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Actually the latest polling on Scotland gives more like 38-40% in the "yes" block.

I would like to see evidence for your claim that Ukraine is not really a divided country and that's all Putin's propaganda. Everything else I've seen suggests that Ukraine really is a highly divided country with a large population of people who would prefer to be a part of Russia than the EU. I'm not convinced this is something Putin is just making up.

The problem here is that the west has already decided it doesn't matter what the outcome of the Crimean referendum is - if Russia wins, that must be because of foul play, intimidation or excessive "propaganda" (as if western elections are not also filled with propaganda). In fact, I don't see any way the people living there could ever actually decide they prefer to be aligned with Russia without western powers decrying it as the work of the dastardly Putin.

Here's an idea. Why don't you go compare American propaganda (Obama's comments) vs Russian propaganda (Putin's comments). In particular note that Obama doesn't even bother taking press questions any more, whereas Putin takes lots of very aggressive and straightforward ones.

As for us, asshole Feinstein look at us as if we are peons, slaves for the elites, that we do not have any right to enjoy the protection granted by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and that we ought to be stripped of everything, and kow-tow to her and her kinds.

I sometimes wonder how monsters like Feinstein get any votes at all while the likes of Feingold can lose to a climate change denier. We have only ourselves to blame.

I didn't vote for her. I voted for somebody else. Yet Feinstein was just, in 2012, reelected with the most votes any senator has ever received, ever.

I think humans are defective. Democracy works fine for small governments, like a village. It's problematic for a political unit so big that you can't travel from one end to another without special arrangements, like California, the 12th largest economy in the world. Democracy is a terrible idea for a country as large as the United States. It's better than any other idea we've tried so far, but there are just too many voices demanding too much attention for it to work well.

So, humans simplify. Most people stick to the 2 parties that they hear about the most. The media talk about the 2 parties that pay them the most. The major party candidates listen to the donors who donate the most. Larry Lessig hopes that campaign finance reform will fix democracy, but humans still need simplified choices.

I think humans can't reasonably manage something as large as the United States. The federal government needs to be scaled way down, or the United States split up, so more local decisions can be made about local issues. But, again, humans are defective, and for example people in New York are personally offended at the local education decisions made in Texas, so the federal government just keeps growing.

How about just going back to a reasonable quick scan on the way to the plane? The whole premise was that anything you could get through such a scan was worthless.

Yeah, but then how would they be able to justify forcing people to throw away their bottles of water, shampoo, etc.? "That might be a bomb, throw it in that trash can over there!"

I went to SF for a conference, and bought a snow globe for my in-laws, as is my habit when I travel. They wouldn't let me take it because it could contain "bomb making materials", which is ludicrous. They told me I could either surrender the package, or go to the post office to mail it. If I went to the post office, I'd miss my flight and it was a $4 snow globe, so I told them I'd surrender it. I was highly frustrated and busy putting my stuff together that they had pulled apart, so I was too distracted to notice that they kept not just the snow globe, but the bag that had all of the other souvenirs I had bought, including t-shirts and Ghirardelli chocolates I got for the rest of my family. The TSA is a pack of thieving, security-theater perverts.

Funny how you didn't note that Reid's campaign turned off the donate function. And there is no evidence that Reid's fake site actually collected any PII. The author just assumed it did because the form submit button worked. As a slashdotter, you should know better than to accept that as proof. Terrible, untrustworthy links you got there too. Please learn to link to at least semi-neutral sources.

Let's see what actually following your evidence of equivalency provides:

1) First link, National Review. Terribly partisan but OK, will verify what it says. And truly looks like election fraud. Fair enough there were other sources on this incident -- many more recent ones too. The people responsible have been arrested, gone to trial and have been been sentenced. (Google is your friend). Regardless this is off-topic. You are comparing local election fraud to national. Local and national politics have little to do with each other and the national parties that local politicians identify with have no bearing to local issues. Doesn't matter if someone is pro choice or pro life when their job is to make sure the garbage is picked up and the roads are plowed when it snows. Or perhaps you were saying we should arrest the chairman of the NRCC? Sounds good.

2) What the crap is this blog? The story says he didnt collect money, and has no proof of collecintg PII. No other sources. The story you link also shows technical ignorance about HTML forms. The site has a clear political slant (right in it's header).

