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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: koan who wrote (247369)	3/13/2014 5:37:19 PM
From: RetiredNow	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541934

I focus on both. I agree with a lot of your post, btw. But what has me more worried than anything else is our Liberty is being assaulted in a pervasive and sustained way. The security apparatus is resembling an out of control behemoth that has turned against the American people. It has become something akin to the Stasi in Nazi Germany. Even Merkel expressed those thoughts. You know this is a problem if the Germans are warning us about it. They should know. When Bush Jr was in power, my top priority was getting him out of power with my vote, because he was terrible on the environment and renewable energy, as well as at our foreign policy, even as he was enabling massive new spending on the military industrial complex. So I voted for Kerry and then Obama, believing they would solve these issues. Then with Obama, I started and continue to worry very much about our economy, because I believe his policies are ruinous for the middle class, although excellent for the top 1%, who have already benefitted tremendously from his and the Fed's policies. Then the biggest concern of all hit me: the fact that Obama, on his watch, allowed the Patriot Act and FISA laws to be passed, codifying the Bush abuses. In addition, he has presided over many other Constitutional abuses. So here's how my thinking has shifted over time: * from war, the MIC, and energy * to the economy * to our basic Constitutionally guaranteed Freedoms As you can see, the problems have become increasingly more personal and urgent. Hell, even Zuckerberg is mad as hell. American Citizens aren't going to sit down for these abuses of our Freedom, even if it is Obama who's doing it. Eventually, many Dems will turn against him as well. ------------------ Mark Zuckerberg calls Obama to complain about NSA money.cnn.com By Jose Pagliery @Jose_Pagliery March 13, 2014: 3:53 PM ET Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg called President Obama to tell him the latest NSA disclosures are frustrating. NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday said he called President Obama to express frustration about the government's spying and hacking programs."When our engineers work tirelessly to improve security, we imagine we're protecting you against criminals, not our own government," Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post Thursday afternoon. His concerns are based on the latest reports from investigative reporters at The Intercept, which reveal that the National Security Agency has weaponized the Internet, making it possible to inject bad software into innocent peoples' computers en masse. The report is based on documents provided by ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden. Zuckerberg took to Facebook ( FB, Fortune 500) to decry the tactic, saying it runs counter to the company's attempts to protect its users. He noted that Facebook encrypts users' communications, uses secure software and encourages people to use safer sign-in procedures. "The U.S. government should be the champion for the Internet, not a threat," Zuckerberg wrote. "They need to be much more transparent about what they're doing, or otherwise people will believe the worst. Zuckerberg said he called President Obama to express his frustration. But he said he's not holding out hope for a quick change. "Unfortunately, it seems like it will take a very long time for true full reform," he concluded. The Obama administration did not immediately return calls for comment.