The adjective “do-nothing” tends to get attached to Congress as a matter of course, but weeks after the initial revelation of the NSA’s PRISM surveillance scheme, that’s exactly what Americans have gotten out of Congress, nothing.
There’ve been proposals from both sides of the aisle, but they’ve been met by disinterest and even open scorn by most of the Senate leadership, with Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D – IL) saying the bills would be “ill-fated.”
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D – NV)’s former spokesman Jim Manley insisted that Congress would uphold the massive surveillance powers as a matter of course, saying that there were “real threats from individuals” and the NSA would fight them.
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D – VT) seems to be the top Senate leader willing to propose any changes, and as Judiciary Committee chairman he can probably at least get his proposal a vote. On the other hand, Leahy’s bill has the fewest teeth, and would forestall most debate on the matter until Summer of 2015.
NASA is like FBI when J Edgar Hoover was the boss.., they were gathering information about anyone, from Kennedy to senators and etc. if senate and the senators want yo change anything they better find out first what NSA knows about them.., before they can make a move.
“real threats from individuals”
Isn't this what is fundamentally happening? No matter the technical details, we have the act of one individual who opposes that security state (as philosophy and reality on a global scale) from the inside out. And to all believers in the Systems of National Security, this presents itself as a "real threat" or least as an enigma, as an untouchable.
The only way for a totalitarian system to persist in existing is to create omni-science, to create perfect protection. The only real fear of any larger animal is the smallest threats so it needs microscopic management and alertness and all its energy will go into this granular from of control.
It all will exhaust and extinct the 'mammoth' but the question today would be: "how soon?".
We need to overthrow this corrupt government. If the American people are unwilling to do that, then the abuse and economic suffering will continue to worsen. That is probably what it is going to take. The pain of going along will have to overcome the apathy and fear of rebelling.
When that happens, the revolution that takes place is very violent. The powerful always turn to violence to maintain their position, but the subjugated will turn violent out of anger and resentment. That's why the success of such difficult revolutions is often followed by a period of settling scores with show trials (to publicly humiliate) and executions.
The American people are manipulated suckers that are letting this get out of hand. We will soon be past the point where a relatively peaceful revolution (remember, the powerful will still be the first to resort to some level of violence) will be impossible, if we have not already past it.
How did Eastern Europe wage a relatively peaceful revolution? They had LABOR UNIONS to organize their power and make their demands. Labor unions in this country screwed themselves in the 1960's when some of them (especially in the northeast) were infiltrated and taken over by the Mafia (because the Mafia was protected by closeted homosexual J. Edgar Hoover whom they could blackmail) and by making unreasonable demands that led to the wage-price inflation spiral of the 1970's and early 1980's. That allowed corporate interests to push through right-to-work laws in conservative states that greatly weakened labor unions. That meant that once worker productivity began making big gains starting the 1980's, organized labor was too weakened to take advantage and all the gains went to the people at the top.
The biggest losers have been workers in the middle class. Labor unions are the only lobbyists for their interests, but not even the Democrats do more than give them lip service these days. Real wages have gone down over the last 35 years for those in the middle because of these right-to-work laws. Even traditionally non-union occupations are affected because the unions set wage standards in the labor market place. It is all about having LEVERAGE. So, all of you that are anti-union because workers making demands offends your authoritarian leanings had better rethink your positions. The middle class is disappearing and the lower class is growing. The economy is less robust than it should be because too much wealth has been redirected into a small number of hands. Curse the unions and screw yourselves.
Americans are allowing the cancer that is eating away their nation to proliferate. The end result of that is entirely predictable.
Surgery is required and the instruments required are the hanging rope and the guillotine!
Hasten before the point of no return is reached.