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John Napier Tye tried to change these policies and practices before resigning from the State Department earlier this year. His story is spine-chilling for anyo

John Napier Tye tried to change these policies and practices before resigning from the State Department earlier this year. His story is spine-chilling for anyone who cares about these issues and is well worth reading in full, e.g.: "Before I left the State Department, I filed a complaint with the department’s inspector general, arguing that the current system of collection and storage of communications by U.S. persons under Executive Order 12333 violates the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures. I have also brought my complaint to the House and Senate intelligence committees and to the inspector general of the NSA." http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/meet-executive-order-12333-the-reagan-rule-that-lets-the-nsa-spy-on-americans/2014/07/18/93d2ac22-0b93-11e4-b8e5-d0de80767fc2_story.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/meet-executive-order-...

higherpurpose 12y ago
Yet the administration keeps saying with a straight face that all of the mass surveillance they are doing is "perfectly legal", all while trying to hide it even happens, or trying to dismiss cases against them in Courts through bogus ways.
- DanielBMarkham 12y ago
  It's almost like "we'll just keep repeating this over and over again until you news guys leave us alone. After all, this is old news, right?" Dangerous stuff.
- justcommenting 12y ago
  The opening paragraphs of the above-linked piece make this shockingly clear: "The speech was about the impact that the disclosure of National Security Agency surveillance practices would have on U.S. Internet freedom policies. The draft stated that “if U.S. citizens disagree with congressional and executive branch determinations about the proper scope of signals intelligence activities, they have the opportunity to change the policy through our democratic process.” But the White House counsel’s office told me that no, that wasn’t true. I was instructed to amend the line, making a general reference to “our laws and policies,” rather than our intelligence practices. I did." Especially for a public servant working on internet freedom issues, I can't imagine how Tye must have felt. Tye's story really made one of Snowden's initial remarks concrete to me: "..but if you realize that that's the world that you helped create....you realize that you might be willing to accept any risk, and it doesn't matter what the outcome is, so long as the public gets to make their own decisions.." I hope that the courage of John Napier Tye will inspire others.
  - higherthanlow 12y ago
    They've always counted on the citizen doing nothing considerable about it. And who can blame them?
    - wavefunction 12y ago
      I can blame them. I am ready and willing to blame them and hold them accountable.
      - CyberDildonics 12y ago
        In your mind, in your chair, in front of your computer.

higherpurpose 12y ago

Yet the administration keeps saying with a straight face that all of the mass surveillance they are doing is "perfectly legal", all while trying to hide it even happens, or trying to dismiss cases against them in Courts through bogus ways.

DanielBMarkham 12y ago
It's almost like "we'll just keep repeating this over and over again until you news guys leave us alone. After all, this is old news, right?" Dangerous stuff.
justcommenting 12y ago
The opening paragraphs of the above-linked piece make this shockingly clear: "The speech was about the impact that the disclosure of National Security Agency surveillance practices would have on U.S. Internet freedom policies. The draft stated that “if U.S. citizens disagree with congressional and executive branch determinations about the proper scope of signals intelligence activities, they have the opportunity to change the policy through our democratic process.” But the White House counsel’s office told me that no, that wasn’t true. I was instructed to amend the line, making a general reference to “our laws and policies,” rather than our intelligence practices. I did." Especially for a public servant working on internet freedom issues, I can't imagine how Tye must have felt. Tye's story really made one of Snowden's initial remarks concrete to me: "..but if you realize that that's the world that you helped create....you realize that you might be willing to accept any risk, and it doesn't matter what the outcome is, so long as the public gets to make their own decisions.." I hope that the courage of John Napier Tye will inspire others.
- higherthanlow 12y ago
  They've always counted on the citizen doing nothing considerable about it. And who can blame them?
  - wavefunction 12y ago
    I can blame them. I am ready and willing to blame them and hold them accountable.
    - CyberDildonics 12y ago
      In your mind, in your chair, in front of your computer.