# Ex-staffer of senator lashes out at Obama administration for secrecy about spying on American public **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 14, 2013, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-staffer-of-senator-lashes-out-at-obama-administration-for-secrecy-about-spying-on-american-public/666198 "2013-08-14T06:50:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-staffer-of-senator-lashes-out-at-obama-administration-for-secrecy-about-spying-on-american-public/666198/21 "2013-08-19T01:55:50Z")
> [@](#): > > Honestly, I think we should just trust our president in every decision that he makes and we should just support that, you know, and be faithful in what happens. – Britney Spears Just extend that to the tens of thousands of NSA employees with access to these tools. And if something is technically illegal it doesn’t really matter. It can be made retroactively legal. So you either support it or not on its merits. Personally I think it’s a great idea. It’s been up since what, 2006 or so? Think of all those jobs. We should expand this program so everyone is spying on everyone else and we can fix the economy. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-staffer-of-senator-lashes-out-at-obama-administration-for-secrecy-about-spying-on-american-public/666198/22 "2013-08-19T02:05:43Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > – Britney Spears > > Just extend that to the tens of thousands of NSA employees with access to these tools. And if something is technically illegal it doesn’t really matter. It can be made retroactively legal. No, it can’t, your assertion to the contrary. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-staffer-of-senator-lashes-out-at-obama-administration-for-secrecy-about-spying-on-american-public/666198/23 "2013-08-19T06:56:19Z")
[“Nice boyfriend you have there. It would be a shame if something… happened to him.”](http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/18/david-miranda-detained-uk-nsa) ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-staffer-of-senator-lashes-out-at-obama-administration-for-secrecy-about-spying-on-american-public/666198/24 "2013-08-19T07:14:28Z")
> [@lavenderviolet](#): > > Because apparently terrorism can be used to justify anything you want it to since 9/11. And they aren’t wrong! ---
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-staffer-of-senator-lashes-out-at-obama-administration-for-secrecy-about-spying-on-american-public/666198/25 "2013-08-19T10:47:47Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Its hard for me to care about this considering I trust Obama on this issue. And you trust every american President in perpetuity with these powers? And with the more effective snooping new technologies will make available? ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-staffer-of-senator-lashes-out-at-obama-administration-for-secrecy-about-spying-on-american-public/666198/26 "2013-08-19T14:43:10Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > [“Nice boyfriend you have there. It would be a shame if something… happened to him.”](http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/18/david-miranda-detained-uk-nsa) Pretty disturbing. I think this part makes a very good point about why this is so dangerous: > [@](#): > > "But they obviously had zero suspicion that David was associated with a terrorist organization or involved in any terrorist plot. Instead, they spent their time interrogating him about the NSA reporting which Laura Poitras, the Guardian and I are doing, as well the content of the electronic products he was carrying. **They completely abused their own terrorism law for reasons having nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism: a potent reminder of how often governments lie when they claim that they need powers to stop “the terrorists”, and how dangerous it is to vest unchecked power with political officials in its name."** I hope that those who think it’s ok that their govt. reads their emails because they have nothing to hide take notice. It’s not just about emails. It’s about the abuse of power and the consequences that can have. ---
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-staffer-of-senator-lashes-out-at-obama-administration-for-secrecy-about-spying-on-american-public/666198/27 "2013-08-19T15:13:00Z")
> [@lavenderviolet](#): > > I hope that those who think it’s ok that their govt. reads their emails because they have nothing to hide take notice. It’s not just about emails. It’s about the abuse of power and the consequences that can have. People with nothing to hide should also be fine with a camera in their TV’s as well. This is abuse of power and it’s the thin edge of the total survelliance wedge. When this power was introduced in the UK these fears were raised and people swore blind they wouldn’t even begin to dream about considering abusing it. Who? Little old democratic, liberty loving us? No need to be paranoid. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-staffer-of-senator-lashes-out-at-obama-administration-for-secrecy-about-spying-on-american-public/666198/28 "2013-08-19T15:18:20Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Its hard for me to care about this considering I trust Obama on this issue. This is pretty lame. I trust Obama, but I don’t necessarily trust all career civil servants and he doesn’t directly oversee most intelligence personnel. Beyond that, Obama won’t be POTUS for ever. How would you feel if Rick Santorum was snooping through your e-mail for “anti-Christian terror messages”? > [@Grumman](#): > > [“Nice boyfriend you have there. It would be a shame if something… happened to him.”](http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/18/david-miranda-detained-uk-nsa) I really wish people would stop blaming the US government for things other governments do. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-staffer-of-senator-lashes-out-at-obama-administration-for-secrecy-about-spying-on-american-public/666198/29 "2013-08-19T20:00:24Z")
> [@tagos](#): > > And you trust every american President in perpetuity with these powers? And with the more effective snooping new technologies will make available? Just Obama. We should definitely do something about the NSA in late 2016 ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-staffer-of-senator-lashes-out-at-obama-administration-for-secrecy-about-spying-on-american-public/666198/30 "2013-08-21T17:04:33Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > No, it can’t, your assertion to the contrary. The FISA Amendments Act of 2008 provided retroactive immunity to telecos for their cooperation with the govt from 9/11/01 to 1/17/2007. That put an end to those pesky lawsuits. The Supreme Court was cool with it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-staffer-of-senator-lashes-out-at-obama-administration-for-secrecy-about-spying-on-american-public/666198.md?page=1)