3 HotAir, what a waste. Many of the links go back to your second blog link. But at least HotAir links to Politico. Which, despite originally being started by the GOP, is good enough as a source.

Politico states: http://www.politico.com/news/s...

After she won the June 8 primary, Angle gave her actual website a well-publicized facelift and reworded many of her positions on issues including Social Security and Second Amendment rights — statements that as written might have aided Angle in the primary, but would likely be a liability in the general election.

Funny. That actually sounds like what Reid's campaign was saying.

Hall said the website did not have any mechanism to collect the e-mail addresses, adding: “If someone entered data, it did not go anywhere.”

Oops.

Let's check the score:

Election fraud unrelated to fake websites: 1 (to be fair will give your this one)
Democrat funded sites that collect information: 0
Number of NRCC sites that actually collect information: 16
Number of NRCC sites that actually collect donations: 16
Number of on-topic and credible links you provided: 0/3

Seems like an insightful analysis. No real surprise, given the ever present desire corporations have to increase profits. And increasing *profit* from slashdot while maintaining or increasing quality for the current user base would be hard. I would like to see it - the quality around here could really use a boost. But I think a Dilbertesque attempt at sacking the name for short term gains is more likely, possibly followed by a sale of the mangled corpse. Maybe we will read about it on The Daily WTF, assuming they don't suffer the same fate.

... Their current base will migrate away to more geek-friendly websites ...

So, any recommendations? I am yet to find anything that does a good job filling the gap of what slashdot should be.

Some non-replacements, but still worthwhile sites I have found:

* Electoral Vote is a great source for what is happening in US national campaigns. At least, it is when he has something to say (And I don't blame him for not always having something to say - his page must be a tough hobby as is)

* Tikalon is a cool science blog. I recently found it linked from a slashdot comment, and need to read more of it.

* Politico looks like it is worth a look if you want more US politics, but lacks the tech focus of slashdot.

So, where should the lifeboats head as they flee like rats from a sinking slashdot?

Several government oversight bodies have ALL said this is unconstitutional and needs to be stopped. Who says nay? Obama and his cronies in the current administration. Nobody else. (Of course the NSA does, too, but they're just employees. They don't count.)

Well, there is that Pete King guy. He seems to be naying pretty loudly. Does he count?

I have a ring that lets me save at +4 vs. misplaced shame.
My remark was more about equating Putin and Obama's behavior toward dissidents than it was about Snowden himself.
You may not like Snowden, but in the broader context of the IRS scandal, and now this indictment against Dinesh D'Souza, the real people who should consider whether they bear any shame are those who re-elected Barack Obama. Not only do I reject your attempted shaming, I say the buck stops here with trying to pass it on.

And a federal judge disagrees with your assumption that we DO need this kind of surveillance!

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/12/national-security-agency-phones-judge-101203.html

Just because we can doesn't mean we should!

Interesting new development. I just read that Judge U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon has found that the metadata program is likely unconstitutional on 4th amendment grounds. May end up in the Supreme Court. http://www.politico.com/story/2013/12/national-security-agency-phones-judge-101203.html

The reason why some poor people vote conservative is because they are still independent-minded. They believe that to be beholden to another is to be in their debt, which puts one in a lower social position. To be self-sufficient is to be proud and free.

However, there aren't actually that many poor people who vote conservative. Large cities attract poor people precisely because of more liberal government programs, and large cities are overwhelmingly liberal. Look at http://www.politico.com/2013-election/results/map/#/Governor/2013/VA as an example. Liberals live in big cities. Conservatives live in the country.

I suggest you do more reading, and read more carefully. That "300" is cases, not 300 people, in similar cases mentioned there 12 people went to jail. There are hundreds to low thousands of Hezbollah in the US. There are more than 3,000 Chinese front companies alone used for espionage.

Peter King warns: Hezbollah agents in U.S.
American Universities Infected by Foreign Spies Detected by FBI

When you start adding in Hamas, al Shahab, and plenty of other extremist organizations, spies from Russia, China, Cuba, Brazil, Venezuela, Iran, and plenty of other nations, it starts to add up.

The problem isn't the lack of evidence, but the disregarding of it.

If you aren't getting it yet, I'm just about going to have to assume you're trolling.

Its not a question of paranoia, but ignorance. I'll let you guess who that applies to.

Here is a hint: China, just by itself, has more than 3,000 front companies devoted to espionage. Russian spies are back a Cold War levels. There are plenty of other countries with an interest in the US.

