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Yahoo CEO Says It Would Be Treason To Decline To Cooperate With the NSA

McGruber writes "During Wednesday's TechCrunch Disrupt conference, Marissa Meyer was asked what would happen if Yahoo simply declined to cooperate with the NSA. She replied 'Releasing classified information is treason. It generally lands you incarcerated.' Meyer also revealed that the 2007 lawsuit against the Patriot Act had been filed by Yahoo: 'I'm proud to be part of an organization that from the very beginning in 2007, with the NSA and FISA and PRISM, has been skeptical and has scrutinized those requests. In 2007 Yahoo filed a lawsuit against the new Patriot Act, parts of PRISM and FISA, we were the key plaintiff. A lot of people have wondered about that case and who it was. It was us ... we lost. The thing is, we lost and if you don't comply it's treason.'"

524 comments

  1. Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Patriotism?

    1. Re:Treason.. or... by Penguinisto · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Either way it's a crap excuse.

      Treason is the act of sabotage, destruction, sedition, and suchlike. Refusing a search w/o a *proper* warrant is not treason. Secret court generated 'warrants' do not count as being proper by any stretch of common law.

      --
      Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
    2. Re:Treason.. or... by PortHaven · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Don't we have to have a declared war to actually have a true charge of treason?

    3. Re:Treason.. or... by CrimsonAvenger · · Score: 5, Informative

      Treason is the act of sabotage, destruction, sedition, and suchlike.

      No, it's not.

      From the US Constitution: "Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort."

      This is not to suggest that sabotage, destruction, sedition and suchlike might not be crimes. But they're NOT treason in and of themselves.

      Much as some people (both in and out of government) might like to convince you they are.

      --

      "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
    4. Re:Treason.. or... by Kaenneth · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I'm sure 'Aid and Comfort' can be stretched at least as far as 'interstate commerce' or 'general welfare'

    5. Re:Treason.. or... by Man+On+Pink+Corner · · Score: 5, Insightful

      We will always be at war with Terror, citizen.

    6. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except that there is no common law precedent for doing so (AFAIK), and to make that stretch would be to take a huge gamble as to what happens under appeal.

    7. Re:Treason.. or... by cold+fjord · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Refusing a search w/o a *proper* warrant is not treason. Secret court generated 'warrants' do not count as being proper by any stretch of common law.

      Warrants are pretty much always requested in a confidential setting. Experience has shown that when you call ahead to tell people you're getting a search warrant, or their friends tell them, evidence tends to disappear. The only thing that is different here is that the recipients of the warrant can't tell people they received it. Since they aren't the suspects, letting them inform other people that there is an investigation going on about them would interfere with what is a highly sensitive investigation. So you don't really have that right. The warrants are apparently legal and proper. Congress passed the laws authorizing them, and the courts have allowed them.

      Since these warrants tend to be used for national security investigations, such as into spying and terrorism, how to you think that telling people they are being investigated isn't a bad thing?

      --
      much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot - George Orwell
    8. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      We have always been at war with Eastasia.

    9. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wonder if she was told that it would be treason by someone in law enforcement (they are allowed to lie, after all). Perhaps, as so many other citizens would, she believed what she was told. That's unfortunate for someone in her position, but sadly quite normal.

      Besides, the way the words "traitor", "treason", "un-American" and "terrorist" are thrown around, their actual meanings are diluted in common speech by all that hyperbole.

    10. Re:Treason.. or... by bitt3n · · Score: 2

      Indeed, it's exceedingly difficult to get convicted of treason in the US. The list of people who have been could fit on a postcard and mostly involves things like defecting to the Waffen SS during WWII and similar wartime indiscretions.

    11. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A secret court is treason in itself towards any country they exist and obviously its own citizens.

    12. Re:Treason.. or... by noh8rz10 · · Score: 0

      Experience has shown that when you call ahead to tell people you're getting a search warrant, or their friends tell them, evidence tends to disappear.

      ORLY? Is this your personal experience? are you a cop? i doubt it, but you talk like you have some direct insight here. protip: stick to making grandiose claims about things you know first hand.

    13. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Treason is the act of sabotage, destruction, sedition, and suchlike. Refusing a search w/o a *proper* warrant is not treason. Secret court generated 'warrants' do not count as being proper by any stretch of common law.

      Somebody has been living under a rock since 2001. Ever heard of the Patriot act?

    14. Re:Treason.. or... by mcgrew · · Score: 3, Informative

      Don't we have to have a declared war to actually have a true charge of treason?

      Google is your friend (but they're scared shitless of the government, too, just like this lady is)

      Article III Section 3.

      Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.

      The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason, but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture except during the life of the person attainted.

    15. Re:Treason.. or... by Kell+Bengal · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The problem here is that she may be totally right, under the interpretation of secret courts whose rulings we don't know. If she has been told in a secret court ruling that failure to comply with these requests constitutes treason (no matter how indefensible that ruling may be), then she is correct in asserting that such is the case. What is even worse is that she could not even tell us if that was the case.

      Secret courts and secret laws are an existential threat to democratic society: they remove the oversight of the populace in regulating the judicial process, and inevitably lead to abuse. A law you must obey but cannot be told the expectations of can be nothing but a tool of tyranny.

      --
      Scientists point out problems, engineers fix them
      altslashdot.org: The future of slashdot.
    16. Re:Treason.. or... by Ralph+Wiggam · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Yet no American has been convicted of Treason since the 50s.

    17. Re:Treason.. or... by Em+Adespoton · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Except that there is no common law precedent for doing so (AFAIK), and to make that stretch would be to take a huge gamble as to what happens under appeal.

      Luckily, you don't have to worry about common law precedent and appeals so much in trials held in a secret court.

      Aid and Comfort is often referred to as "harboring a fugitive" -- which, if Yahoo Mail has evidence of where someone is hiding or what they are up to, and Yahoo has the means to ferret that out, but doesn't provide the information to the government when they ask for it with a warrant, could be considered treason. From there to providing any information to the government because they've requested it, and being in contempt of a secret court if you refuse to do so or talk about it, is the slippery slope we've slid down.

    18. Re:Treason.. or... by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      The US law is clear 'pretty much always requested" does not work well in any domestic US legal setting. The defendants legal team (security cleared) still gets to see evidence. They still get to ask questions. Lawyers in the US dont like terms like "apparently legal and proper"
      "Congress passed the laws authorizing" does not undo, loop around, remove or weaken any constitutional rights.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    19. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That "bimbo" as you put it with whatever infinite wisdom and technical expertise and responsibility you think you have, was talking pragmatically about the consequences Yahoo faces from the government's perspective. She wasn't speaking philosophically or even metaphorically. She probably knows just a little more about the issue than you do being that her company did fight it and lost. She probably is aware of what threats the NSA has made to Yahoo. So how about you give her some slack, or just show a bit of respect since it's not your neck that's on the line, and so far you haven't done much to fight the NSA either.

    20. Re:Treason.. or... by Em+Adespoton · · Score: 1

      Since these warrants tend to be used for national security investigations, such as into spying and terrorism, how to you think that telling people they are being investigated isn't a bad thing?

      Maybe they should skip the warrants and courts and everything, and just go to notifying people they are being investigated. If the evidence disappears, that means it can't be used. Plot foiled.

      That's just one way off the top of my head that it isn't a bad thing. I'm sure there are others.

    21. Re:Treason.. or... by SnarfQuest · · Score: 1

      Didn't Obama declare the war on terror as being over?

      --
      Who would win this election: Andrew Weiner vs Andrew Weiner's weiner.
    22. Re:Treason.. or... by interval1066 · · Score: 1

      Wait, look at what she's saying closely; I think she's saying that "we tried to take a stand against the Gov's bs, but in the end we crumbled." I think she's simply stating the nature of the situation; if you go against them, its treason. I don't think she's nessessarily a Patriot Act booster. But then I could simply be dazzled by a hot CEO.

      --
      Python: 'And then suddenly you have a language which says "we're all stuck with whatever the whiniest coder wants".'
    23. Re:Treason.. or... by cold+fjord · · Score: 1

      Being a defendant means an arrest has taken place, charges have been filed, and things are heading to court. Yes, at that point the defendant's legal team can oppose motions, etc. But while the investigation prior to arrest is going on, there is no defendant, or legal team, to oppose the warrant.

      --
      much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot - George Orwell
    24. Re:Treason.. or... by Beardo+the+Bearded · · Score: 1

      There are also procedures for marking stuff as classified, and you can't just stamp it on anything that's embarrassing. (There are tables, there's no reason to post them here.)

      If you do, that's a violation of the same act that she's talking about.

      --

      ---
      ECHELON is a government program to find words like bomb, jihad, plutonium, assassinate, and anarchy.
    25. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      May be. Finally we (USG) found a war that is going to last forever and it is war with citizens! Heee Haaa!

    26. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      ITM fellow shitizen.

    27. Re:Treason.. or... by AK+Marc · · Score: 2

      Failure to take some action might be an offence of another kind, but it cannot be treason.

      You say it's a non-act. I say it's an active act of non-compliance. Are you willing to bet your life on the government using your definition and not mine?

    28. Re:Treason.. or... by sumdumass · · Score: 1

      I think the "pretty much always requested" was to assert the times when a warrant isn't needed or required before hand due to the urgency of the matter. The constitution protects us against unreasonable searches and the courts have held that it is reasonable in some situations to search without a warrant as long as a warrant would have been issued had enough time passed.

      An example of this kind of search I an into recently was when a girl I know (next door neighbor's daughter) sent a text to her parents sating she was going to end it all and take her kids with her. The cops were able to get her location information as well as access to her texts sent and received for the past few days at 3 am without a warrant.

      Turns out "end it all" didn't mean killing herself and the kids but leaving her abusive husband forever and taking with the kids with her. She sent the text to her mom instead of her sister who was going to take her in- causing a very big scene.

    29. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The US will protect them with money. The tea party will give hyperinflated IOU Liberty Ticket that is worth jack shit to CEO's!

    30. Re:Treason.. or... by fustakrakich · · Score: 4, Informative

      dumbass bimbo? I think you'd better read her bio before repeating that. If you think she doesn't understand what's she is saying or doing, then the dumbass is a little closer than it appears.

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    31. Re:Treason.. or... by fizzer06 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I'm guessing that providing weapons and training to Al Qaeda would qualify as treason. I mean except when it's our own government doing it, of course.

    32. Re:Treason.. or... by slick7 · · Score: 1

      Either way it's a crap excuse.

      Treason is the act of sabotage, destruction, sedition, and suchlike. Refusing a search w/o a *proper* warrant is not treason. Secret court generated 'warrants' do not count as being proper by any stretch of common law.

      But, but, but...it's for the national security of the children. If you don't go along with the program, the terrorists win and it's all your fault.

      --
      The mind conceives, the body achieves, the spirit manifests.
    33. Re:Treason.. or... by slick7 · · Score: 1

      Don't we have to have a declared war to actually have a true charge of treason?

      NDAA.
      FTFY.

      --
      The mind conceives, the body achieves, the spirit manifests.
    34. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      They're still trying to get their hands on Snowden and Assange. I don't think you could really call what happened to Manning an "escape", even if he wasn't, as far as I know, convicted of technical treason.

    35. Re:Treason.. or... by demonlapin · · Score: 4, Informative
      Except that treason is quite clearly defined in the Constitution:

      Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court. The Congress shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted.

      I'm sure that she's right that it's comply or go to jail, but it's not treason.

    36. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      snowden sure, but assange couldn't be tried for treason.....

    37. Re:Treason.. or... by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 5, Insightful

      We're talking about the federal government here. It no longer has to abide by this "Constitution you speak of, and if you invoke it in a court case, the feds can declare your argument "frivolous" and ignore it.

    38. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You may very well be committed just by sharing.
      The weather, for you as a citizen daring,
      may at any time be known in the file.
      Wether it be vacation, work or love related, they will be caring!
      At all times your meanings being automatically translated in a profile,
      in agent-based probabilistic future population probing and shaping!

      Captcha: manifold

    39. Re:Treason.. or... by mbone · · Score: 1

      I wonder if she was told that it would be treason by someone in law enforcement (they are allowed to lie, after all). Perhaps, as so many other citizens would, she believed what she was told. That's unfortunate for someone in her position, but sadly quite normal.

      Besides, the way the words "traitor", "treason", "un-American" and "terrorist" are thrown around, their actual meanings are diluted in common speech by all that hyperbole.

      Unlike some defendants, I would be astounded if she did not have advice of counsel, and pretty good counsel at that.

    40. Re:Treason.. or... by Eskarel · · Score: 4, Informative

      I think she believes that she, or her employees might face jail time if they refused to comply with a court order. At the very least there would be significant financial penalties for her company resulting in the loss of many jobs.

      I also have no doubt that "Treason" was the word used by the people who came to see her or her predecessor(she hasn't actually been in the role that long).

      I would also like to take this time to state that I am sick and god damned tired of sexist trolls like yourself using terms like "bimbo" because you disagree with what someone has said. Grow the fuck up.

    41. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      TFA repeats a classic mistake. It is the fundamental mistake German citizens made which brought the Nazis to power.

      Treason is betraying your people and your country. Treason is NOT disobeying your government. Those are 2 very different things.

    42. Re:Treason.. or... by Eskarel · · Score: 1

      Do we really have to go here?

      If someone called me up and said "hey we've got a warrant to look for ______ we'll be round in half an hour" ______ would not be found in my home when they got there. I'm absolutely 100% sure that the same would be true of you and almost every single other person in this world. Anyone who didn't do that may as well say "I'll save you the trouble officer, I have _________ in my home, I'll pop round so you can arrest me". That's human nature.

      Do I necessarily agree with FISA warrants, no, they're a rubber stamp and far too much about them is secret. At minimum we should have an idea how many are being served and persons who are charged based on evidence obtained under them should have access to the evidence used to apply for them.

      That said, claiming that people won't dispose of evidence if given the opportunity to do so is idiotc.

    43. Re:Treason.. or... by reve_etrange · · Score: 1

      They're just not going to call it "treason" in a court of law, though some politicians might throw the word around in non-legal contexts.

      They'll call it unlawful disclosure of classified information, or whatever terms the relevant statutes actually use.

      --
      .: Semper Absurda :.
    44. Re:Treason.. or... by noh8rz10 · · Score: 0

      Do we really have to go here?

      If someone called me up and said "hey we've got a warrant to look for ______ we'll be round in half an hour" ______ would not be found in my home when they got there. I'm absolutely 100% sure that the same would be true of you and almost every single other person in this world. Anyone who didn't do that may as well say "I'll save you the trouble officer, I have _________ in my home, I'll pop round so you can arrest me". That's human nature.

      good to know... i'll call up my friend who is a scientist and tell him that he can streamline his work because he doesn't need to collect data any more, just make hypotheses and decide they are true.

    45. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Everyone is born American in their heart. Some people choose to defect.

    46. Re:Treason.. or... by Eskarel · · Score: 1

      Nope, read the clause again.

      Going to war against the US as a US citizen is treason, but so is aiding enemies of the US. A war is not required to have an enemy, and it's not by any means a stretch to say that Osama bin Laden for instance was an enemy.

    47. Re:Treason.. or... by flayzernax · · Score: 1

      the warrants don't need to be public. but they should be available for anyone who bothers to request them. They should not be available via any 3rd party non-government agency, for a fee, easily search able.

      But if you call Langley, they should have to tell you. We have a right to know these things. People who already do bad shit already have more subversive ways then rot13 on the web.

      All this shit does is let the NSA catch you by association, subvert your contacts, and put you on a fucking blacklist.

    48. Re:Treason.. or... by Jason+Levine · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Sadly, the "giving them aid or comfort" part has been expanded to include virtually anything. Do you oppose NSA spying? Well, by doing so you "give aid and comfort" to terrorists since your opposition might disrupt something that could have thwarted the terrorists' plans. If you don't get in line like a good little patriot and keep your mouth quiet, you're a traitor.

      --
      My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
    49. Re:Treason.. or... by flayzernax · · Score: 1

      Its a far better civil method to let people oversee what is going on then the all out rebellion which we are heading towards. And a duty of our civil servants to uphold our civil power and individual control in our government and law enforcement.

      Heck its a duty that should be mandated through class in school. Everyone should be educated as to the reach and breadth of the governments power. And their options in dealing with it. Regardless of "what it may be used for".

      Part of living in a free society. If your to fearful to do with that, you may well move to Pakistan or India where you can deal with government officials who may or may not protect you depending on your social status, class, income, gender, ethnicity, bribery level.

    50. Re:Treason.. or... by Eskarel · · Score: 1

      Several million years of human history show that people very rarely take consequences for things they don't have to, but if you feel like being scientific go ahead, ask as many people as you like, find one who says they'd do otherwise.

      Heck I'll ask right here, is there one single person reading this who would leave the evidence for the cops to show up and find if they got notice they were coming?

