President Obama’s first public comments on his plan to end NSA bulk surveillance couched it as a chance to “win back the trust of ordinary citizens.” It is a very telling choice of words, as the rebranding effort seems much more significant than the reality of the plan.
President Obama has made no bones about how comfortable he was with the status quo, and his promises of reform have all been half-measures and empty pledges of studies that don’t amount to any real changes.
The plan is being closely linked to a House bill by Reps. Mike Rogers (R – MI) and Dutch Ruppersberger (D – MD), who have both been extremely pro-surveillance. Their bill ends “bulk” surveillance, but replaces it with an obliteration of the standards under which individual surveillance can take place, allowing the NSA to effectively replace a single program of surveillance against all Americans with a new program of surveillance that will target virtually everyone individually on whatever flimsy pretext they choose.
The plan seems to be backed by Obama, and Rogers and Ruppersberger were both quick to embrace President Obama’s promise of reform as bolstering their bill. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D – CA), the leader of the pro-surveillance crowd in the Senate, is similarly in favor of the Obama plan, which again points to the plan being about selling some paperwork shifting to the American public as a wholesale reform.
The detail I noticed was that they get to go 'two hops' away from whomever they have permission to watch. So, first an 'informer' tells the feds that someone might be a terrorist. Then that person calls the city-wide number for Papa Johns to order a pizza. Now the feds have permission under the 'two-hops' provision to collect all the data and records for anyone in the city that calls Papa John's to order a pizza.
Unfortunately, all that matters to a lot of people is symbolism, which Obama knows very well since he’s a symbol for progressives himself, albeit an empty symbol just like this legislation. I love the bit about a new kind of court order. My guess is it will be called the rubber stamp court order.
I'm betting that the real purpose of this "change" is to insulate the CONgresscritters from closer inspection by the surveillance state. The "courts" will rubber stamp most requests – except for those targeting CONgress. You can't make those backroom illegal deals, with millions of $$$$ of personal gain on the line if the government is paying attention – and keeping copies of what is said or written.
As for "ordinary citizens"…tough scheiße…we lose, again.
Feinstein and Rogers have been supporting "reform" that expands government spying power. This bill will allow Congress to expand surveillance on the masses while exempting themselves and their cronies, most likely in a secret addendum that we won't hear about until the next Snowden appears.
This is balderdash. Nothing will change. Besides anything Rodgers or Feinstein support will be an expansion. Its too late anyhow. It needs to be ended period. What I really like is how the the chief executive feints that he can't do anything without congress when the agencies in question are under his leadership.
There is no way for USG going back retracting anything, if is NSA, CIA, mercenaries or police state. USG simply at war with the world and "democracy", whatever left of it, at home, taking back what they have created for such days will signal their loose of power.
There never was any other but far right democrats or republicans running the US government, lately however, is getting worse and is not going to stop there. The double moral and standard by USG-EU no matter who is in charge going to continue, deception by Hillary Clinton following, the most far right democrats, will follow her husband footsteps following Tony Blair and Paul Wolfowitz idea demanding for USG-EU to wage wars with whatever and whoever that Neo liberalism are "dreaming" of being the enemy of USA -EU will follow.
Obama using the very same method, the different is that he us able to manipulate everyone by using the idea that he is a socialist or a true democrats, which in reality his non of the above, nor Bill Clinton was or Hillary Clinton policies are going to be. Obama is yet another follower of the old saying " the enemy of my enemy is my friend" using nations religious or political idea to fight and kill each other, as in Syria and Ukraine while talking to Iranian government wanting to establish a economic relation, meanwhile sanctioning Russia, and while in Europe, telling the world that fascism have a social political right as every other "democrats" do, but Crimean's voting for their independent is not legal?
Obama and EU governing body policies, both at home and internationally, is nothing but manipulating the people's mind. The Neo liberals, Neo kind of thinking is to not follow the principals in democracy yet insisting that: "fascism is fascism right" to be against blacks and Jews and everything in between, while liberals, by disrespecting the principals in democracy, have something to argue about democracy, while neo liberalism giving right to every wrongful ideolog, they themselves disrespecting their own people's existence by harming them with austerities, creating police state and waging wars all over the world for such unrealistic and manipulative doctrine.
Obama-EU governing system terminology of Neo democracy is good as any other democrat or republican president whom are hired by anglo-American corporation, their job , basically, is to destroy democracy while establishing a regime which would protect USG/corporations "interests" at home and around the world, hence, that doesn't mean that they can not lie as Obama have done from day one entering the office, nor being able to wage wars using street garbage as fascism. Why they are doing it is a good question, the answer is: this kind of thinking-behavior shows their limit of intelligent, they do not pose any other brain cel to correct or think otherwise, people's well being is not their concern, nor the words "people" means anything to them but working man and women that are not paid enough to have a healthcare, people, in their eyes, are those whom pay taxes for federal government to wage wars or spend 5billion dollars on fascism in Ukraine. The sad part of it is that: as they get stronger they are posing a far more social danger to human life, as hitlerism did.
They say that all their effort is for and about democracy but they never explain what kind of democracy they are talking about, fascism, racism say that they are for democracy, is just that they don't like Jews and blacks and Russians or Chinese and etc, so as Saudi Arabian tyrants regime, they don't like Shiite Muslims and willing to kill millions of them, so goes for Israel apartheid regime which don't like Muslims or Arabs and willing to kill millions of them and etc, so they are not there for democracy nor participating in creating one such concept, in fact, Iraqi regime during Saddam, provided free education, free healthcare and enter religious marriage were a government programs, now the entire social matters are destroyed by USG and NATO-EU for Neo liberalism wanting to destroy it.
Although the word "democracy" and its concept is universal, but that doesn't mean that every garbage created at univers can become or is part of univers, here on earth and in regard to practical terms of a functioning democracy, fascism, hooligans and other form of garbage are regarded as nothing but social garbage, they have a proven record that they are garbage, cooperating with them makes you a look like one.
The very far right politicians all over the Europe are doing the same to the European people and Obama care is obama's fiasco, so as all of his misrepresentation of matters which was and is in conjunction with Neo liberalism manipulative politics distracting people's mind as if it is their idea is a "functioning democracy", if that was the case then why all that austerity, why all that NSA, why all that police state and etc. For the sake of argument lets keep NSA and say that is needed for securing the nation facing the world of terrorism whom are not created by CIA nor they are paid by Saudis, but what about austerity and police state and police brutality, what about social and economic justice and a universal healthcare, what about free education and……..