American Universities Infected by Foreign Spies Detected by FBI

China also has more than 3,000 front companies in the U.S. “for the sole purpose of acquiring our technology,” former CIA officer S. Eugene Poteat, president of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers in McLean, Virginia, wrote in the fall/winter 2006-2007 edition of “Intelligencer: Journal of U.S. Intelligence Studies.”

Peter King warns: Hezbollah agents in U.S.

Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) warned Wednesday that there are hundreds — maybe even thousands — of Hezbollah agents inside the United States capable of launching a terror attack if U.S.-Iran tensions continue to escalate.

“The American intelligence community believes we are very much at risk for an attack by Iranian operatives, which would be Hezbollah, that is a terrorist-trained force in this country. It really is the ‘A’ team of international terrorism — far more sophisticated than Al Qaeda,” the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee said on CNN’s “Starting Point.”

Note that is just Hezbollah, not including Hamas, al Qaida, al-Shabaab, or many other terrorists or narco-terrorist organizations with a presence in the US.

And then there are the spies from Russia, Iran, Cuba, etc., etc., etc.

That is before you consider the Americans that go overseas to participate in Jihad who will return as trained, experienced terrorists.

Congressional Report: 40 Americans Training in Somalia Are 'Direct Threat' to U.S

Liberal talk show host Ed Schultz would like to take the heart of former Vice President Dick Cheney —who is recovering from his fifth heart attack — and “rip it out and kick it around and stuff it back in him.”

or martin barshir who was just fired, sorry resigned because he said people should shit in sarah palins mouth?

right, liberals are all about love and caring for others, its those evol republicans who are bad....

They are charged with deciding whether allowing cell phones is safe, not the pros and cons of passenger convenience/inconvenience.

From another article:

Nick Calio, the president and CEO of Airlines for America, testifying Thursday at a House hearing on the aviation industry, said regulators should determine whether allowing cellphones to be used for voice calls in flight is safe and should leave further decisions up to the airlines.

“If they do so, we believe the decision should be left up to individual carriers as to whether they want to institute a policy or not,” Calio said. “In considering that, they’ll consider the safety of their passengers and their crews and customer input.”

That sounds right.

Government kicks in $755 a month, for a toal of $1006. But ultimately you can't ignore what real individuals pay, as Congress is learning as employees threaten to quit government work if they have to buy their own insurance through government exchanges. Older workers were shocked to learn that this means paying 3x-4x their old premium contribution. While Obamacare does bring affordable coverage to those with limited income, the so-called "good deals" may be financially crippling to those whose incomes make them exempt for subsidiaries (starting at about $45K for individuals) if they have to purchase their own insurance through the exchanges. Adding insult to financial injury, a younger billionaire could pay a lower premium that's less than half the cost paid by someone older who makes $45K.

Uh, I dunno why that first link is effedup. Here it is again:

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/obamacare-healthcaregov-registration-98671.html

I see you believe it is only democrats that play such games.

No, I said "machine Democrats and incumbents generally." It's easier to steal an election by stuffing the ballot box when there's a large electoral bureaucracy/party machine in place, which tends to be in big cities. Residents of big cities tend to vote for Democrats, which leads to Democrats being in power and staffing the electoral bureaucracy, so ballot box stuffing specifically is a technique usually associated with Democrats. However, electoral fraud generally helps ALL incumbents, not just Democrats. Try reading what I actually typed.

The 'alternative' 'for free' IDs you speak of are not quite as convenient as a drivers license for someone who doesn't drive.

Given that someone doesn't drive, alternative forms of ID are absolutely more convenient than drivers licenses. Why would you need a drivers' license if you can't drive? Except for the part where they test you on your driving skills, the process for obtaining these IDs is usually exactly the same as the process for obtaining a drivers' license. You need some form of government issued ID to buy booze, get on a plane, enter a government building or open a bank account. Only driving requires an actual drivers' license.

I'm unsure how 'Necro-americans' are going to use an old ID anyway since they will no longer look at all like their picture.

Of course they can't. Requiring voter ID is a mitigation for the attack where Guy A, who is alive, casts his ballot. Then Guy A casts Guy B's ballot as well. Guy B isn't allowed to cast a ballot at all if he's dead. It's harder for Guy A to claim to be Guy B if he has to prevent valid ID to do so.