    51. Re:Treason.. or... by Eskarel · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The warrants shouldn't be public. No warrants should actually be public. That's a horrendous breach of the privacy of the subject of the warrant. Imagine you get searched for kiddie porn and they don't find anything, releasing that warrant to the public would damage you horribly.

      The subject should have a right to see the warrant and the evidence used to issue it. We should know how many warrants are being filed, but never what they're actually for.

    52. Re:Treason.. or... by hoeferbe · · Score: 1

      Since these warrants tend to be used for national security investigations, such as into spying and terrorism, how to you think that telling people they are being investigated isn't a bad thing?

      I think the story mixes FISA warrants and Patriot Act National Security Letters (NSLs). I don't know about FISA warrants, but I've read that recipients of NSLs are forbidden from saying anything to anyone about having received them. I would not be surprised to learn the Federal government claims the same authority for FISA warrants.

      Recipients of these NSLs and FISA warrants are not complaining because they cannot tell the subject of the investigation. They are complaining about the gag order -- even to the extent that they cannot publish statistics on how many government requests they've received.

    53. Re:Treason.. or... by zidium · · Score: 1

      "ITM" means?

      --
      Slashdot Valentines Beta Massacre: iT WORKED! The boycotts killed Beta!!
    54. Re:Treason.. or... by Swampash · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "Oer the laaaaaand of the sheep, and the hooooooome of the whipped"

    55. Re:Treason.. or... by zidium · · Score: 1

      Or they claim you simply haven't been "damaged" by their willful disregard for the document.

      Why? Because, Citizen, you were not a signer of it. You're 250 years too late to have Constitutional Rights! The [second] 13th Amendment turned you from a sovereign into a Citizen Slave.

      Congrats! We're all equal in slavery, just few of us realize it ;-/

      --
      Slashdot Valentines Beta Massacre: iT WORKED! The boycotts killed Beta!!
    56. Re:Treason.. or... by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

      They would if there was some fatal terrorist attack between now and trial where the terrorists used Yahoo (even if there was no request for their information given to Yahoo).

    57. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No one is going to fucking rebel. Are you delusional or just youthful?

      People don't even fucking know what the Fourth of July is about or even who we fought for independence from, or why.

      THEY DON'T CARE!

      You, me, other people on Slashdot? We're in the VERY FRINGE minority. We should just jump ship and bail this godforsaken wasteland.

      BTFD!

    58. Re:Treason.. or... by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

      If the secrecy was solely for maintenance of evidence, why are they not allowed to talk about aggregate numbers, or discuss them after the investigations are closed?

      I'll give you a hint. It's not about the maintenance of evidence. It's about causing fear (in both the voting population and the purported criminals).

    59. Re:Treason.. or... by Desler · · Score: 1

      Since these warrants tend to be used for national security investigations, such as into spying and terrorism, how to you think that telling people they are being investigated isn't a bad thing?

      Because there is no oversight that the warrants are only for those purposes?

    60. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There is a flaw in your argument. After they have executed that warrant there is no reason to maintain secrecy as they have done their search. If you are saying that every single search warrant is an ongoing search that will never end then it is just trickery.
      As a member of the SlashStaffel SS, we are ordered to search out and report people who interefere with a company that makes profit and if it does not make profit , it cannot pay taxes and the governnment cannot operate to root out terrosists and this would give aid and comfort to the enemy. As a result your actions will be considered treason and the SlashStaffel must respond by making reports that we have information that a person has commited treason.
      I beleive that in this case you are using this argumentative technique and it implys that you are being purposefully obtuse through emnity or perhaps you are intellectually challenged. If it is the latter then I apoligize for highlighting your condition.
      Specious logic is like sewage, it clogs up rational discussion.

    61. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Sadly, the "giving them aid or comfort" part has been expanded to include virtually anything.

      Yeah, I would agree. It could even include the most obvious and blatant things...you know, like supplying arms to other countries.

      Yes Government, ain't it a bitch when that shoe just slips right on the other foot with ease. Tends to make the egg on your face a bit harder to wash off.

    62. Re: Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why don't we just declare war on war? By definition this would be a war with no end. And anyone who opposed it would obviously be a traitor. Shock and awe ... some!

    63. Re:Treason.. or... by grumpyman · · Score: 1

      Duuude, it's all about war on terror man.

    64. Re:Treason.. or... by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

      And seems many of those were treasons against a state, or later reversed or pardoned. The number of federal treason cases that stood looks to be about 7, and most of those during actual wars (Civil and WWII being the big two).

    65. Re:Treason.. or... by flayzernax · · Score: 1

      They will when their starving to death in the gutter. Well not against the people in power. But we'll turn on eachother =/

      I know I was stating obvious and old rhetoric, which is not the normative opinion around anymore. But one can only hope that somehow my voice is added to the collective. While we have the time and the networks to permit it.

      One can be hopeful. Though I don't disagree. This will be a bad trainwreck long before any kind of rebellions. Maybe even lasting a century or more. I don't know. I'm not a futurist or particularly educated.

      But I do see the ham in my local grocery store valued at $61+ for a few pounds (lb) the fact that that company selling that particular brand of ham can even afford to price that way is a good indication of how bad things from a perspective of someone who remembers that ham costing $10 or less. Not that long ago.

      I suppose I am a bit niave, and I had a late start in life securing my future so I will probably be one of the people to pay for our hubris en masse. Can't say for sure though. I know I have slashdot and the internet at my fingertips and this is where I try, on occasion. To be a participant in civil matters =)

    66. Re:Treason.. or... by Keen+Anthony · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Not. There isn't a difference. You don't call someone a bimbo for saying or doing something stupid; you call them a bimbo when you have written them off as a stupid person. Furthermore, you don't use bimbo when referring to a stupid male, you use it when referring to a stupid female. And you use it to particularly address the fact that a stupid person is a woman. It is a label that has a legacy of having been used to deride and reduce women in the workplace for decades. Maybe you don't take offense to it, but that's on you. Civilized people do, and surely, there are words that offend you.

    67. Re:Treason.. or... by cavreader · · Score: 1

      When Congress is creates new laws they use in-house lawyers review the proposed law and make sure there are no obvious legal mistakes. That doesn't mean the law is legal. The real test comes when someone is actually charged with violating the law and goes to court to challenge the law. The Judicial branch can invalidate the entire law or strike down just certain provisions of the law. The Judicial branch has the final word not the Legislative branch. This has already happened to the Patriot Act. A professor in Florida was charged with violating certain Patriot Act provisions and the court ruled the Patriot Act provisions invalid and the government had to drop their case because there was no evidence.

    68. Re:Treason.. or... by Bengie · · Score: 1

      If it's not public, you can't fight it.

    69. Re:Treason.. or... by flayzernax · · Score: 1

      Yep.

    70. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      How can you not understand that bimbo is offensive in any context that has it applied to a woman?

      You are astonishingly ignorant if you don't know why you are so very wrong to call a successful woman like Marissa Meyer a bimbo.
      This ignorance is a sign of immaturity, hence that is why you are told to "grow up".

      I'll explain it for you.
      When someone says something that you think is wrong, then you say "That is wrong and this is why it is wrong."
      You can even say that the statement is "stupid" when it is made in disregard of reason and facts. Merely being wrong about something when there is some supporting evidence is not "stupid".
      If she made a number of un-reasoning and contra-factual statements (or actions) in varying contexts, then you could state that she is stupid.

      You used this phrase: "if she believes ..., then she's a dumbass bimbo". You used the word "bimbo" as a personal attack against a person, and "bimbo" falls into a group of pejoratives that are used as attacks against classes of people who are discriminated against in the same fashion that racial epithets are used.
      One thing that I am very certain of is that Marissa Meyer is neither vacuous nor stupid. Also. I suspect it's most unlikely that she's overly interested in her sex appeal, boys, and clothing which are among the connotations of bimbo.
      She made one statement that is probably wrong. However, it is quite possible that the government attorneys involved in the court case used the word treason regarding Yahoo's non-compliance with the various acts mentioned. I don't know; I wasn't there so I give her the benefit of the doubt. Were you there?
      The word "bimbo" simply" does not apply to her, so the only reason I can imagine someone would call her a bimbo is to demean her status as a person using an attack based on her gender.

      Now, as for this: "Too many people take too much god damn offense from words".
      There is a reason why people take offense against words. It is because so much offense has been done using words.

      I'm speaking as an old person who had a grandmother who could not legally vote when she was a young woman, whose mother was alive in a time when women were not allowed to purchase property in their own name without a husband's signature, when the only women allowed into law or medical school were exceptions granted to some influential person's daughter. The only jobs open to women were teaching and secretary unless dad owned the company.
      I have a wife with a sky-high IQ that could not attend the college of her choice because almost no science/technical schools accepted women at that time. And I'm well aware of the struggles my daughter had as a physics major from professors who refused to acknowledge she even existed.

      I know, I'm an old hippie going whine whine fuss moan about the bad old days way back when. But here's my point:
      Those days are not over, and they're not over because of immature assholes like you.
      Shut the fuck up until you have grown up.

    71. Re:Treason.. or... by foniksonik · · Score: 5, Insightful

      She has a duty to the shareholders of Yahoo to do what is best for them.

      Right now at this time it appears that the best interests are served by complying.

      If you want corporations to fight, buy shares - get a group together to buy more shares, buy up all of the companies that run the infrastructure of the country, then use them to fight a proxy war with the current federal government.

      Vote with your wallets. Vote with organization. Just hope that the new masters (whomever ends up with controlling interest) are better than what we have now.

      --
      A fool throws a stone into a well and a thousand sages can not remove it.
    72. Re:Treason.. or... by noh8rz10 · · Score: 1

      i can say for certain that I would do otherwise. I'm not going to hide behind some "dog ate my homework" shield. I fight and win my battles in the court of law, not court of Law and Order!

    73. Re:Treason.. or... by noh8rz10 · · Score: 1

      Several million years of human history show that people very rarely take consequences for things they don't have to

      also btdubs there are only 5,000 years of human history, because history by its very definition is a recorded catalog of events. No writing, no history. everything else is pre-historic.

    74. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Statistically, China is the new norm...

    75. Re:Treason.. or... by gagol · · Score: 1

      Dear troll, given the extent of constitutional abuse, internation law vilations, and terrorist organisations support this US government was/is engaged in, fighting it is the only sensible thing to do.

      --
      Tomorrow is another day...
    76. Re:Treason.. or... by gagol · · Score: 1

      human history (history start with written records of some sort) dates back to around 15000bc, hardly million years... way to botch an argument.

      --
      Tomorrow is another day...
    77. Re:Treason.. or... by gagol · · Score: 1

      Probable cause and a healty judge should resolve that issue. It worked well for decades, let's get back to it.

      --
      Tomorrow is another day...
    78. Re:Treason.. or... by LMariachi · · Score: 2

      I realize she likely hasn’t sworn any oath to uphold the Constitution, regardless I think her duty to its principles eclipses her duty to Yahoo’s shareholders.

    79. Re:Treason.. or... by Somebody+Is+Using+My · · Score: 5, Insightful

      She has a duty to the shareholders of Yahoo to do what is best for them.

      And as an American, she also has a duty to her nation and her fellow citizens.
      A nation founded on ideals expressed in its written Constitution, over which the NSA secret courts trample.
      Her association with a corporation does not excuse her from that responsibility.

      Nobody should ever be excused of working against the citizenry of this country simply because the profits of a corporation and its select shareholders were at risk.

      Now, in this particular case, Ms Mayer seems to indicate that she is opposed to the orders and - through her organization - has fought these orders in court. Unfortunately, the courts ruled against her and Yahoo decided to obey the court orders. And despite her poor choice of words regarding the reasoning for her actions following the court's decision (e.g., "treason"), I'd even be willing to believe that she - and Yahoo - will continue to "fight the good fight", for whatever reason. So it seems that this is not just a case of protecting Yahoo shareholders and that's a good thing..

      But the idea that the sole responsibility CEOs have is to their corporate masters needs to die.

    80. Re:Treason.. or... by celle · · Score: 3, Interesting

      "the feds can declare your argument "frivolous" and ignore it."

          She just has to blast it on millions of computer screens. They won't be able to ignore the political outrage from the public over trying to jail a woman with a baby that is fighting government tyranny. Secret agencies and courts tend to fade away from scrutiny by the general public.

      PS
            I keep getting the feeling that hollywood was trying to tell us about this for decades but we weren't listening because we thought it was entertainment and wouldn't believe it would happen to us. The movies of the last few decades sure described a lot of the current issues. Either that or hollywood was trying to program us to be insensitive to the changes.

    81. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      No you won't. You lost that war on September 11th, 2001, you just don't realise it.

    82. Re:Treason.. or... by celle · · Score: 1

      " and being in contempt of a secret court if you refuse to do so or talk about it, is the slippery slope we've slid down."

          And it is the duty of every american citizen to challenge and defeat such tyranny at every turn. The true treason is bending over for it.

    83. Re:Treason.. or... by gagol · · Score: 0

      Everybody talks about it like Yahoo have some relevance today...

      --
      Tomorrow is another day...
    84. Re:Treason.. or... by flayzernax · · Score: 1

      Thats great, when you can talk to the judge about it, especially at least after the fact. And hold those judges accountable, in public.

    85. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Irish Traditional Music

    86. Re:Treason.. or... by Pseudonym · · Score: 1

      Heck I'll ask right here, is there one single person reading this who would leave the evidence for the cops to show up and find if they got notice they were coming?

      Surely that would depend on the situation. If the plan was to challenge a bad law, I'd put the evidence in plain view and tip off the authorities myself.

      --
      sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f(q{sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f});
    87. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except when they don't. Have you *read* the Patriot Act? Or reviewed the Guantanamo abuses by the US, or the behavior of the US military at Abu Ghraib, or the history of McCarthism, the imprisonment of the Nisei, or Hoover's political abuse of the FBI's powers? Have you ever been stopped by a cop who wanted to search you for no reason because you "look wrong", and pulls some amazing excuse out of their ass to search you and arrest you? Have you looked at modern "confiscation corridors", were rather than blocking the drug traffic police simply confiscate the money they can find on returning drug dealers?

    88. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That loophole would mean no citizen would have to abide by any Treaties they didn't sign, either.

    89. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you want corporations to fight, buy shares - get a group together to buy more shares, buy up all of the companies that run the infrastructure of the country, then use them to fight a proxy war with the current federal government.

      Vote with your wallets.

      If you can't see why this is not viable, you're a moron. Starting from the fact that 1% of the US population has the majority of the wealth.

    90. Re:Treason.. or... by JonBoy47 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The US has no equivalent of the UK's "Official Secrets Act". By definition, one cannot unlawfully disclose classified information unless one has been "indoctrinated" (i.e. granted a security clearance). A necessary part of that process is the signing of a non-disclosure agreement whereby one agrees to be held criminally liable for unauthorized disclosure. Absent such an NDA and security indocrination, the possession and/or dissemination of classified information is perfectly legal. Note how all legal scrutiny in the Snowden case (at least in the US) is directed against Snowden himself, and not at all against any of the news outlets that used him as a source. An interesting way to "civilly disobey" would be to have all employees refuse to accept the security clearance (that the NSA would require as part of their collaboration) when the NSA comes calling.

    91. Re: Treason.. or... by shentino · · Score: 1

      I can't, there's a patent on that.

    92. Re:Treason.. or... by Tempest451 · · Score: 1

      "Refusing a search w/o a *proper* warrant is not treason. Secret court generated 'warrants' do not count as being proper by any stretch of common law." Apparently they do count.

    93. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Let's take an unreasonable NSA-like view of the Constitution though:

      >Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them,

      War is war on terror. We'll argue that war is only declared war against a defined enemy, but Unreasonable NSA says it's any terrorist.

      >or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort

      Yahoo, says the NSA in our hypothetical, is giving aid to enemy communications by allowing them private e-mail. They are willingly helping Enemies coordinate and plot out terror.

      >No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.

      Well, this is easy to satisfy since everyone working there knows what they are doing, more or less.

      >The Congress shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted.

      Ok, again, this is the punishment.

      So there you have it: Unreasonable NSA makes an argument for treason against anyone who hides e-mails from foreign nationals.

    94. Re:Treason.. or... by Damouze · · Score: 2

      Assange can't be charged with treason in the USA, because he is not an American citizen.

      --
      And on the Eighth Day, Man created God.
    95. Re:Treason.. or... by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      The Patriot Act still falls ***under*** constitutional rights :)
      The interesting aspect about all the domestic abuses is that skilled US lawyers will notice the colour of law efforts and go to court.
      Over time the lawyers will win.
      What are the options? Extra laws and more lost court cases?
      More gag orders? More federally security cleared legal teams for state courts?
      As any political system doubles down with yet more security laws the more clear abuse becomes to all.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    96. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      so... you're saying you have no clue what treason is?

    97. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Refusing to comply with a government order" is not a "Failure to take some action."

      The only question is, whether your action is legal or illegal. If the government order is illegal, then refusing to comply with it is completely legal and perhaps even laudable. If the government order is legal, then you may very well find yourself charged with treason, or other crimes, for your failure to act when obligated to.

