On the other hand: The looney right are now blaming Obama for Flight 370.
http://www.examiner.com/article/erik-rush-obama-murdered-everyone-on-lost-malaysia-airlines-plane
I’d like to be the first to say I don’t give a fuck about that plane anyway. I mean, I’m sad for the family members’ loss, etc. - but, the non-stop coverage of this missing plane is a distraction. If the news media was covering TPP properly along with investigating how mass spying is enabling corporatists, etc. then I’d feel differently about the plane coverage, but they aren’t.
No surprises from Obama there. The NSA revelations stopped having a chance to move people to action a long time ago. Time is on the side of the spies. The way those have clever adversarial journalists have been releasing information has made things worse, and this is the proof of it; another one.
Cryptome has a nice little tidbit about the release of the information actually. At the current rate of release, it’s going to take Omydiar’s employees between 30 and 970 years to reveal all that the Snowden documents contain.
Of course, that’s not even the plan (those docs contain information that’s too important for us plebs to ever learn about), but it’s still a pretty long time to wait for most of the details pertaining to the illegal mass-spying we’re all subject to be made available. By then, the stories will be relegated to sunday issues I’m afraid.
Is there just no pleasing you, Doctorow? I think opponents of the surveillance state should see this as a victory, because not only does it keep the bulk data with the telecom companies where it already exists and limit the time that it will be available, but also this is being interpreted as a tacit acknowledgement from the administration that the telephone metadata program has never been useful.
Doctorow may be a tiny bit pleased, but he can never admit so, or indicate that The Powers that Be can possibly do good concerning spookstuff.
Because if he does, see, he’ll have his Techno-Libertarian-Club membership revoked, and be stripped of his rank and title as Duke of Digit Rapture.
In all seriousness, I wouldn’t expect anything less than cynical rejection. We define ourselves, in large part, by our enemies. When your enemies happen to be in the White House, and their actions on something has previously lead you to declare a fatwa and repudiation of all previous support, you don’t change your viewpoint easily. Would it kill him to say “it’s a small step, but in the right direction, now let’s go pressure Congress for more”? No. Do I expect Cory to do this?
No.
Would it kill him to say “it’s a small step, but in the right direction, now let’s go pressure Congress for more”?
@kyle_c :
Is there just no pleasing you, Doctorow?
I don’t think he needs to sugarcoat it. There’s mountains of sugar slathered over facts in corporate news and elsewhere, we don’t need it here at boing boing as well just so Obama can get a pat on the back for being a half-assed liar.
The way those have clever adversarial journalists have been releasing information has made things worse
For the NSA.
But, I’ll agree that some of the journalists could certainly do a better job. For example, the Washington Post could stop acting less like a government lapdog and tell us which nation(s) they are talking about.
I don’t think there’s any reasonable, rational response OTHER than cynical rejection.
Nothing about this domestic spying has been necessary, honest or legal. Secret courts, warrantless wiretaps, security letters - and that could just be the tip of the iceberg. All because of TEH TERRORISTZ.
And when the cover gets blown on the whole thing, the president just sets up a worthless committee, ignores their findings and slaps a bandaid on the whole despicable, fetid mess. Thank God for the “Techno-Libertarian-Club”. They’re the only ones not groveling at the foot of their party leaders when they get caught shitting all over our civil rights.
Translation: Since this domestic spying is illegal, we have decided to do it less than we have in the past.
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