Surely voter registration is checked against death certificates.

Don't call me Shirley.

The Democrat Party has an unfortunate history of playing games with ID, poll taxes, and various tests to deny citizens their vote. In recent years it has even included false robo-calls telling people the wrong date or location.

My original point was that Voter ID laws seem to work well pretty much everywhere else that we consider a democratic government, and the only reason we don't have them here is that Democrats are too quick to call people racists. On cue, some Democrat neanderthal called me a racist and we were off to the races, so to speak.
You haven't been able to provide an objection to a specific voter ID law. All that you've brought to this conversation is lies about history and lies about theoretical laws, rather than the real laws that are on the books, or real proposals being debated. Your posts make it obvious you're barely reading what I'm writing. You're only in this thread to subtly imply that I'm a racist. Slashdot would be better off with less trolls like you.

legislators don't know enough ... nor do they have the training and experience

Congress doesn't run the day-to-day of the Federal government. Congress has never been, is not now, and will never be, competent to do things like implement a new function of government. That is WHY we have an Executive branch. Keep that in mind as you listen to Carney, Obama and the rest try to blame Congress for this debacle, and the many, many debacles yet to come.

The Congress we have today did not vote for Obamacare, does not support Obamacare and will not be taking responsibility for Obamacare, which they could not do even if they wanted. So if a successful Obamacare outcome depends on congressional good-will then Obamacare is deeply fucked.

You'd think they would have told us before October 1... They were either ignorant, incompetent or in denial.

None of the above. The correct characterization is "indifferent." They knew full well what was happening. The evidence is clear.

Yet they did not hesitate to foist this on the nation because they are hell-bent on implementing their agenda. Next year as the employer mandate approaches and tens of millions get part-timed, cancelled and foisted onto the various and sundry healthcare.govs they won't deviate from their agenda then either. As the sick and costly indulge their undeniable, uncancellable and unlimited health plans and bankrupt the insurance system for everyone they will also not deviate from their agenda. As all of the above accelerates healthcare cost inflation and blows a DOD size hole in the Federal budget via individual subsidies, medicaid refugees, etc. they will still not deviate from their agenda.

That's what submitting to statist, paternal government is like. That's what you voted for.

The government shut down the same day the website went live but even more to the point, the site was already bought and paid for and the shut down did nothing to the funding for it.

President Barack Obama has made clear that even if the government closes, the health care show will go on

âoeShutdown or no shutdown weâ(TM)re ready to go,â Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Monday.

Two quote on two politically opposite sites from top brass involved in the website that claim the shut down will have had no role in the roll out of the site. I'm sorry this busts your bubble. But it appears what you were told or thought is simple wrong.

Yea, check this out.

Other than being the opposite of what you claim, all the kickbacks and bribes were for DNC votes. Then we can add on the ONLY part the GOP had a hand in writing was an amendment from Ghram where the Congress would be required to purchase and get their healthcare from the exchanges, which Obama override with executive order so they can be exempted from the prices by subsidies. Yep, Congress gets a 75% subsidy on their costs at $172K salary, while you don't get a subsidy if your income is over $46k, so the ONLY part the GOP had anything to do with was removed after it was signed into law without passing another law.

So, yea everything you say is correct, hoever it is provable that it was the DNC that did what you calim. Don't worry, you are a hypocrite so you will be fine with all those tricks since it is "your side" doing it.

Slashdotters seem pretty appalled at these revelations, but when will the general public reach the point of disgust? In theory the people of the USA still have the power to change these behaviors through the ballot box. The news just goes on and on. but the outrage seems slow to reach the surface.

There is a process for changing things in a democracy*, and that normally doesn't involve mobs with torches and pitchforks when it comes to important national policy questions, even if you call people "sheep".** People are writing their legislators. Congress is gathering facts, including reviewing its reports and holding the hearings occurring at present, as noted here. It is up the Congress, President, and Courts to work through the issues as they occur. There are disputes about the facts of what has been done, the legality of it, what the country needs from its intelligence agencies, and about how to proceed. That will eventually get worked out.