      I don't know what you do during the day, but I sure hope it's not law.

    98. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Failing to comply with the government order COULD result in you "adhering to the enemies [of the United States], giving them Aid and Comfort."

      How?

      "Give us the records for that terrorist operative."
      "No."

      And right there, you've just committed an act that gives aid and comfort to enemies of the United States.

      Congratulations, traitor.

    99. Re:Treason.. or... by Clsid · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Which is way Assange's case is so hilarious. The US is blaming a foreigner for breaking US laws and trying to get him extradited. And the weirdest part is that the breaking the law was just acting like a newspaper.

    100. Re:Treason.. or... by Seumas · · Score: 1

      Standing up and risking fines or imprisonment is for the little guy. The citizen. We can't have CEOs of the largest corporations in the world making this sort of righteous stand. It's not like they could muster the resources to publicize what was happening to them, or fund a defense team, or a lobbying team to work on their behalf, or have powerful connections to help them. And it's certainly not like you would muster up intense support and loyalty from customers, future customers, and everyone in general by taking such a meaningful stand.

      Nope. Keep your mouth shut. Keep your $500/hr shiatsu massages in your corporate office, and shrug a big dumb brainless don't-give-a-shit shrug when it is revealed that your entire company bent over every time the government demanded it.

      PS: It isn't "treason", just because you do something the government doesn't like.

    101. Re:Treason.. or... by Seumas · · Score: 2

      MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

    102. Re:Treason.. or... by Myu · · Score: 1

      Fuck off.

      --
      Myu: ... The map's upside down...
    103. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Marissa Meyer should marry Steve Ballmer. They can be mediocre together.

    104. Re:Treason.. or... by Forever+Wondering · · Score: 1

      More likely obstruction of justice or some such.

      A person with a security clearance revealing classified information [to another person] is treason. But, the receipt of such information is not [although a stretch, some cases have tried to charge the receiver under the Espionage Act, even though they are U.S. citizens].

      Side note to U.K. citizens (the ones that [still] insist they don't need a formal constitution), receipt of classified information is treated exactly as disclosing it under "The Official Secrets Act" [IIRC].

      However, "aid and comfort" might cover Meyer's assertion (e.g. failure to comply gives "aid and comfort" to an enemy) ala harboring a fugitive [electronically speaking].

      In any case, it really is time to say: Enough is enough ...

      --
      Like a good neighbor, fsck is there ...
    105. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Since these warrants tend to be used for national security investigations, such as into spying and terrorism, how to you think that telling people they are being investigated isn't a bad thing?

      It is hard to argue with that, but perhaps you could kindly explain why absolutely everyone who is communicating is being investigated? Is everyone who communicates really a spy and a terrorist or do you think perhaps something else just might be going on?

    106. Re:Treason.. or... by davester666 · · Score: 1

      Just phase one.

      --
      Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
    107. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't think you need to give him a hint. Read some of his comments: he is very familiar with fear.

    108. Re:Treason.. or... by kermidge · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "Secret courts and secret laws are an existential threat to democratic society...."

      By which I take it to mean that since we do have secret laws and secret courts then we do not have a democratic society, only some of its superficial trappings.

    109. Re:Treason.. or... by bickerdyke · · Score: 1

      No one cares if it IS treason or not if it will land you in jail for treason.

      --
      bickerdyke
    110. Re:Treason.. or... by bickerdyke · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Oh... so now you need to be actually convicted of treason to be jailed up for it?

      Or rather: how would you know if no one has been convicted when trials can be held in secret court?

      --
      bickerdyke
    111. Re:Treason.. or... by bickerdyke · · Score: 1

      Right now at this time it appears that the best interests are served by complying.

      In her defense (and all other companies): Complying to law enforcement requests should be in everyones best intrest. It was a sad day when we had to start to doubt that.

      --
      bickerdyke
    112. Re:Treason.. or... by kermidge · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Either way, you've got the best P.S. I've seen in a long while. Sci-fi writers had some of this long before Hollywood, but who takes that seriously? Other than some of us, maybe.

      Perhaps it doesn't matter; I've the scary thought that even if the bulk of the populace got angry and demanded an end to such practice that it would make no difference to outcome.

      It used to be that legislators tended to behave well in being responsive to their constituents in order to get the votes to get re-elected; now I suspect they have more fear of having the past five or ten years of their emails and phone calls outed than they fear having to return to private life to try to make an honest living.

    113. Re:Treason.. or... by bickerdyke · · Score: 1

      That said, claiming that people won't dispose of evidence if given the opportunity to do so is idiotc.

      I call BS.

      Why should someone risk to get charged with destruction of evidence, when it's evidence against someone else?

      It's not like we have a warrant to search for something that would put you in jail.

      --
      bickerdyke
    114. Re:Treason.. or... by bickerdyke · · Score: 2

      So the gouverment can basically CHOOSE the lawyers you can or can't hire by granting or revoking security clearances?

      --
      bickerdyke
    115. Re:Treason.. or... by arobatino · · Score: 4, Informative

      Snowden didn't commit treason either. In 1945 the Supreme Court ruled that treason requires adhering to a specific enemy, which neither of them did.

    116. Re:Treason.. or... by Tastecicles · · Score: 1

      Isn't the very fact of recent disclosures by the US Government (to whit; that they are giving aid and comfort to the Enemy - by their own definition, elements of al Qaeda "known" to be working alongside Syrian rebels), an overt admission of treason?

      Or is that a vexation, to be ignored by the Judicial branch?

      --
      Operation Guillotine is in effect.
    117. Re:Treason.. or... by Tastecicles · · Score: 1

      Failure to act on an awareness of a treasonous act is an offence, it is known as misprision.
      Failure to comply with an unlawful order, instruction or request is not treason. It shows the highest respect for the Law.
      Refusal to comply with an order from a Government agency which has time and again showed itself to be self-appointed superjudicial is entirely in keeping with one of the oldest Constitutional documents in existence, one which like it or not, citizens and Government of the United States are still subject to: Magna Carta. Specifically, clause 61, which in a small nutshell obligates any individual or group who are aware of the unlawfulness of a Law or Statute to disobey that Law or Statute and to seek redress.

      --
      Operation Guillotine is in effect.
    118. Re:Treason.. or... by ImOuttaHere · · Score: 2

      Ideology, meet reality.

      Give us an example where a corporation has ever acted based on the ideals set forth in the Constitution. Law? Likely. Secret judge orders? Highly likely. Constitution? Unlikely.

      Corporations are constantly working against the citizenry of the USA to ensure higher profits for shareholders. They move your jobs to China. They keep profits off-shore to avoid paying taxes. They sit on TARP monies that you, the taxpayer, gave them because they are too large to fail (instead of investing it in hiring US citizens or product R&D). They launder drug monies (banks, at least) and no one goes to jail. They write laws that your government enacts, to corporate benefit. They receive huge tax breaks at middle-class taxpayer expense.

      While I'm not saying Yahoo is doing any of these dastardly things, I am stressing the absurdity that corporations would do anything buy work in their own self interest. Ideologies be damned!

      She has a duty to the shareholders of Yahoo to do what is best for them.

      And as an American, she also has a duty to her nation and her fellow citizens. A nation founded on ideals expressed in its written Constitution, over which the NSA secret courts trample. Her association with a corporation does not excuse her from that responsibility.

      Nobody should ever be excused of working against the citizenry of this country simply because the profits of a corporation and its select shareholders were at risk.

    119. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      , then she's a dumbass bimbo

      What are you, a 14-year old that is already sexist?

    120. Re:Treason.. or... by Xest · · Score: 1

      I'm intrigued. What if she agreed with Microsoft, Apple, Google, to all ignore the NSA's requests and release said documents. Would the government really dare destroy one of the most important pillars of it's economy, the tech industry?

      Doing so would be in the interests of shareholders too as the current setup costs these companies heavily in money and reputation.

    121. Re:Treason.. or... by Tastecicles · · Score: 1

      Try 6,627 years. But, point taken.

      (from what I remember in school, the oldest writings are in Mandarin and date back to what is essentially the dawn of recorded history, specific dating using current calendar system gives us a start date of January 1 4613BCE).

      --
      Operation Guillotine is in effect.
    122. Re:Treason.. or... by Lennie · · Score: 1

      I'm sure things will improve for them now they have a new logo ;-)

      --
      New things are always on the horizon
    123. Re:Treason.. or... by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1

      Well, you have to begin somewhere.

    124. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I would also like to take this time to state that I am sick and god damned tired of sexist trolls like yourself using terms like "bimbo" because you disagree with what someone has said. Grow the fuck up.

      I would also like to take this time to state that I am sick and god damned tired of racist trolls like yourself using terms like "sexist trolls" because you disagree with what someone has said. Grow the fuck up.

      Of course, calling you a racist doesn't make a lot of sense, since what you said isn't racist. I'll leave it to you to figure out what the point is, but I'll give you a hint: is calling someone a dick sexist?

    125. Re:Treason.. or... by RabidReindeer · · Score: 1

      We're talking about the federal government here. It no longer has to abide by this "Constitution you speak of, and if you invoke it in a court case, the feds can declare your argument "frivolous" and ignore it.

      Just invoke National Security. A flag can be used to cover anything.

    126. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The search warrant is a legal document that makes it possible for you to verify that the police officer has a legal right to enter your property and aren't trespassing.
      You should never take a such a paper at face value since it could be a counterfeit one. The police officer could also be a burglar/murderer/rapist that is dressed up as a cop.
      Whenever a cop shows up with a search warrant you have two ways to safely handle it. If you trust your local police force you can call the police station and ask if one of their officers (or that particular officer) is at your door, otherwise you have to report that someone is impersonating a police officer.
      If you don't trust your local police force you should read the search warrant and find the judge who issued it. Contact the judge to verify the warrant. If the judge is made up or claims that he/she never issued the search warrant your will have to try the previous approach and hope that your local police force aren't as corrupt as you think.

      Regardless, never trust a search warrant that can't be verified by official means, it is way more likely that some criminals are trying to be clever than that a secret court is out to get you. If an unidentifiable person with an unverifiable paper is trying to break into your home then I'm pretty sure that you are allowed to act in self defense and shoot him.

    127. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you call a man a dick, you're saying that you've written him off as a rude person that no civilized person would want to associate with. Then there's a mamma's boy, a man whose will has been replaced with that of his mother's. By using such words, probably you're being an asshole, but are you being sexist? If so, you've reduced the word sexist to such a general thing that it's lost all meaning.

      Labels such as mamma's boy and dick have a legacy of having been used to deride and reduce certain people (men) in the workplace and in other places for decades. Any negative word has such a legacy - otherwise it wouldn't be a negative word! It is your particular and strange choice of perspective that makes you pull out the sexist card whenever you hear a negative word that happens to be about women, yet you don't do the same thing about negative words about men.

      I too think that calling people bimbo's is a bad thing to do - but it's not sexist. It's also not racist. Words have meanings. You can disagree with someone or think badly about them without making things up.

    128. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Since they aren't the suspects, letting them inform other people that there is an investigation going on about them would interfere with what is a highly sensitive investigation.

      No one is suggesting that Yahoo should be informing the people being investigated at the time of the search. You are attacking a straw man.

    129. Re:Treason.. or... by MysteriousPreacher · · Score: 3, Funny

      Snowden didn't commit treason either. In 1945 the Supreme Court ruled that treason requires adhering to a specific enemy, which neither of them did.

      I'm sure Obama would argue that Snowden has sided with Terror(TM). Is that specific enough for you?

      --
      -- Using the preview button since 2005
    130. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you call them a bimbo when you have written them off as a stupid person

      Just curious: What term should the person who posted the comment have used if in fact writing her off as a stupid person and/or indicating disrespect was the intention? Or are we all obligated to automatically respect someone and never say offensive things just because of that person being female now?

    131. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      She has a duty to the shareholders of Yahoo to do what is best for them.

      And as an American, she also has a duty to her nation and her fellow citizens.

      I find it puzzling that the one party nobody expects to serve a duty to their nation and their fellow citizens is the government. After all, the government is constituted of people who have sworn to uphold the constitution. Yet people expect the Yahoo CEO to do a better job at that than the elected government. With that expectation, wouldn't it be logical to dissolve the government and replace it by Yahoo?

      I'm sure Jonathan Swift would consider a country run by yahoos an interesting interpretation of his writings, but why do people not hold the government accountable for its job description?

    132. Re:Treason.. or... by quadrox · · Score: 2

      Oh yeah, that approach sure worked out for Manning and Snowden. Thank god public outraged ensured that they are now sitting peacefully at home in the US, not in prison or exile.

    133. Re:Treason.. or... by dwpro · · Score: 1

      That's fucking stupid. Is calling someone a dick then a gender specific derision that gets you similarly offended? "Civilized people" (there's a loaded term, hope you weren't saying that to someone of color) don't get offended by what random schmoes (see what I did there?) say on the internet.

      --
      Millions long for immortality who do not know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon. -- Susan Ertz
    134. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We will keep the fire of "Terror" burning, to justify our existence. Our Saudi "allies" will play the agent provocateur.

    135. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Some Americans can actually feel free. They have rifles called "Topol M".

    136. Re:Treason.. or... by Hypotensive · · Score: 1

      The NSA will say that the Enemies of the United States are those that decline to cooperate with the NSA.

    137. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      heh, silly person. It's not the government you need to fight.

    138. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Secret courts are a quality aspect of Spanish Justice. As in "Spanish Inquisition". My dear Americans, Karma reminds you of your shitty behaviour relative to lots of peoples. Now you behave shittily against yourselves. Deserved.

    139. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Treason my ass. They had the opportinity to grow a set and challenge that notion. The only thin g they would need to be prepared for the conflict.

    140. Re:Treason.. or... by myowntrueself · · Score: 1

      What I'm wondering is; where does an NSL get sent? What form does it take? Is it literaly a letter on paper? Can the company which is the subject of such a letter ensure that it is sent to an address outside of the USA? If so then whats to say the letter gets intercepted by some third party, opened and leaked, before it arrives at its addressee?

      --
      In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
    141. Re:Treason.. or... by dissy · · Score: 1

      You have 11 replies already, so probably won't even see this.
      But I am surprised no one has brought up the total lack of verification.

      Case A - The real CIA/FBI use a NSA secret warrant to search a suspected kidnappers home. He/she can't consult a lawyer since that is treason. They can't verify the warrant since that is treason. They have no real way to tell it is real, so will likely act naturally and suspect a home invasion and begin shooting.

      Case B - You get visited in the night by me and my friends dressed as cops/agents waving a laser printed NSA order in your face and informing you discussing it with anyone including lawyers results in life imprisonment.
      We proceed to steal your belongings, shoot your dog, and kidnap your wife.

      These are both things you argue should be OK.

      In case A, you just made the world morally side with a kidnapper, and made it morally OK to shoot cops. Good job.
      In case B, your cowardliness results in a lack of worldly possessions, killing and taking those whom you love to do worse things to, and you won't even go to report these horrible crimes for fear of going to prison for life...

      Is this really the type of world you want to be arguing in favor of?

    142. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't forget "douche". When used to refer to a person (almost exclusively male), it means the man isn't quite a jerk, but is so socially aggressive as to be socially inept and you feel embarrassed for him.

    143. Re:Treason.. or... by Rob+the+Bold · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Assange can't be charged with treason in the USA, because he is not an American citizen.

      There's plenty of stuff happened lately that can't happen.

      --
      I am not a crackpot.
    144. Re:Treason.. or... by Midnight+Thunder · · Score: 1

      Didn't Obama declare the war on terror as being over?

      And Bush said the war in Iraq was won.

      My cynical side says its politicians doing what politicians do, no matter what their political background is. They all want to paint themselves as being great leaders, yet it is history that ultimately decides.

      --
      Jumpstart the tartan drive.
    145. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How can you not understand that bimbo is offensive in any context that has it applied to a woman?

      You're never gonna get anywhere trying to explain anything that involves hurt, feelings, social interaction, or humanity in general to a Slashdot Aspie. Save your energy.

      See sibling post for example.

    146. Re:Treason.. or... by Deekin_Scalesinger · · Score: 1

      Into The Matrix

      --
      "As the intrepid kobold companion continues his journey, he begins to wonder... if priests raises dead, why anybody die?
    147. Re:Treason.. or... by trytoguess · · Score: 2

      Sigh.. nope. Calling someone a bimbo is still dismissing their POV by basically saying her gender is somehow relevant to her lack of intelligence. Would you say a guy who you disagreed with is a "dudebro" or a "himbo?" So why does it somehow become a legitimate thing to say to women?

      Also... for the love of god, freedom of speech applies to government censorship, individuals can and will tell you your choice of words are stupid and ask that you change them.

      Finally, dunno about the previous anon, but I knew the stats you mentioned. I also know that other groups like the Asians and Jews are also doing better than the average white American. Wanna argue it's ok to call a Chinese person a chink now? Mayhap call a Jewish person a hook nosed miser? Somehow I don't really think you would. Why are women exempt?

