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Former Top NSA Lawyer Blames Civil Libertarians For 9/11

19 points by jdp23 13y ago

iterationx 13y ago
Let us build a police state and we promise not to bomb you again. I've heard that before.
MWil 13y ago
I read his original post on Volokh Conspiracy last night before going bed and just the act alone of reading it raised my blood pressure substantially and I had to shut down the computer. This guy is at the retirement age (not an judgment, just observation) and thinks anyone who values their privacy is a luddite when it's very clear to me that my luddite friends have no substantial stance in this battle on account of not having their private information from all the technologies they use and enjoy hoovered up. He wrote an entire book called Skating on Stilts about it and I recommend reading it if only to better understand why this guy is not someone the public should be listening to (although he clearly has Congress' ear).
schrodingersCat 13y ago
There is certainly a lot of FUD floating around. This seems to be a tactic to switch the topic off the conversation of PRISM and warrant-less data collection in general. Seriously, read the PsyOps handbook (https://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fm3-05-30.pdf https://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fm3-05-30.pdf). They are now using these same tactics to essentially go to war against the people who want to stop them (i.e. the civil libertarians). Think that would be illegal? Nope, the law stopping it was repealed: http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/07/12/us_backs_off_propaganda_ban_spreads_government_made_news_to_americans http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/07/12/us_backs_.... The spring 2013 issue of 2600 had a great article on extra-judicial actions that state actors take against dissidents (US and other regimes). I highly recommend reading it.
PavlovsCat 13y ago
I don't know what caused 9/11, but I know what'll cause the next one: that the first one didn't get investigated, well, not seriously anyway. The way it's now, 9/11 is more an implanted trigger than an argument.
- iterationx 13y ago
  I couldn't help myself... I'm sorry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcz4_JL5b7c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcz4_JL5b7c
  - PavlovsCat 13y ago
    Wow. This is like a much more sinister version of that "awesome, incredible" Apple keynote.
- lurkinggrue 13y ago
  "Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bin_Ladin_Determined_To_Strike_in_US http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bin_Ladin_Determined_To_Strike_... Yeah, Civil Liberties were totally the problem here.

19 points by jdp23 13y ago

Let us build a police state and we promise not to bomb you again. I've heard that before.

MWil 13y ago

I read his original post on Volokh Conspiracy last night before going bed and just the act alone of reading it raised my blood pressure substantially and I had to shut down the computer. This guy is at the retirement age (not an judgment, just observation) and thinks anyone who values their privacy is a luddite when it's very clear to me that my luddite friends have no substantial stance in this battle on account of not having their private information from all the technologies they use and enjoy hoovered up. He wrote an entire book called Skating on Stilts about it and I recommend reading it if only to better understand why this guy is not someone the public should be listening to (although he clearly has Congress' ear).

schrodingersCat 13y ago

There is certainly a lot of FUD floating around. This seems to be a tactic to switch the topic off the conversation of PRISM and warrant-less data collection in general. Seriously, read the PsyOps handbook (https://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fm3-05-30.pdf https://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fm3-05-30.pdf). They are now using these same tactics to essentially go to war against the people who want to stop them (i.e. the civil libertarians). Think that would be illegal? Nope, the law stopping it was repealed: http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/07/12/us_backs_off_propaganda_ban_spreads_government_made_news_to_americans http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/07/12/us_backs_.... The spring 2013 issue of 2600 had a great article on extra-judicial actions that state actors take against dissidents (US and other regimes). I highly recommend reading it.

PavlovsCat 13y ago

I don't know what caused 9/11, but I know what'll cause the next one: that the first one didn't get investigated, well, not seriously anyway. The way it's now, 9/11 is more an implanted trigger than an argument.

iterationx 13y ago
I couldn't help myself... I'm sorry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcz4_JL5b7c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcz4_JL5b7c
- PavlovsCat 13y ago
  Wow. This is like a much more sinister version of that "awesome, incredible" Apple keynote.
lurkinggrue 13y ago
"Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bin_Ladin_Determined_To_Strike_in_US http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bin_Ladin_Determined_To_Strike_... Yeah, Civil Liberties were totally the problem here.