NSA and GCHQ targeted NGOs, charities, EU chief, Israeli defense minister for deep surveillance

[Permalink]

Are we still saying this is about combatting terrorism? Or can we finally give up that pretense?

7 Likes

Shut it all down.
Fuck, blow it all up.

5 Likes

EU chief, Israeli defense minister

Fine by me. Their misdeeds not withstanding, they’re still a fucking spy agency.

3 Likes

Americans seem to be waiting for someone else to swoop in and save them from themselves … like the way China saved the Tibetans from their slavery problem.

hahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

come closer, i want to tell you something about how i feel being compared to the self immolating.

Well the “without borders” part is simply terrifying. You need to keep things boxed up and controlled, keeping other things out. What were they thinking? /s

1 Like

They were spying on WHO?

7 Likes

Nobody is arguing they only spy because of terrorism, that’s a fairly ridiculous straw man.

Pretty much everyone. Not just the EC targets.

Seriously. We know for a fact that members of the EU spy on both the US and each other. We know Israel spies on the US. And we know for a fact that all sorts of countries use NGO and diplomatic staff to spy on each other.

Remember the Manning leaks? Diplomats spying on their counterparts? Remember? Are people really confused about why diplomats and NGOs might be targeted? They’re one of the easiest ways to get spies into another country. Diplomats and NGO staff get caught spying and booted from the countries they’re working in all the time.

I’m pretty sure the government’s justification for overreach by the NSA right along has been “terrorism”. Happy to consider evidence otherwise.

1 Like

Who?

Who’s on first.

2 Likes

Almost like they are the security forces for deeply entrenched political interests, rather than the bulk of the population.

I know, crazy talk.

1 Like

(nudge nudge… World Health Organization)

1 Like

The NSA existed for several decades before “The War on Terror”, and this is the sort of stuff they’ve always done. It’s clearly not terrorism related and I don’t know anyone who’s saying it is.

They’ve claimed they’re trying to prevent terrorism as a justification for the mass domestic surveillance programs. Not stuff like this.

3 Likes

Correct. This is just about predicting and therefore controlling, change.

of any sort.

These targets make sense to me now. Not that I agree with them as targets. Seems to be the ‘globalization’ (catchword for planetary domination or whatever) forces vs. the integrative “we” forces, which the U.N. in particular represents . A difference of perception, a war of perception. Those who perceive no alternative other than that of persuading or coercing others (Hobbes kind of view) vs. those that perceive a larger, more inclusive reality. Those who must achieve personal societal status at any cost versus those who are moving inward politically.

3 Likes

That’s right.

The only justification they trot out for spying is terrorism. Here, here’s a quote from Obama re: the NSA: “If we’re gonna do a good job preventing a terrorist attack in this country, a weapon of mass destruction gettin’ on the New York subway system, et cetera, we do want to keep eyes on some bad actors.”

I pulled that from this article: http://www.msnbc.com/hardball/nsa-leaks-raised-legitimate-concerns

The article is dated 12/5/13.

Also, your mom is a straw man.

4 Likes