      ~ Another Anon

    148. Re:Treason.. or... by Rob+the+Bold · · Score: 1

      She has a duty to the shareholders of Yahoo to do what is best for them.

      And as an American, she also has a duty to her nation and her fellow citizens.

      There's good money to be made doing the former. Not so much the latter. Follow the money and you'll find their values. Feels like I've heard that before somewhere. I'll come to me . . .

      And besides, if she does the latter, she''ll be replaced with someone else. The ratio of people highly motivated by money to CEO positions is too high.

      I'd like to change it, too, but people with more money than me disagree. And they got rich by doing what I disagree with. So there we go, I don't expect any change without drastic upheaval.

      --
      I am not a crackpot.
    149. Re: Treason.. or... by mitcheli · · Score: 1

      Yahoo holds email for a great number of people. That is a great deal of data just lying around. Yahoo holds a fair bit of significance today.

      --
      Select from tblFriends where interesting >= 4;
    150. Re:Treason.. or... by drummerboybac · · Score: 1

      If you play fantasy sports or read the patch they do at least, as well as email I guess

    151. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Bimbo" did originally (though only briefly) refer to a stupid man, but that's a minor niggle.

    152. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I use the word "Bimbo" to refer to baked goods. So *nyah*.

      Specifically, the two-pack of Conchas reminds me of a bimbo wearing a seashell bikini. (Pics or it didn't happen.)

    153. Re: Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What a brilliant retort. You, sir, provide such articulated arguments for your position!

    154. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Would you like to know more?

    155. Re: Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He was talking about the people who were being investigated finding out.

    156. Re:Treason.. or... by LifesABeach · · Score: 1

      I can't help but wonder how Marissa Meyer could be a Traitor, a Liar and Thief, but not a Traitor.

    157. Re:Treason.. or... by CrimsonAvenger · · Score: 2

      Oh yeah, that approach sure worked out for Manning and Snowden. Thank god public outraged ensured that they are now sitting peacefully at home in the US, not in prison or exile.

      And while you're thinking about them, keep in mind that NEITHER of them were charged with treason....

      --

      "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
    158. Re:Treason.. or... by Ardeaem · · Score: 2

      Vote with your wallets. Vote with organization. Just hope that the new masters (whomever ends up with controlling interest) are better than what we have now.

      We're talking about fairly basic violations of the US Constitution here. If your solution is to "vote with your wallets" then everything is lost, because that means 1) you think basic guarantees are up for a vote, and 2) you've given up on the idea that one person is one vote. That means you're not *really* talking about voting any more; you're talking about *buying back* freedoms that we're supposed to be guaranteed. But when 1%-2% of people in the US own the majority of the wealth, you can't "vote with your wallet." Your vote is irrelevant, because your wealth is irrelevant (unless you happen to be in that tiny sliver of the population).

    159. Re:Treason.. or... by alexo · · Score: 1

      Furthermore, you don't use bimbo when referring to a stupid male, you use it when referring to a stupid female.

      Interestingly:
      The word bimbo derives itself from the Italian bimbo, derived from bambino a masculine-gender term that means (male) baby or very young (male) child (bimbo's feminine equivalent is bimba). Use of this term began in the United States as early as 1919, and was a slang word used to describe an unintelligent or brutish man.
      -- Wikipedia

    160. Re:Treason.. or... by operagost · · Score: 1

      No. You can have enemies without being at war with them. See: USSR and North Korea (although that's technically a cease-fire). There's nothing corrupt as long as we say who are enemies actually are.

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    161. Re:Treason.. or... by operagost · · Score: 1

      "Home of the blame" fits better both in verse and meaning.

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    162. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      RE:
      Just curious: What term should the person who posted the comment have used if in fact writing her off as a stupid person and/or indicating disrespect was the intention? Or are we all obligated to automatically respect someone and never say offensive things just because of that person being female now?

      Easy one.
      instead of "then she's a dumbass bimbo"
      use
      "then she's being stupid"

      regarding:
      Or are we all obligated to automatically respect someone and never say offensive things just because of that person being female now?
      Nope. We're obligated to respect others regardless of their gender or race partly because it's part of being an adult, and partly because saying offensive things prevents real problems from being discussed in way that obtains solutions.

      I have no problem with saying that some particular female is stupid, but what I have a problem with is using gender (or race) based insults that imply she's stupid due to being a female (or Polish, Italian, etc).
      Also, personal insults and racial diatribes are fine in forums that have to do with such things. I have no problem with what I see on 4chan, because, well, it's 4chan. This is Slashdot, and I would like the level of discourse to be set at a higher level.

    163. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      aint going to help none when they secretly try, secretly convict and secretly incarcerate you in a secret prison.

    164. Re:Treason.. or... by Peristaltic · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Honestly, what does it matter what you're charged with if the US government can hold you indefinitely in a concrete box for any reason (or no reason at all)?

    165. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      not a legal critter but I seem to remember the powers that be claim only a nation state can declare war? if that's the case then an individual cannot commit treason by 'levying war'

      of course if this is not true then all those in gitmo should be pows with rights etc.

    166. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Many US Presidents have committed treason while in office. but George H. W. Bush is notable as the only one to have already been guilty of it when (first) elected to office.

    167. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, they are executed by "accidents" in silence.

    168. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      dang, someone put their panties on a little tight today, didn't they. grow up, get a set and quit bitching like a little girl. sticks and stones, remember that one? it was kind of a kindergarten lesson. you know, the part about "names will never hurt me". I realize you're trying to make the other person look immature, but all you sensitive feeling, politically correct cry babies are 90% of the problem. For the love of all that is will you please just grow up.

    169. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In order to uphold this Constitution, it will be necessary to violate it.

    170. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No one in Gitmo has been convited of anything. Doesn't stop the government from throwing them in a cell and throwing away the key

    171. Re:Treason.. or... by DarthVain · · Score: 1

      Treason is only a drone strike away from terrorism.

    172. Re: Treason.. or... by s.petry · · Score: 1

      Why don't we just declare war on war? By definition this would be a war with no end. And anyone who opposed it would obviously be a traitor. Shock and awe ... some!

      Been there and done that. WW I was "the war to end all wars" remember? WW II had a similar sales pitch in certain markets.

      --

      -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

    173. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm well aware of the progress that women have made in recent years and the numbers you quoted, and having been close associates of men who did everything they legally could do to block women from fair treatment, and also having been an asshole myself before learning to pay attention to the effects of my words. I was college instructor (physics) for a while myself and I was close associates with men who specifically intended and took steps to prevent women from getting fair treatment.

      While the progress that you pointed out is relevant to your argument that I'm "out of date", there are still many people who believe that women's role is to be subservient to me, and the fact that progress has been made does not mean that it's OK to ignore abusive behavior.

      As for this statement:
        You're generalising a man now for the alleged sins of other men in the past.
      "alleged sins" of men in the past? You are not going to slip that one by.
      These sins are NOT alleged, they are real. That long list of wrongs I provided was for the sole purpose of explaining that I know what I'm talking about. It's part of why I react (yeah, I know, over-react) to these kind of things.

      In no way am I a feminist. I'm a southerner from the days of 100% segregation and still attempting to be a reformed racist, and I get just as exercised on casual racist insults and the anti-female thing.
       

    174. Re:Treason.. or... by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

      Legally, treason; morally, patriotism.

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    175. Re:Treason.. or... by scubamage · · Score: 1

      War is peace, duh.

    176. Re:Treason.. or... by scubamage · · Score: 2

      Marissa Meyer is easy on the eyes, and that is relevant. Right? Right?

    177. Re:Treason.. or... by s.petry · · Score: 1

      PS

      I keep getting the feeling that hollywood was trying to tell us about this for decades but we weren't listening because we thought it was entertainment and wouldn't believe it would happen to us. The movies of the last few decades sure described a lot of the current issues. Either that or hollywood was trying to program us to be insensitive to the changes.

      There is some counter thought to that which I find interesting (entertaining), though you may consider this too far off the map. The thoughts are along the lines of the take over of the US not being just about money but by occultists. In their doctrine, they must announce what they do before doing it. There are many people that look at events like the Super Bowl and try to determine what false flag events are going to occur because of the half time show. There are some youtube videos of Olympic game ceremonies that claim to show how 7/7 and 9/11 were predictable in the shows, or at least specific events within those tragedies were clearly shown ahead of time.

      I should add that if you are weak minded you probably would not do well digging into that information. Personally I'm a realist and believe that since we don't know "who" is running us into the ground or "why" no theory is proven. If we can overthrow the people pushing us toward Tyranny we will see who is right.

      An optimist claims the glass is half full, a pessimist claims the glass is half empty, the realist claims the glass is twice as large as it needs to be.

      --

      -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

    178. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If someone called me up and said "hey we've got a warrant to look for ______ we'll be round in half an hour" ______ would not be found in my home when they got there. I'm absolutely 100% sure that the same would be true of you and almost every single other person in this world.

      Not everyone is a total idiot. I personally am not interested in being arrested for obstruction or destruction of evidence. If I had committed any crimes, I doubt I could hide/destroy enough evidence to keep me out of jail in a few minutes. Generally, once they know you probably did something, you're screwed, if you really did do it.

      That said, normal warrants work just fine. The person being searched doesn't know it time and the public can find out what happened and decide if justice was being done. Secret warrants stay secret forever and become foul and nasty because they never see the light of day.

      These warrants are not secret to keep our enemies from figuring out what's going on. They are secret to keep the votes from knowing what's going on. Those who defend them are fighting against democracy. You can not have a democracy if the voters are kept in the dark about what the leaders are doing. I know what I think is treasonous.

    179. Re:Treason.. or... by Ralph+Wiggam · · Score: 2

      The US government hasn't charged Assange with anything or tried to have him extradited.

    180. Re:Treason.. or... by Raven42rac · · Score: 1

      I feel like this is kind of misleading, I get the impression Ms. Meyer is matter of factly stating the opinions the courts have come to and the ways the laws currently exist, and not providing a personal opinion. /. isn't journalism, it's a blog, but misleading sensationalist titles are pretty good clickbait. Worked on me.

      --
      I hate sigs.
    181. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Same anon you're replying to.

      There are lots of males insulting each other on this site, why don't you step in each time, conflating their arguments to racism ? Calling CEOs insulting names nearly always happens in the first few comments, the insults often harsher than 'bimbo'.

      Why are women a special case ? Have you asked any male-male commenters to change their words ?

      Benevolent sexism is over defending the female, it comes from a deep disrespect for women's abilities and a belief they're incapable of doing it themselves. If she's here, she can say something, if not, there's no victim apart from your sensibilities.

    182. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So sending arms and/or other aid to Al Qaeda (sp?) in Syria would count as treason then...

    183. Re:Treason.. or... by ChrisMaple · · Score: 1

      Assange can't be charged with treason in the USA, because he is not an American citizen.

      That's a non sequitur. The Constitutional definition of treason says nothing about citizenship. For an act to be treason, it must be committed by someone subject to US law: either a citizen or someone in an area where US law applies (such as states, territories, territorial waters, naval vessels, embassies. Military bases?).

      --
      Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
    184. Re:Treason.. or... by Zordak · · Score: 1

      That's not remotely true. We lost the war, very gradually, over the last hundred years, as we slowly and methodically traded away essential liberty for the illusion of security. We just stepped up our pace of losing the war after 9/11/2001

      --

      Today's Sesame Street was brought to you by the number e.
    185. Re:Treason.. or... by ChrisMaple · · Score: 1

      Secret courts and secret laws are an existential threat to democratic society...and inevitably lead to abuse.

      They're a threat to ANY society. There are an abuse in and of themselves.

      --
      Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
    186. Re:Treason.. or... by trytoguess · · Score: 1

      In most sites (including /.) The men are almost always attacking an individual not their gender. If someone where to say, you don't get it cause you're a man (and it didn't involve reproduction or something), yea you can expect folks to get indignant, and they do. I don't need to butt in there.

      I see nothing benevolent about telling a person to stop acting like a dick. And yes, if a woman carelessly calls someone a dudebro, I WILL call it out.

    187. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, secret courts are fine in a DEMOCRATIC society -- as long as the majority likes it.

      But in this REPUBLIC, they are invalid.

    188. Re:Treason.. or... by kilfarsnar · · Score: 1

      The US has no equivalent of the UK's "Official Secrets Act". By definition, one cannot unlawfully disclose classified information unless one has been "indoctrinated" (i.e. granted a security clearance). A necessary part of that process is the signing of a non-disclosure agreement whereby one agrees to be held criminally liable for unauthorized disclosure. Absent such an NDA and security indocrination, the possession and/or dissemination of classified information is perfectly legal. Note how all legal scrutiny in the Snowden case (at least in the US) is directed against Snowden himself, and not at all against any of the news outlets that used him as a source. An interesting way to "civilly disobey" would be to have all employees refuse to accept the security clearance (that the NSA would require as part of their collaboration) when the NSA comes calling.

      Thank you. I have had enough of this whole "It's illegal to disclose classified information" bullshit. It's only illegal if you have a clearance. Otherwise, you can disclose away!

      --
      "What the American public doesn't know is what makes them the American public." -Ray Zalinsky (Tommy Boy)
    189. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah but nigger had a different meaning than it does now too, so does bitch and fag. Anyone who says I can't call a bitch a bimbo is a nigger fag. And that dumbass bimbo doesn't belong at a tech company, not even a second rate search company and this nigger fag doesn't belong on /.

    190. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't remember precisely the topic in our law school class that day, but I remember getting the distinct impression that deliberate violations of the things and actions protected by the U.S. Constitution, (like free speech, freedom from search and seizure unless a Judge had signed off on it after being shown actual evidence that the particular place or particular things to be searched and seized) were illegal, and that an individual could not be compelled to testify against him/herself (either directly or through the poisonous fruit of an unconstitutional search) subjected the violators to criminal prosecution and probably to a civil suit by the victim.

      The damage those clever bastards behind 9/11 have caused us is way the hell more than the twin towers, and all those that died there. They have actually managed to get us to ignore and trespass upon the individual rights guaranteed us by the Constitution and the Bill Of Rights. Congratulations to them. And the folks behind these violations of the Constitution should be given a fair trial, IN PUBLIC, and then hanged. They read the book "1984" and therefore we are now living it. Or perhaps they are following Kafka, and we are all being told by everyone that we are guilty, but they won't say what we're guilty OF.

      The U.S. Government has done our Country hugely more harm since 9/11 than those Islamic murdering bastard Extremists could possibly have.done. They must be terribly proud of what they caused our U.S. lab rats to do. The lab rats' Motto is probably from Wouk's "Caine Mutiny": WHEN IN DANGER OR IN DOUBT, RUN IN CIRCLES, SCREAM AND SHOUT!!!

      Deliberate violation of the Constitution and Bill of Rights is Treason.. Whet they are doing is no more Constitutional, and just as morally repugnant, as our relocating of U.S. citizens of Japanese ancestry into prison camps in WWII.

    191. Re:Treason.. or... by ChrisMaple · · Score: 1

      The idea that the citizens and government of the US are subject to the Magna Carta, a British document, is prima facie preposterous. Please provide a reason why it applies, or a citation.

      --
      Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
    192. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We have always been at war with Terror.

    193. Re:Treason.. or... by reve_etrange · · Score: 1

      Yes, I was wrong about that.

      But I imagine they'll still call it contempt of court for disobeying the FISC order.

      --
      .: Semper Absurda :.
    194. Re:Treason.. or... by ChrisMaple · · Score: 1

      Eventually, the decision makers ignoring NSA requests would be jailed and their successors presented with the same threats. As the government becomes more corrupt, even the kangaroo courts will be bypassed, with the refusers jailed or murdered in dark of night without "benefit" of trial. We're not far from that.

      --
      Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
    195. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This. That whore deserves whatever she gets. She doesn't need white knights to speak up for her unless she really is a bimbo. I won't be using anything Yahoo. If I feel like "labeling" someone it's my right. You can just deal with it like a real man or be a little girl and cry to your daddy. This is why you just can't take women seriously in business. They think they're entitled to be free from any criticism of what they do. They act like they're better than us because of some feminist glass ceiling garbage. She hasn't even done much yet and people are already fawning over her just because she's a "womyn" Call me sexist all you want, but no one can tell me I'm not right.

    196. Re:Treason.. or... by ChrisMaple · · Score: 1

      Emotive thinking is an oxymoron.

      --
      Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
    197. Re: Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A simple solution to this, as its not complicated is for Yahoo to cooperate and provide everything. It can be up to Yahoo customers as what level of obscurity they enforce on the data they share with Yahoo. It's just a numbers game. ...Besides anyone who believes yahoo IM or email was private has not read the terms of use.

    198. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nope, because the United States Government has and does commit acts of terror, even against its own citizens, and therefore could be classified as a terrorist organization itself.

    199. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You have a strong bias to believing gendered insults are greater than others. I don't care about someone telling me I can't understand because of my gender, I'm a highly systemic male, if the subject area is complex but subtly emotive relationships it might be true.