It is entirely possible that little if anything will change for many reasons. Many people have mistaken views about what the law and precedent is on this, both Constitutional and statutory. As a result there are people that are upset due to their mistaken ideas about the legality of various aspects of what has been going on. It isn't likely that Congress will accommodate all of the mistaken ideas about what is and isn't legal when they act. They will rely on what the lawyers and court cases tell them. There are clearly cases in which the documents from Snowden have been misinterpreted as to what they represented. That results in people being upset due to their mistaken belief about what has been going on. Although various activists advocate a range of reactions, from stopping all foreign intelligence to limiting specific methods or targets of intelligence, most of the American people still support intelligence operations focused on terrorists and enemies of the US and its allies. Also keep in mind that what has been under discussion over the last several months is only a small part of what NSA does. There may be some new restrictions on the intelligence agencies. It is unlikely that all of the activists and cranks will be satisfied, so the complaints are likely to marginally decrease, but are unlikely to disappear.

* Democratic Republic - spare me further comments.
** Generally not a strong indicator that you have real insight into the process.

That's so they can vote for him during elections because at the same time his Attorney General goes after states who try to enact voter id laws and try to protect their own borders.

What's sad and what we're seeing now with the recent Supreme Court Ruling is the fact that States can't ask for proof of citizenship when registering to vote. Talk about a fucked up situation because like it or not it opens up the door for ineligible voters to vote in our elections, it's happening now but with the constant interference in State run elections and inaction on immigration and border security you'll never be able to accurately quantify it.

If anyone is going to collect data it is going to be us! After all we are the only ones who can properly monetize it.

uProxy doesn't send data to Google. There's also a huge difference between data users send to Google as part of the deal by which they use its services and connection-level eavesdropping.

I don't suppose anyone remembers this? http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/83818.html .

If anyone is going to collect data it is going to be us! After all we are the only ones who can properly monetize it.

From the link above:
"The Obama administration has been prepared for a crush of paper. Over the summer, it awarded a $1.2 billion contract to Serco, which says it expects to process 6.2 million paper applications in the health law’s first open enrollment period running through the end of March."

A majority of poll respondents think the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a non-profit created by Congress that helps fund NPR and PBS as well as other public media, receives a share of 1 percent or more of the federal governmentâ(TM)s budget.

In the financial year for 2010, the CPB reported receiving $506 million in federal appropriations. According to the White Houseâ(TM)s Office of Management and Budget, the federal budget for 2010 was $3.456 trillion. Using those numbers, the CPB receives about .00014 percent of the federal budget. Of course, poll respondents are way off in other areas, assigning a median of 137 percent of the federal governmentâ(TM)s budget to various government programs, suggesting Americans think the government simply spends more than it actually does as a general rule.

Poll respondents always favor nonspecific measures like "cutting government spending." Then it reverses when you ask about specific programs, especially the ones that actually cost a lot, like DoD and Social Security.

People don't take drastic action from what they see in the news, they take action when they see it affect them directly and it impedes their ability to see a future for themselves. E.g. The Egypt situation

Maybe not from a single report... or a few isolated incidents. But given a steady drip feed of "the other side is the DEVIL" a propaganda machine disguised as a news network can absolutely cause people to take drastic action. Even worse, it can cause a severe disconnect between reality and your own delusions.

For example, Congress currently has an 11% approval rating and hasn't been above 40% in nearly a decade. During the last election, their approval rating was a staggering 14%, yet we saw a 90% incumbent victory rate.

This is dangerous. This is very very dangerous. We openly acknowledge that those in charge have been fucking it up royal. But the media circus has convinced everyone that "my guy isn't the problem... it's completely on the other side of the aisle." Add in a splash of gerrymandering, and we've got the makings of our very own banana republic.

Apparently, this was part of the 2013 Appropriations bill and has be be renewed to stay in force, so anyone has a chance to contact their representative and try and get it changed.

From the article

A portion of a new 2014 spending bill, authored by Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), would require IT vendors to certify their independence from the Chinese government before they can sell to select U.S. federal agencies. It’s the second time Wolf has backed such language over the objections of critics who say it could have harmful political and economic side effects.

Actually, more votes were cast for democrats for the House of Representatives in the last election as well. The only reason the Republicans were able to "win" the majority was due to their manipulation of re-districting, aka gerrymandering. Thems is some cheatin bastards.

So in short, the bill passed with the support of the vast majority of Democrats in addition to Republican votes. The Democrats then allowed it to continue when they had control of both houses of Congress, and the presidency. Got it.

I'm not surprised that not all of them supported it since many Democrats thought they already knew who was involved in the 9-11 attacks.

