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The NSA has the browsing history in hand of every congresscritter and hopeful congresscritter, phone records, travel records, IRS statements, etc. It's not unb

by debacle 12y ago

The NSA has the browsing history in hand of every congresscritter and hopeful congresscritter, phone records, travel records, IRS statements, etc. It's not unbelievable that they would use this information to buy or bury an elected official.

jMyles 12y ago
It's tough to believe they wouldn't. And don't.
AnthonyMouse 12y ago
Getting caught blackmailing a Congressman would be very, very bad for them. It's far more likely that money from a secret budget ends up in the campaign fund of friendly politicians, or that politicians who do what they want end up with lucrative consulting work after they leave office, much as it is with other industries. But what do you propose to do about it either way? Go join Lawrence Lessig's anti-corruption campaign. In the meantime it's not like positive change is impossible, it's just harder than it ought to be.
- grecy 12y ago
  > Getting caught blackmailing a Congressman would be very, very bad for them Isn't it common knowledge big corporations "buy" congressmen all the time with insanely big "contributions"? Why wouldn't the NSA do exactly the same thing?
  - guizzy 12y ago
    Because bribing and blackmailing are not the same thing. The first one is unfortunately legal as long as its done the right way (through campaign contributions and PACs) and the second one is still a crime.
    - grecy 12y ago
      I was implying they result in the exact same outcome, which means for all intents and purposes they are the same thing, when done correctly.
      - semi-extrinsic 12y ago
        Except one leaves the congressperson happy and one leaves the congressperson angry. Do you think the angry or the happy person is most likely to anonymously disclose this information to a journalist?
- ingler 12y ago
  So they'd spy on everyone, throw whistleblowers in jail, pass naked selfies of citizens around and more, but they'd never try to blackmail politicians or others. K.

by debacle 12y ago

jMyles 12y ago

It's tough to believe they wouldn't. And don't.

AnthonyMouse 12y ago

Getting caught blackmailing a Congressman would be very, very bad for them. It's far more likely that money from a secret budget ends up in the campaign fund of friendly politicians, or that politicians who do what they want end up with lucrative consulting work after they leave office, much as it is with other industries. But what do you propose to do about it either way? Go join Lawrence Lessig's anti-corruption campaign. In the meantime it's not like positive change is impossible, it's just harder than it ought to be.

grecy 12y ago
> Getting caught blackmailing a Congressman would be very, very bad for them Isn't it common knowledge big corporations "buy" congressmen all the time with insanely big "contributions"? Why wouldn't the NSA do exactly the same thing?
- guizzy 12y ago
  Because bribing and blackmailing are not the same thing. The first one is unfortunately legal as long as its done the right way (through campaign contributions and PACs) and the second one is still a crime.
  - grecy 12y ago
    I was implying they result in the exact same outcome, which means for all intents and purposes they are the same thing, when done correctly.
    - semi-extrinsic 12y ago
      Except one leaves the congressperson happy and one leaves the congressperson angry. Do you think the angry or the happy person is most likely to anonymously disclose this information to a journalist?
ingler 12y ago
So they'd spy on everyone, throw whistleblowers in jail, pass naked selfies of citizens around and more, but they'd never try to blackmail politicians or others. K.