised me as of late the level of so-called liberals around here who show such intolerance for CORE civil liberties. I've always been suspicious of shills.

[Occulus]

14. You can thank the jury system.

Putting it in place was a giant mistake. The immediate result has been to fully compromise DU.

Just as many feared when it was announced. The more trolls you have on DU, the more get on juries, and the more actual liberals get banned, making the ratio of actual liberals and progressives more out of balance, making it easier for trolls to stay, which makes it more likely they'll be on juries, which makes it more likely that actual liberals and progressives will get their posts hidden or themselves banned.... rinse and repeat.

The jury system has created a self-sustaining negative feedback loop. This will, in the end, get DU closed.

[totodeinhere]

16. But the admins at DU such as Skinner have the right to

overrule jury decisions and only they not the juries institute bans. But perhaps the system does need to be tweaked.

[stupidicus]

17. I think there's a great deal of truth to that

while I haven't been here all that long, that has appeared to be the dynamics of it all.

[backscatter712]

19. Absolute truth. The jury system creates false civility.

Progressives and generally honest people are forced to be deferential, thanks to the "bounds of civility", while griefers game the system, repeatedly harass, bait, make repeated challenges, but demand we be nice to them, and jam the alert button when they get called out on their bullshit.

It's a form of bullying, made possible by the jury system.

[JDPriestly]

13. Agreed. They are not liberal. They are not Democrats.

And they have never read the Constitution. They don't know what the Bill of Rights is about.

[geek tragedy]

23. "they do not belong on DU. Period."

You should write in ATA and ask Skinner to rename this place the "Bradley Manning Fan Club" and ask him to ban anyone who doesn't think Manning is a hero.

[ReRe]

15. Ellsberg's zingers are great this week...

K&R

... first it was "Stasi States of America," a day or so ago, and now his "we're a turnkey away from tyranny." Maybe's there more... I just started noticing it. There's another one in there somewhere. Something maybe like "beware of waving politicians," as they are waving away our constitutional protections. Great article...thanks bananas!

[demosincebirth]

20. the sky is falling!!

[felix_numinous]

21. It's invisible to those who are comfortable

with the status quo. Thousands in the booming industries of security, law enforcement, intelligence, and incarceration are numerous and among us. They are good people but since they work or are affiliated with these industries, they will defend them because all they see is their friends and family. They are the ones that think the constitution and civil rights are just a quaint idea of the past...thought I'd never live to see it, especially here on DU.

The parameters of 'acceptable behavior' are getting narrower and more conformist. The tyranny being referred to in this OP can only be seen when you have stumbled across the line, or if you decide not to discredit everyone who has--and start listening to them.

[geckosfeet]

22. Why do they refer to this as recent? This started years ago under buSh and the cheNey.

was that the government's recent collection of American citizens' phone records is unconstitutional. And we should all be concerned.

[I love weed]

24. What breaks my heart is that we were warned by a great man who knew the truth. :(

I don't think we can recover from this. They'll never give up their power.

[indepat]

25. Waving away our constitutional protections would not seem

fulfillment of the public figures' oaths of office to preserve and protect the Constitution of the United States. How do public figures resolve this seeming dichotomy in their oaths of office and the actions they take? It's almost as if the founders' only concern had been to keep the citizenry safe from terra, for everything else would take care of itself if they did so.