INBLOOM OFF THE ROSE?: "Another state has pulled out of using the Gates Foundation's $100 million technology service project, inBloom. The withdrawal further shrinks the project after other states pulled out in part because of concern about protecting studentsâ(TM) privacy. Guilford County, N.C. told POLITICO on Wednesday that the state decided to stop using the service, which is designed to hold information about students including names, socioeconomic status, test scores, disabilities, discipline records and more in one place, and ideally, help in customizing students' education."

gee, that sounds sort of like the infighting we regularly see between the networks and cable operators.
ex : CBS vs Time Warner and AMC vs Dish TV

Modern politicians find due process to be too constricting, that's why.

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/07/apple-finds-dc-is-tough-without-friends-94948.html

The Court was unanimous in /US v. Jones/ - it's hard to see how they'd backpedal because their concern was over the surveillance nature of modern technology, not merely the source of said data.

No, the police needed a warrant to physically place the tracker on the suspect's vehicle.

The Court was unanimous in /US v. Jones/ - it's hard to see how they'd backpedal because their concern was over the surveillance nature of modern technology, not merely the source of said data. By their logic in /Jones/, this case's data gathering would also be a search.

I'd feign shock that the 5th Circuit couldn't understand the /Jones/ decision, but it's so much more realistic to believe that those judges just wanted to give government power another bite at the /Jones/ apple.

When leaks like this one happen, a lot of attention and effort is spent on punishing the leaker, but we seldom hear about punishment for those that should have protected the data.

Army disciplined 15 over Bradley Manning and Wikileaks

The U.S. Army discliplined 15 people as a result of an internal investigation into the decisions and failures that put Pvt. Bradley Manning in a position to download and leak thousands of classified military reports and diplomatic cables he allegedly provided to WikiLeaks, an Army spokesman said Wednesday.

At least one non-commissioned officer was reduced in rank for dereliction of duty, according a legal filing made public by Manning's defense over the weekend.

--------

Why did Manning not only have access to this sensitive data, but was able to download it and walk it out of the office?

In my company, the receptionist isn't supposed to tell anyone what's in our sensitive financial documents and really has no reason to read them. So he can't - his login doesn't have access to those files and if he persists in trying to get access, his username will come up in IPS alerts.

As an analyst that prepared reports he needed access to data. The network apparently wasn't properly prepared and certified for use. There probably should have been better controls for sharing different stacks of data, but the nature of counter-insurgency warfare would tend to press against some of them at some level.

The failings of the people managing the network don't excuse Manning's data breach.

The Army should thank Manning for exposing their security flaws. ... The same applies to Snowden ...

I think that might be worth considering if you can do the same following your house being burglarized, your car stolen, and your bank account emptied ... in separate events.

The tax rules are quite sane: you get income, you pay tax.

When you get to the specifics, tax law (at least in the U.S.) is insane. The average citizen cannot fully understand all of the laws (deductions and exemptions) that apply to them. It's a standard story during April (tax filing season here) for a reporter to take their paperwork to a bunch of different tax preparation specialists and point out the wildly different results and interpretations.

And tax laws for businesses are so full of loopholes and special carve-outs that no human being understands it all. E.g, the "Excise Tax Exemption for Wooden Practice Arrows Used by Children" buried in the 2008 bailout bill.

...Snowden is a traitor and a criminal...

Says you.
Not everyone agrees with you.
His name has been put up for the Nobel Peace Prize as of today, .by at least one person

And Barack Obama was put up for and won a Nobel Peace Prize by virtue of simply not being George W. Bush. Either you're saying that the mere concept of presidential term limits is worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize (meaning it's worth roughly dick), or you accept the reality that they clearly just give those things out for any stupid reason (meaning it's still worth roughly dick).

...Snowden is a traitor and a criminal...

Says you.
Not everyone agrees with you.
His name has been put up for the Nobel Peace Prize as of today, .by at least one person

As a US citizen, I applaud him, and think the traitors and criminals are holding gov't. offices.

Actually, all he insinuated is that California was somehow different than the other 49 states, in the fact that it has always supported Republicrats. That's the untrue part; in all 50 states a supermajority of voters support bigger and more intrusive government.

A state was explicitly mentioned; a party was not. The "parties" stuff was all in your head, not the post you replied to.