      Other personal insults would hurt more, depending on their closeness to subjects I am sensitive about. You won't defend me because the attacker doesn't use gendered slurs.

      Defending just gendered insults against females is benevolent sexism, your imagined responsibility to defend is based on traditional gender roles of male provision and protection, nothing else.

      As in, the lady is a CEO, females in general have greater skill in writing than males and if she was here, and concerned, she'd simply tear the guy apart.

    200. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you had just skipped the "you're a moron" I would have modded you up. Learn civility. You may be more influential.

    201. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Same anon.

      Then it's your guilt which is out of date, and should be reassessed. Sexist men did not succeed, and females crossed equal into being dominant some time ago. My entire career has been in this environment, I am legally discriminated against although females already have more.

      Males also have shortest lives, least medical spend & often later retirement. Much worse contraception (we're currently pre chemical sexual revolution) & virtually no rights to their children. Males do most overtime, most work away from home and occupy most difficult specialisms, generating most money and getting worse tax value.

      Many females believe males to be subservient to them.

    202. Re:Treason.. or... by wallsg · · Score: 1

      Either way it's a crap excuse.

      Treason is the act of sabotage, destruction, sedition, and suchlike. Refusing a search w/o a *proper* warrant is not treason. Secret court generated 'warrants' do not count as being proper by any stretch of common law.

      This isn't a "crap excuse". It is NOT "treason", but it is a felony violation of a "secret" law for which you would probably be tried in a "secret" court or at least in a court with no observers and sealed records (national security, you know).

      Who is to say what warrant is "proper"? Wouldn't that be a judge, probably one in the same "secret" court system that issued the warrant in the first place?

      Good luck with all of that.

      It may be a "crap law", but her's wasn't a "crap excuse".

    203. Re:Treason.. or... by HeckRuler · · Score: 1

      She has a duty to the shareholders of Yahoo to do what is best for them.

      Which can mean virtually anything.

      "To stand strong on the merits of an open, free, and unoppressed Internet, which is the foundation upon which our entire company is built and the cornerstone of all the value behind the property of our shareholders, we cannot possibly abide by the illegal and unconstitutional demands of the NSA. "

      "So we don't have the feds kick in our doors and tear up our charter annulling our shareholder's wealth, we're sucking the cock of the NSA".

      "To increase our corporate coffers and maximize dividends (Do we even give out dividends?) I have fired all of our employees, sold all equipment, land, rights, and properties. This is in their best interest, we are literally giving our shareholders more money."

      "To secure long-term goals we're taking all of our company funds and sinking it into research and development to create some kick-ass new things that will lure customers and revenue in the future. We do this for our shareholders as they will reap the benefit of owning a portion of that future revenue. It's an investment, right?"

      "To maximize our competitiveness, I'm increasing the bonuses to our executive staff. Without these bonuses, we will lose our guiding force in these perilous economically troubling times. This is ultimately for the shareholders. We don't want their investments to be steered off a cliff, now do we?"

      "I'm the CEO, if I want to spend the money on hookers and blow, I'll damn well spend it on hookers and blow. Don't like it? Fire me. I keep the damn company from swirling the drain in hard times and I keep it growing in good times. That's what you pay me for. Now piss off and let me steer the boat."

      Come on dude, "doing what's best for the shareholders" is such a meaningless term that it's laughable.

    204. Re:Treason.. or... by crabby0 · · Score: 1

      We should just take what they give us, Serve the Lord and be walking in the Holy Spirit
      until He returns. That is the whole duty of Man because the Devil is more than ever now
      in control of this Planet and he will undermine every thing we hold sacred in years past
      in the name of terrorism. All this stuff happening right now and in the future is just an
      effort to get us riled up and rebellious and hateful about what is happening and that plays
      straight into Satan's hands.

      The bible says that this sort of thing will happen in the last days because Man will be
      deceived by Satan and he will be fearful of his own shadow. Not that anyone on /. will
      believe what I say because most of you don't believe. To each his own of course. MMW.

    205. Re:Treason.. or... by jc42 · · Score: 2

      Don't we have to have a declared war to actually have a true charge of treason?

      For the past half century or so, we haven't had to declare war to fight a war, so why would we need such a declaration to charge someone with treason?

      (Trivia question: When was the last time that the US Congress actually declared war? And: How many wars has the US been engaged in since then?)

      --
      Those who do study history are doomed to stand helplessly by while everyone else repeats it.
    206. Re:Treason.. or... by trytoguess · · Score: 1

      The important thing is gender insults are irrelevant to most conversations. That's why it's more offensive to me at least. It's extremely crass, it causes pointless divergent threads like this one, etc.

      Yea, personal insults would hurt more. Think you'll be using them against an unknown person online?

      Like I've mentioned, my reason for calling bimbo an irritating word has nothing to do with wanting to coddle females. I'm annoyed by all such attacks.

      You can fight back so I can be a rude ass is a TERRIBLE rationale. If I were to hit someone, the fact that they're a black belt who can beat me up hardly excuses my actions.

    207. Re:Treason.. or... by MysteriousPreacher · · Score: 2

      That's terrorist talk!

      --
      -- Using the preview button since 2005
    208. Re:Treason.. or... by bhiestand · · Score: 1

      Eventually, the decision makers ignoring NSA requests would be jailed and their successors presented with the same threats.

      This is the part I don't get. It's just ludicrous to think the government has a credible threat here.

      Imagine the headlines and the public's reaction:
      "Yahoo CEO Jailed On Secret Charges"
      "Yahoo CEO Denied Lawyer/Visitation Rights for National Security"
      "DOJ Official Claims Yahoo CEO Refused NSA Spy Demands"

      To prevent jail time, a CEO would have to tell the public all about the program and the NSA's demands... and then it would be impossible to keep a trial secret. And secretly fining a multi-billion dollar MNC? The government may not fear voters, but they do fear shareholders.

      --
      SWM seeks new sig for a brief fling
    209. Re:Treason.. or... by helios17 · · Score: 1

      "Don't we have to have a declared war to actually have a true charge of treason"

      Not if a black-bag team is in the area.

      --
      Windows assumes you are an idiot...Linux demands proof.
    210. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think you and the "civilized" poster make a mistake liberals always make by using restrictions on behavior to give you a false sense of peace and community. I know you both have good intentions but you're trying to protect a class of people who don't deserve special protections at the cost of harming another group of people that do deserve special protections. I have a right my thoughts and my dissent. Telling me what words I am allowed to use to express my thoughts simply to protect someone else's feelings is wrong. Yoi say its about being polite and he says it's about being civil, what gives either of you the right? You mention 4chan. Well... nigger nigger nigger! See, no blacks and no stupid people were actually harmed. And no ladies here will feel unsafe just because we say this yahoo woman is a bitch and a bimbo. If they do, so what? The real world is tough and if they want to make it they will have to show they have earned being here by being tough. Real civility is respecting that others have different beliefs. Now, we're arguing about what a guy said about some woman instead of talking about what that woman actually did that's bad. Look at the lack of any defense to some of the comments, no one actuall cares, least of all, women.

    211. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcSujceZDmg

    212. Re: Treason.. or... by Gen_Music · · Score: 1

      ...or the internet, apparently.

    213. Re:Treason.. or... by rk · · Score: 1

      I always had an affinity for "land of the fee, home of the slave" myself.

    214. Re:Treason.. or... by micahraleigh · · Score: 0

      There is no such thing as common law.

      There is sanctioned law and the law of the jungle.

    215. Re: Treason.. or... by markhb · · Score: 2
      M*A*S*H had a great line on precisely this subject, when Colonel Potter drank a toast to his buddies from WWI (paraphrase):

      To Smith, who died in the Big One, the War to End All Wars, and to Jones, who died in the war after that.

      --
      Save Maine's economy: write stuff down. All comments are exclusively my own, not my employer.
    216. Re:Treason.. or... by Nov8tr · · Score: 0

      So who believes anything Obama has to say anyhow? You? pfffttt

      --
      I'm old, not dead. Well that's my 2 cents worth, your mileage may vary. I say what I think, not what you want to hear.
    217. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Extraneous information used in conversation offends you ? All insults are irrelevant to most conversations, I don't see a distinction other than bias to only intervene when the issue is gender.

      The complaining caused the divergent thread, it doesn't happen when males insult each other, but as soon as someone mentions something which could be seen as detrimental to 'women' in general there appear numerous males eager to display their superior morality.

      In some societies it's a mating display, females are 'won' by male display of feminisation and control of sex drive.

      Yes I've been hurt by personal attacks on this site, same logic, it's 2013, the CEO of Yahoo thinks a nobody saying 'bimbo' on the Internet is offensive ? It removes her agency ? More so than a personal attack of 'ugly' ? My point was more that the lady needs protection from you not at all, should she, as a person, be insulted by such a weak remark then she's unlikely to have succeeded in business.

      You assume she'd be offended by being called a bimbo, and in doing so assume all women would react similarly, I just called my Swedish gf a bimbo, with no pretext and she laughed at me and said, yes, love.

      The assumption of victim by proxy gives power within only leftist hierarchy.

    218. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not to mention the past-abuses where advocating pacifism was treated as sabotage.

    219. Re:Treason.. or... by Tastecicles · · Score: 1

      Magna Carta was sealed by the King nearly three hundred years prior to the discovery of the Americas by European explorers.
      The Colonies were founded, for the most part, by people emigrating from England, for the New World in search of a better life.
      Those people were, until the Declaration of Independence, wholly governed by the Laws and Customs of England.

      Do you get it yet?

      By the way, Magna Carta is not a "British" document. It is the very foundation and basis of every Constitutional Republic on the fucking planet. INCLUDING THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

      --
      Operation Guillotine is in effect.
    220. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He has more guns than either of us. We have no choice but to 'believe' him.

    221. Re:Treason.. or... by MysteriousPreacher · · Score: 1

      I'd trust him as far as I could throw him, and after carrying a large fold-out bed through town, that is not very far at all.

      --
      -- Using the preview button since 2005
    222. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think this may be taken a bit out of context: She is discussion "compliance" with laws regarding classified information. The "treason" is in releasing classified information, not refusing requests from the NSA. Yahoo (along with several other high profile "server farm" companies) are claiming they don't comply with mosts requests. I believe this is true, and - if they arn't lying - then clearly that isn't treason, or else a lot of high profile high tech execs would be in jail.

      The difficulty she has is that most of the details regarding Yahoo's decisions to push back on the NSA, or reason why Yahoo woud release some of the information is classified. These companies cannot defend themsleve, and thay all seem to feel - rightly so - that it is hurting their business.

      Essentially, the secret courts have made it clear that any meaningful debate regarding the process or legality of the process would amount to "treason" in the eyes of the US Government. The fact that the classified community has essentially shut down debate on the topic by making any discussion of it "treason" is enough for me to think the whole thing should be shut down.

      The government is playing a good con here. They've got the public focusing on the fact that the US security establishment is "spying" on Americans... But this is a bit of a red hering - spying is what these organizations do, and if you seriously thought that the goverenment was not spying on US citizens before recent revelations, then you are bit of a rube and have no idea who J Edgar Hoover was.

      The far more systematic and scarier problem is that America has been slapped with a gag order regarding the scope and details of this spying effort. We can't discuss it openly, and so we are at the mercy of folks like Snowden and Wikileaks for information. Without debate, there really is nothing to check this power. There is no discussion of priorities, bondaries, or even the amount of money (which is orders of magnitude more than things like welfare and Obamacare) going into secret programs.

      Without this debate, we are lost, and just left crying about all the spying the government is doing.

    223. Re:Treason.. or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      66 That's terrorist talk! 99

      Strange, it did not sound like a language whose script looks like videotape blowing in the wind.

    224. Re:Treason.. or... by Pseudonym+Authority · · Score: 1

      And then she ends up in a Russian airport for a few weeks while waiting on Putin to declare she can stay on a whim. A few months later, some big war scare will divert attention and nothing will change.

    225. Re:Treason.. or... by Eskarel · · Score: 1

      Let me clarify.

      The only person the government should tell about a warrant is the subject of that warrant. They should have full access to that warrant and any evidence supporting it immediately upon being charged and be at least notified that a warrant has been served if no charges are laid. The subject of the warrant should then have the right to tell anyone they damned feel like about that warrant and the evidence supporting it. Note btw that Yahoo is not the subject of the warrant, they should be able to report some aggregate warrant related statistics, but they should not be able to report the details of any specific warrant or the evidence supporting it with the exception of the subject of the warrant as specified above.

      That doesn't mean that yahoo shouldn't be able to say how many warrants they are receiving in aggregate, or how they are responding to those warrants, or whether most of these warrants are targeted or fishing expeditions. They should be able to do so.

    226. Re:Treason.. or... by x_t0ken_407 · · Score: 1

      Confer with the shee^H^H^H^H Snowden naysayers regarding this distinction.

    227. Re:Treason.. or... by Eskarel · · Score: 1

      Except bimbo isn't the same meaning as dick. You can call a woman a dick and everyone will know what you mean. The fact that you'd never use that word to describe a man and that there in fact is no male equivalent to the word is why it's sexist. We don't ever ascribe bimbo to men despite the fact that plenty of men would actually fit the definition, pretty much anyone on the Jersey Shore for example. We don't use it though, we don't say men are vain and vapid and unfit for their positions as leaders, we especially don't ever say it about men who have earned their way to leadership positions and actually been quite successful in those positions. No one would ever call Bill Gates or Steve Jobs a bimbo. They wouldn't even call Steve Balmer a bimbo.

      Think about that for a minute. Every single one of those CEO's caved to exactly the same requests, some without actually fighting it as much as she has, but it's the blonde woman we call a bimbo. It's sexist, it's unacceptable and personally I'm tired of it.

    228. Re:Treason.. or... by Nov8tr · · Score: 0

      You got that right.

      --
      I'm old, not dead. Well that's my 2 cents worth, your mileage may vary. I say what I think, not what you want to hear.
    229. Re:Treason.. or... by Meski · · Score: 1

      Perhaps we're talking a dictionary definition of the word, not a redefined one that means nothing. Black is white, up is down, see Orwell.

    230. Re:Treason.. or... by Meski · · Score: 1

      Just used a Swedish honeytrap on him...

    231. Re:Treason.. or... by Meski · · Score: 1

      Don't you have to be subject to the US Constitution? If I'm not getting its many benefits, I'm damned well not going to be subjected to its punishments.

    232. Re:Treason.. or... by mcgrew · · Score: 1

      The the only one subject to the Constitution is the government. The Constitution enumerates powers and limitations of government. I'm pretty sure you have to be a citizen for it to be treason; if not you're an enemy combatant. After all, when a war is over, prisoners of war are released.

  2. Well... by slashmydots · · Score: 4, Funny

    She's fired.

  3. Way to stand up for our rights... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...by letting them watch our data anyway.

  4. sensational by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The quote I read was that "she feared she would be jailed for treason."

    That's a nice Slashdot Twist on the quote to make the headline.

  5. Summary Fail by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Marissa seems to be saying only that it would be treason to talk about what would happen.

  6. No, it wouldn't be treason by CrimsonAvenger · · Score: 1

    Article 3, Section 3, US Constitution.

    Learn it, love it, live it.

    Doesn't this guy have a metric f*ckton of lawyers to explain these little legal niceties to him???

    --

    "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
    1. Re:No, it wouldn't be treason by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Um, her...

    2. Re:No, it wouldn't be treason by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Doesn't this guy have a metric f*ckton of lawyers to explain these little legal niceties to him???

      She's a gal, not a guy. Otherwise, good point.

    3. Re:No, it wouldn't be treason by CrimsonAvenger · · Score: 1

      Ok, this WOMAN/GAL/GIRL/LADY (pick one) - I was trying to avoid use of the first two words that came to mind when I was writing the post, which were "idiot" and "moron"....

      --

      "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
    4. Re:No, it wouldn't be treason by mcgrew · · Score: 1

      Here's a link to a very credible source. They taught us this in middle school. In fact, there's a state-mandated constitution test in Illinois, don't know about elsewhere.

      This "guy's" name's Marissa Meyer. She's a woman. And she's a tool.

    5. Re:No, it wouldn't be treason by Eskarel · · Score: 1

      Aside from the fact that the initial compliance was probably done under the watch of her predecessor, what she has is a bunch of lawyers who will tell her that if she attempts to challenge a court order she will spend millions and almost certainly lose. She could actually potentially be charged with Treason, though it is unlikely. The section you have referenced states "Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort". It's not a stretch to say that actual terrorists are enemies of this country or that protecting them from prosecution by refusing to comply with a legal court order would be providing them aid and comfort. She'd probably win that case, but the clause doesn't say what you think it does.

    6. Re:No, it wouldn't be treason by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 1

      the NSA is now (has been) spying on US citizens.

      giving 'aid and comfort' to US citizens BY US citizens is in no way, shape or form 'treason'.

      but of course, we stopped using logic a long time ago. we are ruled by FUD and threat of lawsuits by those who have more money/guns/lawyers.

      still, I'd wish people would stop believing this bullshit about treason. US to US is not treason and can't be, by definition! unless we are under civil war - and I don't think we're even close to that.

