Former CIA and NSA employee source of intelligence leaks

[Valmy]

God bless the ACLU

You are a complicated guy Sheilbh

[Valmy]

Intelligence Chief James Clapper is now under fire for possible untruthful answers to Congress. This goes on and on, untruths, half lies, the "I know nothing", "we only just learned about it". It's nuts, and this is our government.

First great post KRonn.  Second that Clapper thing was almost comical, he was lying to questions posed by members of the Intelligence Committee who already knew the correct answers.  That is pretty ballsy.

[KRonn]

Who's to say that this info won't be done the same sometime? Get the phone number of a political opponent, credit cards, web info and see where he/she has gone, and turn something up to give to opposition groups to use as coercion. Same as the IRS did.

I must have missed this part of the IRS story, could you elaborate?

That's part of the allegations that I've heard discussed in the news on the IRS scandal. I wasn't saying that it's been alleged that the NSA data was used like this but wary if it could happen.

[KRonn]

Intelligence Chief James Clapper is now under fire for possible untruthful answers to Congress. This goes on and on, untruths, half lies, the "I know nothing", "we only just learned about it". It's nuts, and this is our government.

First great post KRonn.  Second that Clapper thing was almost comical, he was lying to questions posed by members of the Intelligence Committee who already knew the correct answers.  That is pretty ballsy.

He should have just pulled an "I know nothing!" like so many others did. I'm sure he tried to phrase and parse his words so he, or his supporters, can claim he meant something else. This is part of the problem with all this stuff going on, all this obfuscating.

[Berkut]

The guy in charge of intelligence, obfuscating and evading questions in a public forum? Say it isn't to!

[Valmy]

The guy in charge of intelligence, obfuscating and evading questions in a public forum? Say it isn't to!

Eh read about it and see what you think.  The problem is he lied to Congress which is, you know, illegal.  Evading questions is not, but answering 'No' when the answer is 'yes' is not evading.

[Sheilbh]

The guy in charge of intelligence, obfuscating and evading questions in a public forum? Say it isn't to!

Yep. It's his job to be economical with the truth, especially in a public forum.

Today there seems to be a lot more doubt about this story as presented and Snowden. It looks like the Guardian may have fucked up a good story with bad reporting, which given Glenn Greenwald's record of overstating his case, noone could've predicted. We'll see.

[Valmy]

Yep. It's his job to be economical with the truth, especially in a public forum.

I have to say that is a pretty bonechilling interpretation of being 'economical with the truth'.  If his job is to lie then why was he to testify in front of Congress anyway?  The Congress was intentionally trying to get him to commit a crime?  The whole thing is a charade designed to intentionally mislead the voting public?  What a bizarro world.

Today there seems to be a lot more doubt about this story as presented and Snowden. It looks like the Guardian may have fucked up a good story with bad reporting, which given Glenn Greenwald's record of overstating his case, noone could've predicted. We'll see.

Yes we will.

[Sheilbh]

I have to say that is a pretty bonechilling interpretation of being 'economical with the truth'.  If his job is to lie then why was he to testify in front of Congress anyway?  The Congress was intentionally trying to get him to commit a crime?  What a bizarro world.

I have no idea. I don't really think intelligence chiefs should be giving much public testimony or statements anyway. In private with legislators who have clearance is the way it should generally work.

[Iormlund]

Intelligence Chief James Clapper is now under fire for possible untruthful answers to Congress. This goes on and on, untruths, half lies, the "I know nothing", "we only just learned about it". It's nuts, and this is our government.

First great post KRonn.  Second that Clapper thing was almost comical, he was lying to questions posed by members of the Intelligence Committee who already knew the correct answers.  That is pretty ballsy.

He should have just pulled an "I know nothing!" like so many others did. I'm sure he tried to phrase and parse his words so he, or his supporters, can claim he meant something else. This is part of the problem with all this stuff going on, all this obfuscating.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwiUVUJmGjs

His very first answer is a lie. And it goes from there.

[Ed Anger]

Peter King: jail the journalists.

[Sheilbh]

America's worst Congressman

[Sheilbh]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwiUVUJmGjs

His very first answer is a lie. And it goes from there.

Everything he says seems right. As I say, maybe economical with the truth, but he's not lying.

[The Minsky Moment]

A serious problem with people's ability to sign away their privacy rights is that it is almost there is now an electronic fingerprint to almost everything someone does. My cell phone tracks where I am, who I call, and my internet search history. My ATM card and credit cards track my purchase histories. Add in amazon, facebook, twitter, bill pay services, my banking history, ebay, investment companies, etc. and it won't take much to figure out what I am doing almost every day of my life.

All of which - BTW - can be accessed by parties to an ordinary civil case via subpoena if relevant to some legal dispute.
Which means that to argue that government should keep its hands off is to say that a law enforcement agency investigating criminal activity cannot get access to the same kind of information as a storefront contigency lawyer bringing a civil claim.
And yes I know the Euros will object their legal systems are more restrictive on civil discovery.  This is a US point.

[crazy canuck]

His very first answer is a lie. And it goes from there.