omnibus PRISM/NSA/free Edward Snowden/encryption tutorial thread

wikileaks revealed that hillary clinton had approved spying on u.n. leaders so it's not exactly surprising

good post, and not just for the david simon stuff

https://blog.pinboard.in/2013/06/persuading_david_simon/

i've gotta admit i'm dyyyin to know what else is in that docu archive

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/17/turkey-russia-g20-spying-gchq

it's hard to know if they're actually mad or just drumming up nationalist rah rah mad

or they feel compelled to do something so that they don't seem like weak pushovers

Turkey probably legit angry. Would be surprised if Russia didn't know about it months ago but you have to keep up appearances.

two terrible countries to piss off if you plan to do something about syria

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2013/06/is-james-risen-real-journalist-or.html

NY Times reporter James Risen versus the inside the beltway folks on NBC's Meet the Press

Bob Medici Schiffer yesterday devoted a segment to showing how Snowden is NOT Rosa Parks and MLK Jr.

Schieffer was an asshole even before he lost his marbles, lotta that around CBS News the last 30 years or so.

any yall following this live q&a w/dude btw

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/17/edward-snowden-nsa-files-whistleblower

xpost

is he even considered a real journalist?

he co-wrote a good early Reagan bio depicting how the man was out to lunch. Reagan too.

One of his frequent guests:

http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120109224754/muppet/images/4/4a/Bob_SchiefferAndKermit.jpg

Lots out there on the internet re his friendships with Cheney and with W Bush:

http://mediabloodhound.typepad.com/weblog/2008/05/story-of-the-da.html

During the ’90s, Schieffer also struck up a friendship with George W. Bush when his brother Tom—now the U.S. ambassador to Australia—became partners with the future president in the Texas Rangers. Bob and W. went to ball games together, played golf, attended spring training. “He’s a great guy—that doesn’t mean I agree with him,” says Schieffer, adding that the situation became “a little awkward” when Bush ran for the White House but that he’s never gotten favorable treatment.

What's worse, Bush not only rewarded Bob's brother Tom with the ambassadorship to Australia from 2001-2005, but later made him US ambassador to Japan,

do you even report, bro

dave weigel of slate thinks snowden is a 'useful idiot' for red china:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2013/06/17/snowden_veers_into_useful_idiocy.html

man can someone retire that fucking phrase already

yeah, fuck this 'useful idiot' idiom. if you think he's a traitor, don't dance around it.

https://medium.com/state-of-play/bb27db32ae38

Two weeks ago, when the Guardian first leaked a Verizon court order to hand over its call metadata, a national debate began about privacy and security. Since then those leaks have continued, and they still drive the conversation. But much of that initial reporting turned out to be wrong — so much, in fact, that I’m starting to wonder if it’s approaching journalistic malfeasance.

so this turned out not to be true?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57589495-38/nsa-spying-flap-extends-to-contents-of-u.s-phone-calls/

They told Nadler he heard it wrong.

good post, and not just for the david simon stuff

https://blog.pinboard.in/2013/06/persuading_david_simon/

― caek, Monday, June 17, 2013 7:54 AM (Yesterday)

^^ booming post

Can we retire the use of "traitor," too? I mean, are we at war with China? Pretty sure we're not.

i think you mean "red china"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGv2wqJJmbc

you don't have to be at war w/ a country for someone to commit treason on their behalf

i don't think it's a particularly broad reading to say that snowden violated the espionage act

P. sure there's a constitutional and legal definition of "treason" to which "violating the espionage act" doesn't even come close.

For everyone's edification though just in case.

Also: John Marshall and treason.

If only Charlie Rose had done research and then asked Obama good follow-up questions.

Charlie Rose is basically Bob Schieffer, right?

Here is a Wikipedia list of all persons (all four of them!) convicted of spying on the US for China. None were charged with or convicted of treason.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Americans_convicted_of_spying_for_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China

Treason is, like, an actual *thing*, not a word to be thrown about lightly. We haven't convicted anyone of treason in the US for more than half a century. We didn't even charge the Rosenbergs or Alger Hiss with treason, let alone convict them.

well it's easier to convict people for other things so they don't get charged w/ treason in the first place

treason isn't an actual 'thing' anymore than manslaughter is

It has a degree of specificity regarding what your actions are intended to accomplish that "espionage" does not.

actually, treason is both a law and a common term

anyone is within their right to judge an act as treasonous even if it isn't strictly legally so by united states standards

So is "rape" but I advise against its usage in casual conversation. xp

that's a good example. plenty of rapists are not convicted as such by the united states legal system.

and I advise you telling someone they weren't raped if the dude wasn't charged legally xp

against

u guys think there'll be Snowden Halloween costumes?

Was Jonathan Pollard a traitor?

I'm going as his gf xp

yes, duh xp

xxp I also advise against describing people convicted of or charged with sex offenses that don't rise to the level of rape as "rapists." If a dude whips his dick out on the subway and waves it at you, he may be guilty of sexual battery or another charge, but he's not a rapist.

xp he was? So Israel is an enemy of ours now, is it?