      --

      --
      "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
    7. Re:No, it wouldn't be treason by Eskarel · · Score: 1

      I'm not saying that in every case denying that warrant is treason. I'm not saying that she's get convicted. Assange is certainly not a traitor, Snowden may or may not be, but not because he revealed the information.

      My point is that IF a warrant is issued to collect information on an actual enemy of the US, and IF that warrant is not legally complied with a case could be made that the person refusing to comply with that warrant is aiding an enemy of the US. Aiding an enemy of the US is, per the constitution, treason.

    8. Re:No, it wouldn't be treason by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Assange is not an American, moran.

    9. Re:No, it wouldn't be treason by rtb61 · · Score: 2

      Sorry bub, I am not a slave. I can ask me for stuff I have got with a warrant but fuck you if think you can force me to get stuff. There is a huge difference between the two. A warrant provide the right to search it does not provide the right to enslave the target of the warrant and force them to lie, deceive, spy and back stab on their behalf. This is the real problem with the cowardly US, it's citizens fail to stand up for their rights. Under the US constitution it is set out that only those being punished for a crime can be forced into servitude. Your are either a free citizen or not, you either have free speech rights or you do not. You don't beg for them and you certainly don't throw them away to a bullshit deceitful administration, you stand up for them.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    10. Re:No, it wouldn't be treason by AK+Marc · · Score: 0

      People have been convicted of treason for failing to turn in a suspected spy who wasn't even wanted at the time they "harbored" him. So it doesn't seem so far fetched that failing to turn over data would be considered similarly and result in a treason charge.

    11. Re:No, it wouldn't be treason by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A plurality of question marks only serves to bring your mental fitness into question; one question mark per sane question is more than sufficient.

    12. Re:No, it wouldn't be treason by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ok, this WOMAN/GAL/GIRL/LADY (pick one) - I was trying to avoid use of the first two words that came to mind when I was writing the post, which were "idiot" and "moron"....

      How can you speak of a fellow human being like that? I think you mean "*d**t" and "m*r*n," respectively, thank you very much. Using vowels in those words evokes great offense, don't you know?

    13. Re:No, it wouldn't be treason by gl4ss · · Score: 5, Insightful

      and according the constitution they shouldn't be doing blanket spying in the first place, so what exactly is your point?

      they'll call it treason if they want to. they can call it aiding the (potential, mind you) enemy if they want to. and they includes the court they choose and their actions are backed up by the united states military so what exactly would you do? the only option is to close up shop or give in.

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    14. Re:No, it wouldn't be treason by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      the only option is to close up shop or give in.

      Now that would be fun >:D Yahoo saying it is closing shop due to a ruling in a secret court.
      Even if it was a bluff, it would make great headlines.

    15. Re:No, it wouldn't be treason by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      She's a 1% member and the 1% are scared to lose their nice criminal enterprise. Read what Mr Schmitt and Cohen of Google are up to, according to their own book.

      The FOSS community better develop a distributed search engine and dump Google altogether. Google is poison laced with lots of sugar.

    16. Re:No, it wouldn't be treason by X0563511 · · Score: 1

      Does it matter? A person is a person, and in English the default gender for words that still manage to have a gender is male.

      --
      For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
    17. Re:No, it wouldn't be treason by doti · · Score: 1

      Yep, you're right!!!!!!1!!!!

      --
      factor 966971: 966971
    18. Re:No, it wouldn't be treason by Eskarel · · Score: 1

      I know that. I said he isn't a traitor. The number of reasons why he isn't a traitor are numerous and extensive, though in actuality the fact that he's not an American is not one of the top 10 as if he actually qualified as a traitor in the US he'd qualify as a traitor to Australia the country he is actually a citizen of.

    19. Re:No, it wouldn't be treason by Eskarel · · Score: 1

      This is why we can't have nice things.

      Yes the US government can require you to turn something over if they have proof that you have it, as can any damned government and if they have a legal warrant for it. This goes doubly so for service providers like Yahoo. The fact that they can do this does not make you a slave, nor does it punish you with servitude or any fucking thing else you want to misinterpret.

      Bullshit like this is why we have no god damned rights anymore, because whenever anyone tries to have a discussion about what's actually going on we get this kind of crap. If I hear one more idiot spout off about how the government is enslaving them, I'm going to lose it. LEARN YOUR GOD DAMNED FUCKING RIGHTS THE ONES YOU ACTUALLY HAVE AND WHICH MILLIONS HAVE DIED TO PROTECT. IF YOU SPENT HALF THE ENERGY YOU DO SPOUTING BULLSHIT PROTECTING THE RIGHTS YOU ACTUALLY HAVE PRISM WOULDN'T EXIST

    20. Re:No, it wouldn't be treason by rtb61 · · Score: 1

      Tck, tck, tck, tck, news at eleven US Constitution 13th Amendment, just out, "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." They can search for something you have, then can not force you to "go get it" for them, one is a search and the other is involuntary servitude. It didn't just free people of colour. So straight up constitutional challenge and the FISA warrants go down on two counts of 'CONSTITUTIONAL INFRINGEMENT' (1st and 13th, possible that occupation by the military might also count with the placement of hardware and personal).

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    21. Re:No, it wouldn't be treason by Eskarel · · Score: 1

      To start with, the main reason that companies "go get it" is because the alternative is having the FBI rooting around in their server room looking at everything they have trying to find the evidence they need. The FBI would love this of course because anything they find incidental to that search would be evidence they could use so long as they could legitimately have stumbled upon it during the search. Crap for both civil rights and the companies involved.

      To continue, I doubt you're ever going to find a judge who will agree that a company complying with a legal search warrant is involuntary servitude. My argument was never that involuntary servitude is constitutional, merely that you're going to have a hard time getting that accepted as involuntary servitude. It'd be like arguing that while the government is permitted to collect taxes, they can't make you pay them or make your bank retrieve them or grant them access to retrieve them themselves because that would be involuntary servitude.

      A lot of people love to make judicial leaps like this, interpreting the constitution the way they feel it should be, oddly enough they're often the same people who scream about abuse of the interstate commerce clause and are otherwise strict in their interpretation of the constitution. Under our constitution as it currently stands, it doesn't matter a pair of fetid dingoes kidneys what you think is unconstitutional, no matter how thoroughly you can back it up. It doesn't even actually matter if Congress passes a law that is directly contradicted by the constitution. The supreme court is the final and ultimate arbiter of what is and is not constitutional, if they've decided something is acceptable, it is, if they've decided something isn't, it isn't. If they haven't decided anything it's up in the air. I know that's hard to take but your opinion and my opinion doesn't actually matter, it's a handful of people in robes, most of whom are political appointments.

  7. I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by PortHaven · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I hereby, as a prior serviceman who swore an oath to uphold and protect the Constitution, pledge my rifle if Mr. Zuckerberg or Ms. Mayer, CEOs of Facebook and Yahoo respectively, come out with the truth of the extent of violation by the government against the privacy of the citizens of the United States of America. And herby pledge my rifle to the their defense, the defense of the Constitution and freedom of speech if either is arrested, charged and sentenced for treason in regards to the matter of the NSA's unconstitutional espionage on U.S. citizens. This is a reminder that the government is to serve the People, not the other way around.

    ***

    U.S. CONSTITUTION : AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION : ARTICLE IV
    "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

    Government agencies not specifically sent this message that reading this, please

    1. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by hedwards · · Score: 1

      The problem there is that the courts are typically deferential to the other branches on issues of national security. Basically they're afraid that if they say no and something happens that they'll be responsible.

      The only reason why the high court started saying no to Bush was that Bush started acting like the court didn't have authority over anything he was doing. Had he kept his ego in check, the SCrOTUmS decisions would likely have continued in his favor.

      Ultimately, as long as the SCrOTUmS don't feel like doing their job of ruling on the constitutionality of things, then there's very little shy of some form of rebellion that's going to change it.

    2. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I don't have a gun, nor will I ever. But I have a middle finger, and pledge it's extension to the same as the above.

    3. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Pipe down, adults are talking.

    4. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thanks.

    5. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by cold+fjord · · Score: 2

      There is a legal proverb that states, "A man who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client." Have you put yourself on that path? Do you understand the domains criminal law, national security law, and Constitutional law, and their interplay? I see you quote only one amendment, but say nothing about an entire relevant article of the Constitution, nor about relevant court cases that are precedent for the law when it is an issue in the courts. You are on dangerous ground, my friend, dangerous ground. Think carefully before proceeding.

      Surveillance Court Upholds Bush on Warrantless Wiretapping

      The New York Times reports that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review — the specialized federal appeals court created by the 1978 FISA statute to rule on questions involving national security surveillance — has reaffirmed that the President of the United States has inherent constitutional authority to monitor international communications without court permission. ...

      President Bush’s Terrorist Surveillance Program — carried out by the NSA without court oversight, just as wartime presidents have always conducted national security surveillance without court oversight — always stood on strong authority, including a 2002 ruling from the same Foreign Intelligence Court of Review.

      I see you did leave an out though, since the charge almost certainly won't be "treason."

      --
      much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot - George Orwell
    6. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by CODiNE · · Score: 4, Funny

      Government agencies not specifically sent this message that reading this, please

      Damn they got him before he could even finish his post!

      --
      Cwm, fjord-bank glyphs vext quiz
    7. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by Em+Adespoton · · Score: 1

      You pledge your rifle to their defense -- will that hold if you discover what else they've been up to? You are, after all, giving them a similar deal to what the US government gave AT&T (who, by the way, use Yahoo Mail for their mail service).

      I think you may want to be a bit more specific in how you're defending them.

    8. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by Grog6 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      He's one of the paid trolls, likely by the nsa.

      Nice, that.

      --
      Truth isn't Truth - Guliani
    9. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by Vainglorious+Coward · · Score: 2

      The FISC, acting as a Star Chamber as it does, is part of the problem here, so quoting its ruling is begging the question. Secret law is not law.

      --
      My next sig will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush
    10. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      Cold you dont get to have "interplay" or "precedent" or updated, add on "national security law" with the US Constitution.
      In other parts of the world you can add national security laws to some domestic telco law and all is fine.
      In other parts of the world you can weaken domestic rights for national security and all is fine.
      The Foreign Intelligence Court of Review was for "Foreign" use not internal domestic US use.
      That is why historically you had the domestic operations and the "foreign" operations side in the US ie "international communications without court permission"

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    11. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by rastoboy29 · · Score: 1

      I would have felt that way if they'd resisted, and gotten arrested.  But they didn't.

      But can you even imagine them getting arrested?  If they'd had any balls they might have nipped this in the bud years ago.

    12. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by quantaman · · Score: 1

      I hereby, as a prior serviceman who swore an oath to uphold and protect the Constitution, pledge my rifle if Mr. Zuckerberg or Ms. Mayer, CEOs of Facebook and Yahoo respectively, come out with the truth of the extent of violation by the government against the privacy of the citizens of the United States of America. And herby pledge my rifle to the their defense, the defense of the Constitution and freedom of speech if either is arrested, charged and sentenced for treason in regards to the matter of the NSA's unconstitutional espionage on U.S. citizens. This is a reminder that the government is to serve the People, not the other way around.

      ***

      U.S. CONSTITUTION : AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION : ARTICLE IV
      "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

      Government agencies not specifically sent this message that reading this, please

      And if you use that rifle you'll be branded a terrorist and become the excuse they use to remove more rights.

      Unless you're in a movie violence against a government is rarely an effective strategy.

      --
      I stole this Sig
    13. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by Man+On+Pink+Corner · · Score: 2

      And my keyboard!

    14. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Unless you're in a movie violence against a government is rarely an effective strategy.

      And yet here we are, free men and women, subjects of no Crown.

    15. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Let's get this straight: do you really, actually, think the NSA would give a fuck about some guy on /. getting on a soapbox about civil rights and insinuating rebellion? And if yes, do you really, actually, think the best they can do about it is paying people to respond with inflammatory posts that immediately get modded to -1? If you answered yes to that second question as well, then you need professional help. Seriously.

    16. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh it gets better - GP got modded up! The crazies are out in force tonight.

    17. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by quantaman · · Score: 1

      Unless you're in a movie violence against a government is rarely an effective strategy.

      And yet here we are, free men and women, subjects of no Crown.

      Congrats, with a violent revolution you achieved the same level of freedom that we have in Canada, Australia, India, and pretty much the rest of the Commonwealth.

      Note I said it's rarely an effective strategy, I'm sure you've heard of agent provocateurs? If violent resistance is so effective why do governments try to create it so often?

      In the most recent example the main reason why Assad was able to survive the Arab Spring was he brutalized the peaceful opposition until they turned violent. Once that happened everyone who wasn't a Sunni became scared of what the now violent Sunnis would do if they gained power. So they threw in with Assad and gave him a base. In Libya the rebels won the war (partly because there wasn't the same Shia/Sunni situation) but the aftermath is still pretty chaotic and messy. If you think taking up arms against the US government, successful or not, would result in anything but a disaster, you're delusional.

      Violence can solve problems, but only in messiest and most horrific way possible.

      --
      I stole this Sig
    18. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Where's your rifle for Edward Snowden? Why isn't the american population in arms?

    19. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by Cmdrm · · Score: 1

      With friends like this, who needs enemies?

    20. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What makes this strange, is Yahoo response!! They aren't going into PR denial , unlike Google, Apple, MS, Facebook. However I'm not sure which is worse, the denying, or blatant honesty, as they pretty much help to destroy any rights you may have had left!!

      And the EFF's "trust/privacy rating" had Yahoo listed atop! Either the EFF is ran by arrogant/ignorant lawyers, and members, or they really are clueless when it comes down to warning people of impending rights violations by companies and government agencies. IE, enough people had already been aware of the NSA's spying programs for 10+ years and the EFF, and others are now acting as if they had no clue!!!

    21. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by Pseudonym · · Score: 1

      If you happen to have an equally powerful government on your side, fighting a proxy war against the same government that you are, then that does change the effectiveness of the strategy. I don't think France is up for it right now, though.

      --
      sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f(q{sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f});
    22. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by PortHaven · · Score: 1, Flamebait

      Oh trust me, many people care about our rifles. Or the government wouldn't be trying to hard to ban semi-automatic rifles. (Which are pretty much rarely used in crimes. Outside a few high profile cases. But in the day to day crimes, which cause most of the deaths. They are extremely rare.)

    23. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by PortHaven · · Score: 2

      I'll take that....

      Thomas Payne's words were worth thousands of rifles. Probably why the "Freedom of Speech" is the first amendment, and the rifles to back it up the second. ;-)

    24. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by PortHaven · · Score: 1

      My pledge is in regards to if they come out and reveal the details and then are in fact arrested and charged with crimes of treason. I don't believe AT&T has been charged with crimes of treason or arrested.

    25. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by PortHaven · · Score: 2

      First off, terrorist is one who attacks civilians. Second, if our government stoops that low. So as to arrest CEOs who speak out against their unconstitutional actions.

      I don't think they'll have enough prisons to hold all of the declared "terrorists", a.k.a. "Americans".

    26. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by PortHaven · · Score: 1

      Hmm, looks at the Canadian quarter in his pocket. Ah...the queen.

      Just saying...

      ***

      Oh, and a large part of why the British Empire states are free today is BECAUSE America rebelled. It was a costly Vietnam type war for the British. The British citizens didn't want to be on the side of the ethics battle. And oh, yeah, we kind bailed out our British friends in two World Wars.

    27. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by PortHaven · · Score: 1

      I've been a vocal advocate for Snowden. I have contacted my congressmen. And were he arrested in America I'd probably be supporting rallies.

      But I also think that this is a growing issue.

    28. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by PortHaven · · Score: 2

      No, we're not acting as if we had no clue. We knew a lot of this was going on. Perhaps not to the fullest extent. But, what we did not have was any legal evidence. Thanks to Snowden, we do. And I think a reason that a lot of folks like Yahoo's CEO and Mark Zuck-- are now talking. Is because it is an out in the open and officially acknowledged matter. And they're trying to drop the hints that it is far worse than the American people realize.

      But knowing something is going on, and having legal proof is two very different things. We knew who broke into my mother's house and stole her laptop. But we had no legal proof to file charges or have that man arrested. Likewise, Snowden gave us the legal proof.

    29. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by quantaman · · Score: 1

      Hmm, looks at the Canadian quarter in his pocket. Ah...the queen.

      Just saying...

      And she does diddly squat, we might toss out the monarchy entirely when she dies though frankly we don't really care. We're still just as free and independent as you.

      Oh, and a large part of why the British Empire states are free today is BECAUSE America rebelled. It was a costly Vietnam type war for the British. The British citizens didn't want to be on the side of the ethics battle. And oh, yeah, we kind bailed out our British friends in two World Wars.

      I'm sure that played a factor, but I suspect it was also the fact the colony simply became developed enough to govern itself and by that time the Brits weren't comfortable ruling a bunch of other English speaking white people as a colony.