Yes, New Hampshire, even you. Just a little under 99% of you said you wanted government to be less accountable. (Actually, that's somewhat impressive, in a twisted way. I don't think many states ever get less than 99%.)

So if Verizon refused to hand over the records, that would be another story.

And even if Verizon had the inclination (and the balls) to fight it, they would've suddenly found themselves the subject of scrutiny by the IRS, the SEC, the Labor Department, the FCC, and, possibly, some other friendly government agencies.

Is not it great, we have so many regulations, the Executive branch does not even need to bother the Judiciary to get its way? I, for one, do appreciate, they decided to bother this time, but, really, they did not have to...

Oh, and in only a couple of decades, as the government's control of healthcare extends further and deeper, the same benevolent Executive officials will have the power to decide, who lives, and who dies:

We regret to inform you, but upon the review of your life support system in accordance with XIXIXIXX section C part Y, it was determined, that the ongoing cost of the care outweigh the benefits. As a result, the assisted breathing/feeding tube (circle all that apply) will be turned off at 11:59pm EST, tomorrow.

That the individuals supporting the regime in power will be deemed eligible for remaining on life-support for, on average, 50% longer than the opposition, will be nothing other than a coincidence, of course.

FWIW, california has been doing this for years.. If you are arrested (for anything-- political protest, for example), they will collect your DNA. This information remain in the state database, whether you are convicted or not-- even if you are not even charged. I'm trying to figure out if there's a consistent procedure to get your DNA removed if you're wrongly arrested, but can't find anything from a quick google. I only see a discussion of how it should work (A judge gets to decide) not how it's worked in practice.

FWIW, the CA public VOTED for this in 2004. 62% to 38%.

Please note the first two will get you in trouble in the US well

Please, there is no law against "insulting" somebody in the US. Comedians make their living at it.

You can curse as you want in TV, you can say shit, you can show nipples

You've got us there, but these days broadcast TV is not nearly as significant as it used to be. There's plenty of places to get your boobs or swears on television or elsewhere.

you can talk bad of the church if you want to. Try that in america and see how you literally can cried down (not from the law but from many part of society). Chances are high a quite number of disturbed people will demand you get killed.

People bad-mouth the "church" all the time, and here I mean religion in general because there is no singular "church" in the United States. There are no lynch mobs out for these people. One Muslim idiot made some threats against the South Park creators and that made the news, and that idiot was arrested and sentenced.

One wonders what could possibly go wrong regarding Syria.

Turkey claims evidence of Syrian chemical weapons use
UN accuses Syrian rebels of chemical weapons use
An Al-Qaeda Alliance in Syria Demands Response From U.S.
Al Qaeda's track record with chemical weapons

Even if there are chemical weapons laying around, they would still need to get them somewhere where they could be used. They would probably need help for that. Is any available?

US teen accused of seeking to join al Qaeda-linked Syrian group
Danish jihadist killed while fighting for Muhajireen Brigade in Syria

Iran recruiting volunteer troops for Syria
Hezbollah Steps Up in Syria as Israel Tries to Ease Tension

US Congressman: Hezbollah agents in US worse than al-Qaida
Peter King warns: Hezbollah agents in U.S.

Border porous for obvious reason
Official: Book of suicide bombers found in Arizona desert

. . .the book is published in Iran and contains biographies of Islamic suicide bombers and other Islamic militants who died while carrying out their attacks. . .

Yes indeed, what could possibly go wrong?

Oh, really?

Good. Now define "educational".

Easy. Anything done by a government-run school. The government doesn't want to get sued for every stupid copyright violation, so it exempted itself, just as it always does with shitty laws.

By way of example, the government is about to exempt itself from Obamacare.

“[S]tarting now, we want to draw a clear line on this. Citing Times policy, reporters should say no if a source demands, as a condition of an interview, that quotes be submitted afterward to the source or a press aide to review, approve or edit,"

If Obama averages a golf trip and vacation every 4 months then that would make the number of trips taken around 16

Obama averages a lot more trips than that. You aren't counting his golf outings, his record number of fundraisers (or taxpayer-paid political events), some of which he flies in for an hour and leaves.

He certainly is not the king of vacation days. That honor falls to President George W. Bush

Not analogous, since Bush never presided over a sequester, let alone was one his idea, let alone did Bush threaten to veto a bill offering him budgeting discretion on a sequester, and then close the White House to tours and stop the Blue Angels, and then cry, "we have no money!"