      --
      I stole this Sig
    30. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by cold+fjord · · Score: 1

      The FISA court isn't a Star Chamber. It doesn't hold criminal trials. Its primary function is hear requests for warrants.

      Although it is interesting that you have an opinion about national security law and court rulings, there is a practical problem here. How do you plan to enforce your "ruling" against the FISA courts and government?

      --
      much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot - George Orwell
    31. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by dunkelfalke · · Score: 1

      Interestingly enough, UK has abolished slavery 30ish years earlier than "the land of the free". And without violence as well.

      Just saying...

      --
      "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
    32. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by Tastecicles · · Score: 1

      Star Chambers were abolished in 1641 - in the United States as well, since at that time the United States was but a colony.

      Ergo, any secret courts are unlawful and that unlawfulness predates the Constitution.

      --
      Operation Guillotine is in effect.
    33. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by Tastecicles · · Score: 1

      two words:

      Arab Spring.

      --
      Operation Guillotine is in effect.
    34. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by quantaman · · Score: 1

      So you're agreeing with me right?

      Because the Arab spring protests that stayed non-violent had better outcomes than the ones that turned violent. Brutalizing the opposition into violent revolt and civil war is probably the reason why Assad is still in power.

      --
      I stole this Sig
    35. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by Tastecicles · · Score: 1

      Assad didn't brutalise the opposition, the simple fact of the matter is that he has overwhelming majority support. The people that are fucking his country up are demonstrably foreign mercenaries in the pay of Britain, the United States, France, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar.

      sources: plenty of contacts on the ground who are living it, not the BBC, Fox, CNN or Reuters. What they aren't showing is buzzcut ex-army regulars using CIA terminology and training to great effect while passing instructions to each other in English, French, and Turkish. Why? Because it not only doesn't suit the agenda (whatever that might be) of those with plausible interests in the region, it would in fact further damage already salted international relations.

      However, I will absolutely and unreservedly agree that in a perfect world a peaceful solution to any crisis results in a better outcome for all concerned. Unfortunately, this is far from being a perfect world, and as a result of corporate interests and to a lesser but still significant extent, ever more demanding tribal competition for the biggest portion of a finite supply of everything, people can and do die in the most horrible ways imaginable; the truth belongs to those who shout the loudest (the facts will never be known beyond the fact that people have died as a result of the deployment of some very nasty weapons), and if history records that Assad deployed those weapons even if he didn't, tomorrow we'll have as much a distorted view of today's events as we have today of events of a mere seventy years ago in Eastern Europe.

      --
      Operation Guillotine is in effect.
    36. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I am not an American so I have no say in this, but your best weapon is the red pencil you are given when next you are in the voting booth.

    37. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by quantaman · · Score: 1

      Assad didn't brutalise the opposition, the simple fact of the matter is that he has overwhelming majority support.

      What are you talking about? Syria had the same setup as Iraq, a Shia dictator ruling over a Sunni majority, Assad was popular for that setup but "overwhelming majority support" is just plain wrong.

      The people that are fucking his country up are demonstrably foreign mercenaries in the pay of Britain, the United States, France, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar.

      sources: plenty of contacts on the ground who are living it, not the BBC, Fox, CNN or Reuters. What they aren't showing is buzzcut ex-army regulars using CIA terminology and training to great effect while passing instructions to each other in English, French, and Turkish. Why? Because it not only doesn't suit the agenda (whatever that might be) of those with plausible interests in the region, it would in fact further damage already salted international relations.

      I call BS. Maybe you're reading some conspiracy nuts claiming a bunch of "reports from real Syrians" but they're either being duped by pro-Assad activists (kinda ironic) or just wrong. There's lots of news from real Syrians, youtube videos, twitter accounts, blogs, and no evidence of these foreign mercenaries.

      After the protests started Assad would take people, sometimes kids, brutally tortured them to death, then returned them home. Everything was still peaceful so there was probably pressure from inside the party for him to step down or reform so things didn't degenerate. He kept torturing and shooting people until the opposition started fighting back. As the fighting spread Islamists started to enter the game in a big way, the Christians and other minorities who were either on the fence or sympathetic to the protesters went to Assad because they've seen what happens to minorities in Iraq when the repressed Sunni majority takes power after a civil war.

      And I don't know what you mean about "events of a mere seventy years ago in Eastern Europe". Some other conspiracy theory?

      --
      I stole this Sig
    38. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      U.S. CONSTITUTION : AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION : ARTICLE IV
      "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

      Well, that's why they are doing it warrantless. Doh.

    39. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I always have to remember you than Ghandi-style rebellion does not require arms. Something which you Americans always seem to imply.

      Why don't you simply call a General Strike, until they let random citizens inspect FtMeade ?

    40. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by s.petry · · Score: 1

      I would not believe that the NSA itself cares about Slashdot, but rather the people controlling the NSA do. Not just Slashdot mind you, but any site where there is dissent and visible traffic.

      Proving that claim is nearly impossible. Slashdot would have to start publishing AC IP addresses so that people could find who's posting. Many services would skew those addresses, so "proof" would be sporadic at best.

      If you look at how many agent provocateurs there are in public events and how "police" try to plant drugs on activists, it is not hard to imagine that a few flunkies are paid to spread FUD and distort comments on highly visible sites like Slashdot or Reddit.

      Citation is required for the above, so here is one. Pay attention to the bald guy next to Adam (in the brown sports coat) in a black T-Shirt, and follow what he's doing at the 38 second mark. This is just one of thousands of examples. If they can buy illegal drugs and pay police to try and plant evidence, what would prevent them from paying a flunky to make posts? If they waste time at a small rally with less than 50 protesters, would they waste time on a site that gets millions of hits a day?

      --

      -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

    41. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by s.petry · · Score: 1

      A law may not be passed which nullifies the Constitution, that is the Law of the Land. No matter how many Op-Ed pieces you post claiming otherwise, go back and read what the Law is. The only way to modify the Constitution is by an amendment process. This requires all 3 branches to approve of the change in Law. Obama's NDA statement allowing indefinite detention of US Citizens without trial is Unconstitutional, period. No matter what a lower court claims, it denies people's Constitutional rights. The same can be said with NSA demanding data on Citizens not under suspicion and with "proper" warrants. A rubber stamp court bypasses the Constitution, and is illegal.

      People's "opinions" are not Law. If you believe an Op-Ed piece over documents that were signed into law you are an idiot.

      --

      -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

    42. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by s.petry · · Score: 1

      Citizens United made Corporations people, you may be on to something!!

      --

      -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

    43. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by s.petry · · Score: 1

      And she does diddly squat, we might toss out the monarchy entirely when she dies though frankly we don't really care.

      She collects a nice fat paycheck from the Citizens, so she does do something. I suspect her actions have lots of laughing and wine drinking while she looks down her nose at all the peons paying her. You should care, but claim you don't. Interesting.

      We're still just as free and independent as you.

      Since your PM conspires with US businesses to undermine the Canadian economy and law just like the US politicians do, I agree.

      --

      -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

    44. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by s.petry · · Score: 1

      First, save the "for the children" fallacy arguments that US politicians spew. Death of innocents is just that.

      Second, there is a whole lot of information backing the claims you responded to. Did you see how John Kerry a few years ago was at a nice party with Assad? Back 3 years ago, Syria was known as the most progressive nation in the Middle East and a "good guy". Syria allowed women to drive and work, had no Sharia courts or Sharia laws. Syria minded their own business and did it very well.

      Listen to what Wesley Clark says here.

      Do some research on the subject if you dare. I have no confidence that you will, but don't denounce people with a different opinion with ad hominem. There are plenty of facts countering your position. No, I'm not going to condense a year worth of reading into a list of citations for you. One citation is enough to get you started.

      --

      -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

    45. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      so we released most of the empire 200 and lose change after the merkin war because you rebelled? We let them go because we couldnt afford to fight to keep them after ww2 due to the 'help' you gave us we we have only just finished paying for.

      Besides we could have won that war just like you won vietnam lost it due to politics your backwoods colony was costing far more to the crown in having to protect it due to your gun running, smuggling and stealing, murdering the natives for their land. Hence the crown chose to divert more resources to a European theatre instead.

    46. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by ToddInSF · · Score: 1

      Thank you for your service, and for speaking out.

    47. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by Reziac · · Score: 1

      "This is a reminder that the government is to serve the People, not the other way around."

      Exactly.

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
    48. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by quantaman · · Score: 1

      First, save the "for the children" fallacy arguments that US politicians spew. Death of innocents is just that.

      You missed the point. My argument wasn't "destroy Assad he's killing the children!!", I was pointing out that the revolution turned violent in part because Assad incited the population by torturing kids to death.

      Second, there is a whole lot of information backing the claims you responded to. Did you see how John Kerry a few years ago was at a nice party with Assad? Back 3 years ago, Syria was known as the most progressive nation in the Middle East and a "good guy". Syria allowed women to drive and work, had no Sharia courts or Sharia laws. Syria minded their own business and did it very well.

      Yes. Assad was a nice western educated guy and before things got serious he seemed to be doing a good job. So what? Do you think he's just a misunderstood nice guy? Do you think the entire war is a conspiracy? What's the point?

      Listen to what Wesley Clark says here.

      Yeah the Bush administration were warmongers who went into Iraq for no good reason, made a strong push to go into Iran, and basically wanted to invade the whole middle east and implement democracy by force.

      What does this have to do with what's happening now? For all Obama's flaws he's not that style of neocon.

      Do some research on the subject if you dare. I have no confidence that you will, but don't denounce people with a different opinion with ad hominem. There are plenty of facts countering your position. No, I'm not going to condense a year worth of reading into a list of citations for you. One citation is enough to get you started.

      Well I have done research, and you haven't even provided a single relevant citation or argument. You think Wesley Clark talking about the plan of a completely disgraced administration from over a decade ago means the leader of the other party who ran as Bush's opposite is going to do the same thing??

      I mean what is your actual argument. You've thrown out some weird conspiracy theories but I don't even know what your point is. Assad is really a good guy? Assad is a bad guy but we're already waging the war to get rid of him? What?

      --
      I stole this Sig
    49. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > There is a legal proverb that states, "A man who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client."

      Yep, it's a legal proverb all right. Similarly other providers of high-priced services also believe that you should continue to pay them.

    50. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by s.petry · · Score: 1

      First, save the "for the children" fallacy arguments that US politicians spew. Death of innocents is just that.

      You missed the point. My argument wasn't "destroy Assad he's killing the children!!", I was pointing out that the revolution turned violent in part because Assad incited the population by torturing kids to death.

      Bull, go back and read what you said. You specifically called out children being killed as an appeal to emotion. Same crap propaganda media is doing, think before you write. If you wish to claim innocent deaths, make sure that you include all of the innocents killed by the rebels in your examples. They have been slaughtering Christian's and Jews, ransacking and desecrating temples and churches too. It's not one side that's a bad guy, so your view is extremely distorted and one sided.

      Second, there is a whole lot of information backing the claims you responded to. Did you see how John Kerry a few years ago was at a nice party with Assad? Back 3 years ago, Syria was known as the most progressive nation in the Middle East and a "good guy". Syria allowed women to drive and work, had no Sharia courts or Sharia laws. Syria minded their own business and did it very well.

      Yes. Assad was a nice western educated guy and before things got serious he seemed to be doing a good job. So what? Do you think he's just a misunderstood nice guy? Do you think the entire war is a conspiracy? What's the point?

      The point is that it is very possible that Assad never changed from when he was friendly to the west. Fighting a sudden surge of armed terrorists in your own country makes you obviously behave differently, but is it genuine to think that his philosophy changed overnight? I find it more possible that our media after successfully toppling other countries in the region changed their spin on Assad and Syria. Call it a draw if you wish, but it's nonsense to ignore facts and history.

      Listen to what Wesley Clark says here.

      Yeah the Bush administration were warmongers who went into Iraq for no good reason, made a strong push to go into Iran, and basically wanted to invade the whole middle east and implement democracy by force.

      What does this have to do with what's happening now? For all Obama's flaws he's not that style of neocon.

      Obama is no different than Bush, except in rhetoric and his rhetoric does not match his actions. The Patriot act was renewed not renounced. Wars have gone clandestine, not stopped. Gitmo was not closed, no bankers went on trial, etc.. etc.. The guy has been caught lying more than any other US President in history. He bold faced lied 3 days before the NSA story broke and told you he did not allow spying on Citizens. Google search that one, no citation is necessary. There are web sited dedicated to just tallying up all of his lies.

      Do some research on the subject if you dare. I have no confidence that you will, but don't denounce people with a different opinion with ad hominem. There are plenty of facts countering your position. No, I'm not going to condense a year worth of reading into a list of citations for you. One citation is enough to get you started.

      Well I have done research, and you haven't even provided a single relevant citation or argument. You think Wesley Clark talking about the plan of a completely disgraced administration from over a decade ago means the leader of the other party who ran as Bush's opposite is going to do the same thing??

      I mean what is your actual argument. You've thrown out some weird conspiracy theories but I don't even know what your point is. Assad is really a good guy? Assad is a bad guy but we're already waging the war to get rid of him? What?

      You have not done much in the way of research, sorry. I won't claim Assad is good, but quite frankly it's no

      --

      -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

    51. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by quantaman · · Score: 1

      Bull, go back and read what you said. You specifically called out children being killed as an appeal to emotion. Same crap propaganda media is doing, think before you write. If you wish to claim innocent deaths, make sure that you include all of the innocents killed by the rebels in your examples. They have been slaughtering Christian's and Jews, ransacking and desecrating temples and churches too. It's not one side that's a bad guy, so your view is extremely distorted and one sided.

      I know what I said, Assad escalated the situation by killing children among other things, it wasn't an appeal to your emotion, it was explaining how he appealed to the rebels emotion to either crush the peaceful protests or create a violent uprising he could really crush.

      And I never claimed Assad was the only bad guy, at this point him retaining power might be the least horrible outcome.

      The point is that it is very possible that Assad never changed from when he was friendly to the west. Fighting a sudden surge of armed terrorists in your own country makes you obviously behave differently, but is it genuine to think that his philosophy changed overnight? I find it more possible that our media after successfully toppling other countries in the region changed their spin on Assad and Syria. Call it a draw if you wish, but it's nonsense to ignore facts and history.

      The terrorists showed up when the conflict escalated. I don't doubt Assad didn't change, when things were good he tried to be a good dictator by western standards, when he was exposed to a serious threat to his power he reacted with a brutal suppression. And we might be watching different media as I follow a lot of non-MSM, but for me Assad became a bad guy after a lengthy period of torture and killings against non-violent protesters.

      Obama is no different than Bush, except in rhetoric and his rhetoric does not match his actions. The Patriot act was renewed not renounced. Wars have gone clandestine, not stopped. Gitmo was not closed, no bankers went on trial, etc.. etc.. The guy has been caught lying more than any other US President in history. He bold faced lied 3 days before the NSA story broke and told you he did not allow spying on Citizens. Google search that one, no citation is necessary. There are web sited dedicated to just tallying up all of his lies.

      I think you're misremembering how bad Bush was. I know all about Obama's lies along with lack of torture prosecutions, abuse of state secrets act, etc. But he's definitely not the warmonger Bush was. And I'm not sure how he's escalated clandestine wars aside from the increased drone strikes.

      You have not done much in the way of research, sorry. I won't claim Assad is good, but quite frankly it's none of our business what we think of him. What we plan to put in his place matches what we did to Libya, and that country is just fucked right? Syria is it's own nation, just like Russia and China. The Feds may not like Putin either, but it's not like they should just start bombing Russia to get him out of office (and in fact it is illegal to do so).

      Where did I say we should intervene in Syria? I never said that. Assad is a bastard but I don't see how we (well you, I'm Canadian) can do anything to fix that situation. US bombing is almost certain to make things worse.

      --
      I stole this Sig
    52. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I feel like rambling a little... please excuse me.

      The 1st Amendment is not the 1st by accident. It is the most powerful, most important right. It gives you the right to disagree, and disagree in a vulgar way if wished. It gives you, and Fox News, the right to lie shamelessly. Even though the right to due process is so important that its enumerated twice in the Amendments, it is nothing next to the 1st. It should be noted that the 2nd used to be a very powerful right... until it was bastrdized to include self-defense by none other than the will of the People with a little help from SCOTUS. IMO, it was once a right to be selfless, and now it is the right to be selfishly paranoid. I really wish the Amendments had stayed the Amendments I learned in school as an idealistic child... but I have to accept that the document is plastic. The President can suspend habeas corpus. SCOTUS can
      change the intended meaning of the text without changing a word. But we know we're fucked if the 1st changes... the right of free speech, free association, free religion... when that goes, I go.

    53. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by x_t0ken_407 · · Score: 1

      Hmmm, and what was the impetus for the "War on Terror"? That which provides a "wartime" situation in which the president can conduct national security serveillance w/out court oversight? What was it that got the average American to overwhelmingly support "action" -- i.e. the Patriot Act? This generation's version of Operation Northwood? Or just some random event that couldn't possibly been carried out intentionally? Are the powers that be just "lucky" that something extraordinary happened to give them such power? Is it wrong to even question the "official story"?

    54. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by s.petry · · Score: 1

      Since the thread is rather long I'm clipping out a few parts to continue. Thank you for maintaining a progressive dialogue. Bringing up children is still an appeal to emotion, so I'm removing it. Let us be fair in dialogue and call them "innocents" or something. Let us also be fair and acknowledge that all sides have killed innocents.

      And I never claimed Assad was the only bad guy, at this point him retaining power might be the least horrible outcome.

      If you only show half of the issue, it at least implies that Assad is the only thing wrong. Our media and politicians are painting this same exact picture. The "horrible" is a matter of your opinion and not necessarily factual or historically correct when it comes to Syria. Lets ask a couple pertinent questions related specifically to the Wesley Clark statements.

      1. What triggered a sudden change in 8 middle east counties all having sudden revolutions?

      You could claim "Dictator", but lets ask then why is Saudi Arabia and Turkey are the only large nations immune to this? You might claim "brutality" but again you are forced to ignore that Saudi Arabia and Turkey are immune to public scrutiny and are at least as brutal as Assad. You are also ignoring Qatar and Egypt that are backed by the US and NATO (hence Canada). You could claim Religious leadership, but then you ignore every country in the Middle East including Israel. Something else must be going on.

      2. Where did all of the "protest" come from that became revolutionary? Again you have numerous countries that start experiencing similar problems around the same time. Then you have countries in the middle of that which are immune. Pure coincidence is impossible.

      The terrorists showed up when the conflict escalated. I don't doubt Assad didn't change, when things were good he tried to be a good dictator by western standards, when he was exposed to a serious threat to his power he reacted with a brutal suppression. And we might be watching different media as I follow a lot of non-MSM, but for me Assad became a bad guy after a lengthy period of torture and killings against non-violent protesters.

      You are claiming that the Muslim Brotherhood is "new" in Syria and only showed up after the protests? If so, that is absolutely wrong and completely distorted. Assad has been fighting terrorists in his own country for decades with that name. The name "FSA" is new, but are the players any different than what Assad had been previously fighting?

      Now, if you check the above and find I'm correct then your assumption that Assad is torturing and killing non-violent protesters is plain old wrong.

      I think you're misremembering how bad Bush was. I know all about Obama's lies along with lack of torture prosecutions, abuse of state secrets act, etc. But he's definitely not the warmonger Bush was. And I'm not sure how he's escalated clandestine wars aside from the increased drone strikes.

      If a person behaves differently than their rhetoric, they are a liar. If Obama's actions are no different than Bush, then he is the same warmonger. Black ops and corporate mercenaries have increased as have clandestine drone attacks. So Obama is more of a warmonger than Bush when you take away his lies. I do remember how bad Bush was, both of them in fact. I also remember how bad the last 40 years of presidents have been on domestic policy.

      Where did I say we should intervene in Syria? I never said that. Assad is a bastard but I don't see how we (well you, I'm Canadian) can do anything to fix that situation. US bombing is almost certain to make things worse.

      We agree on the first part, but that's not what you started with. The middle is a matter of opinion that I don't agree with. Ad hominem attacks are not true "because" and historically and politically I can't say I agree. Col Gaddafi was a prick in the past, Assad is nothing like him. The last part of

      --

      -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

    55. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by quantaman · · Score: 1

      f you only show half of the issue, it at least implies that Assad is the only thing wrong. Our media and politicians are painting this same exact picture. The "horrible" is a matter of your opinion and not necessarily factual or historically correct when it comes to Syria. Lets ask a couple pertinent questions related specifically to the Wesley Clark statements.

      Well the origin was my claim that violent revolutions weren't that effective or nice, and comparing Syria and Libya to the rest of the Arab spring as Evidence. Then I attacked Assad because someone replied that Assad was a nice guy who's people only revolted because of western interference.

      1. What triggered a sudden change in 8 middle east counties all having sudden revolutions?

      You could claim "Dictator", but lets ask then why is Saudi Arabia and Turkey are the only large nations immune to this? You might claim "brutality" but again you are forced to ignore that Saudi Arabia and Turkey are immune to public scrutiny and are at least as brutal as Assad. You are also ignoring Qatar and Egypt that are backed by the US and NATO (hence Canada). You could claim Religious leadership, but then you ignore every country in the Middle East including Israel. Something else must be going on.

      The Arab Spring was a cultural phenomena. Don't know exactly why the Saudi's had no major uprising but Turkey was already democratic. People were protesting against repressive governments, they're all different countries so I'm not surprised that the revolutions took off in some or barely started in others. I'm not sure what you're actually suggesting.

      You are claiming that the Muslim Brotherhood is "new" in Syria and only showed up after the protests? If so, that is absolutely wrong and completely distorted. Assad has been fighting terrorists in his own country for decades with that name. The name "FSA" is new, but are the players any different than what Assad had been previously fighting?

      Now, if you check the above and find I'm correct then your assumption that Assad is torturing and killing non-violent protesters is plain old wrong.

      I'm claiming that additional Islamist fighters started entering once the confrontation turned violent, and the ones in Syria turned more extreme. I don't know if their arrival coincided with the start of violence, or was a reaction to the escalated violence, but the origin of the revolution was mostly secular.

      If a person behaves differently than their rhetoric, they are a liar. If Obama's actions are no different than Bush, then he is the same warmonger. Black ops and corporate mercenaries have increased as have clandestine drone attacks. So Obama is more of a warmonger than Bush when you take away his lies. I do remember how bad Bush was, both of them in fact. I also remember how bad the last 40 years of presidents have been on domestic policy.

      Well Obama is ending the two major wars Bush started. Bombed, but didn't invade Libya, and might not even bomb Syria now. If you want to get Obama than realize he's fundamentally a pragmatist, he doesn't want war but can be pushed into one.

      We agree on the first part, but that's not what you started with.

      Well no, it is where I started, you just assumed because I argued the obvious fact that Assad is a bad guy I might be in favour of the bombing strike.

      The middle is a matter of opinion that I don't agree with. Ad hominem attacks are not true "because" and historically and politically I can't say I agree. Col Gaddafi was a prick in the past, Assad is nothing like him. The last part of that I agree with. Killing more innocents is not justification for someone killing innocents. It's a hypocrisy.

      If you have never read Gary Allen "None Dare Call it Conspiracy" I will highly recommend that you do. It's a brief read and should be free for most e-readers. That book should shed s

      --
      I stole this Sig
    56. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by s.petry · · Score: 1

      The Arab Spring was a cultural phenomena. Don't know exactly why the Saudi's had no major uprising but Turkey was already democratic. People were protesting against repressive governments, they're all different countries so I'm not surprised that the revolutions took off in some or barely started in others. I'm not sure what you're actually suggesting.

      Plenty of evidence to the contrary on this one. In my opinion to claim it's all coincidence is foolish. Especially when you see specific patterns, such as the revolutions occurring in the exact countries where Clark was speaking of. Meanwhile, other more abusive (Saudi Arabia) countries are unscathed. There are way to many "coincidences" here to be just that.

      Well Obama is ending the two major wars Bush started. Bombed, but didn't invade Libya, and might not even bomb Syria now. If you want to get Obama than realize he's fundamentally a pragmatist, he doesn't want war but can be pushed into one.

      The US is currently bombing 5 countries in the Middle East in the open. Pakistan, Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Sudan. We bombed Libya, Ethiopia, Kenya and a few others on whims. All of this under Obama. Your implication that he is trying for peace denies facts and actions. The US was booted out of Iraq after 11 years of occupation. Obama was trying to renew the "peace keeping" role and Iraq refused. Afghanistan will remain a "peace keeping" operation for as long as possible, just like Iraq.

      If a guy is punching you in the nose while claiming "I don't hit people" you don't believe him do you? Ignore Obama's rhetoric and look at actions.

      Well no, it is where I started, you just assumed because I argued the obvious fact that Assad is a bad guy I might be in favour of the bombing strike.

      Actually nobody claimed Assad was a good guy. What was presented was a much more brief version of the dialogue I have been presenting.

      Where did I make an Ad hominem attack? If Assad was presenting a math proof and I said "it's wrong because Assad is a brutal dictator!" that would be an Ad hominem, but the topic here is whether Assad is a bad guy.

      Ad hominem is something we tend to do without much thought. You claimed Assad would be a horrible outcome (rough quote). That is an ad hominem whether you realize it or not. Additionally, you claim contrary to historical evidence that he is a "brutal dictator".

      Where you and I differ is that I don't suppose Assad to be a good guy or a bad guy. I look at what history shows he did in Syria and come to a pretty neutral opinion. He is not worse than Saudi Arabian rulers, or Turkey's rulers. He's not better than the Israeli theocracy either.

      Trying to pain him in a specific light and repeating propaganda does not help determine what really happened or what's really for the best.

      --

      -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

    57. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by quantaman · · Score: 1

      Plenty of evidence to the contrary on this one. In my opinion to claim it's all coincidence is foolish. Especially when you see specific patterns, such as the revolutions occurring in the exact countries where Clark was speaking of. Meanwhile, other more abusive (Saudi Arabia) countries are unscathed. There are way to many "coincidences" here to be just that.

      So the Arabs weren't capable of having spontaneous revolutions on their own? I can't remember the full list of countries that Clark spoke of, but maybe they chose those countries because they had non-allied dictators and populations ripe for revolution, just the kind of countries that might take part in the Arab spring. One of the reasons the Saudi's were unaffected is because the group in power is not only the huge majority Sunni, but the very strict Wahabbi sect that extremists usually embrace. ie The extremists didn't revolt in Saudi Arabia because they were already in charge.

      And how do you explain Egypt? I'm pretty sure that wasn't in the Clark list and the US, particularly the people whom made the list, were sure worried when Mubarek was going down.

      The US is currently bombing 5 countries in the Middle East in the open. Pakistan, Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Sudan. We bombed Libya, Ethiopia, Kenya and a few others on whims. All of this under Obama. Your implication that he is trying for peace denies facts and actions. The US was booted out of Iraq after 11 years of occupation. Obama was trying to renew the "peace keeping" role and Iraq refused. Afghanistan will remain a "peace keeping" operation for as long as possible, just like Iraq.

      You mean drone strikes? It's dishonest to count the drone strikes under both drone strikes and warfare. And I don't think Obama was trying as hard as you think to stay in Iraq. He wanted a lasting role and bases but didn't want to continue active military operations.

      Ad hominem is something we tend to do without much thought. You claimed Assad would be a horrible outcome (rough quote). That is an ad hominem whether you realize it or not. Additionally, you claim contrary to historical evidence that he is a "brutal dictator".

      Where you and I differ is that I don't suppose Assad to be a good guy or a bad guy. I look at what history shows he did in Syria and come to a pretty neutral opinion. He is not worse than Saudi Arabian rulers, or Turkey's rulers. He's not better than the Israeli theocracy either.

      Trying to pain him in a specific light and repeating propaganda does not help determine what really happened or what's really for the best.

      I think you need to look up the definition of Ad hominem. And during peace he was fairly permissive in outside of politics, but his reactions to the protests fit the profile or brutal dictator quite well.

      And he's better than the Saudi rulers but definitely worse than Turkey's rulers, you do realize Turkey is mostly a democracy right?

      As for the Israeli comparison, Israel is guilty of some pretty abhorrent actions and policies, but in a completely different way than Assad. Israel is a democracy occupying and colonizing another country, it's bad, but a completely different kind of bad.

      --
      I stole this Sig
    58. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by s.petry · · Score: 1

      So the Arabs weren't capable of having spontaneous revolutions on their own? I can't remember the full list of countries that Clark spoke of, but maybe they chose those countries because they had non-allied dictators and populations ripe for revolution, just the kind of countries that might take part in the Arab spring. One of the reasons the Saudi's were unaffected is because the group in power is not only the huge majority Sunni, but the very strict Wahabbi sect that extremists usually embrace. ie The extremists didn't revolt in Saudi Arabia because they were already in charge.

      First, I gave the link to Clark's statements. If you don't review the evidence how can you perceive to speak rationally on the subject? On a similar track, I gave a link to an exceptional book which you deny any desire to read. If you deny evidence that provides a clear and concise opinion differing from yours and refuse to review evidence, I can only assume that you wish to maintain your belief regardless of how irrational that belief may be.

      Second, you ignore the point I made. How is it that certain countries had revolts and others did not? If you wish to maintain that it was all coincidence, you are not looking very closely at reality.

      I think you need to look up the definition of Ad hominem. And during peace he was fairly permissive in outside of politics, but his reactions to the protests fit the profile or brutal dictator quite well.

      I have actually studied rhetoric and Philosophy for over 30 years, I know very well the definition and use of ad hominem. Claiming a person is "horrible" or "brutal" is easily within the definition and practice. A single semester in a University should make this abundantly clear, however most people today are content with reading a definition on Wiki and believing that they know how something works. Obviously that is not true, and perhaps you are not "most people". That said, your belief that it is not ad hominem is absolutely wrong.

      And he's better than the Saudi rulers but definitely worse than Turkey's rulers, you do realize Turkey is mostly a democracy right?

      I'm not sure you know much about Turkey. I have seen first hand thieves get their hands beaten with iron rods until they were permanently crippled, and people get eyes burned out for looking at women. You speculate because of what you hear, not because of what is real. There is plenty of evidence to show how Turkey jails journalists and protestors, and has for decades (just like Saudi Arabia). Turkey claims to be a democracy just like Saudi Arabia claims to be a monarchy. Both are tyrannical states just like most in the middle east that suffered revolts. There is no rational way of thinking that those two countries should escape revolution if in fact all of the middle east revolutions are due to a fed up populace. They are not however listed in Clark's commentary which precedes the revolts.

      --

      -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

    59. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by quantaman · · Score: 1

      First, I gave the link to Clark's statements. If you don't review the evidence how can you perceive to speak rationally on the subject? On a similar track, I gave a link to an exceptional book which you deny any desire to read. If you deny evidence that provides a clear and concise opinion differing from yours and refuse to review evidence, I can only assume that you wish to maintain your belief regardless of how irrational that belief may be.

      Second, you ignore the point I made. How is it that certain countries had revolts and others did not? If you wish to maintain that it was all coincidence, you are not looking very closely at reality.

      Well I actually explained why some countries might have revolted and others didn't (based on the characteristics of those countries) but I'll humour you and look at the list of countries Clark listed.

      Iraq, Sryria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Iran.

      According to wikipedia governments were overthrown in

      "Tunisia, Egypt (twice), Libya, and Yemen; civil uprisings have erupted in Bahrain and Syria; major protests have broken out in Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, and Sudan;"

      So of your 6 countries that Clark listed that the US hadn't invaded only 2 are actually at risk of an overthrow and only one other had major protests. Lebanon, Iran, and Somalia are all relatively unaffected.

      So I actually agree, it wasn't a coincidence because the two lists aren't similar enough to be considered a coincidence!

      I have actually studied rhetoric and Philosophy for over 30 years, I know very well the definition and use of ad hominem. Claiming a person is "horrible" or "brutal" is easily within the definition and practice. A single semester in a University should make this abundantly clear, however most people today are content with reading a definition on Wiki and believing that they know how something works. Obviously that is not true, and perhaps you are not "most people". That said, your belief that it is not ad hominem is absolutely wrong.

      I disagree on the basis that ad hominem is a fallacy and my point was completely valid. How was I making a fallacy? You made a statement that included "I won't claim Assad is good" and argued that we shouldn't bomb Syria, I followed with a statement that included "Assad is a bastard" and agreed that we shouldn't bomb Syria. The only difference in our statements is I indicted Assad in stronger terms, and I implied that Assad's badness could be a motive for bombing his regime but I didn't think they should do it.

      I'm not sure you know much about Turkey. I have seen first hand thieves get their hands beaten with iron rods until they were permanently crippled, and people get eyes burned out for looking at women. You speculate because of what you hear, not because of what is real. There is plenty of evidence to show how Turkey jails journalists and protestors, and has for decades (just like Saudi Arabia). Turkey claims to be a democracy just like Saudi Arabia claims to be a monarchy. Both are tyrannical states just like most in the middle east that suffered revolts. There is no rational way of thinking that those two countries should escape revolution if in fact all of the middle east revolutions are due to a fed up populace. They are not however listed in Clark's commentary which precedes the revolts.

      I said mostly democratic, they still have issues but they have properly counted elections with power transfers. I don't deny the major human rights issues and they've had their own protests but a lot of the protesters were probably looking to Turkey as a model of what they wanted. So it's pretty disingenuous to say "There is no rational way of thinking that those two countries should escape revolution if in fact all of the middle east revolutions are due to a fed up populace" when the difference are quite obvious.

      Lets look at the

      --
      I stole this Sig
    60. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by s.petry · · Score: 1

      Assad is a dictator would be a statement of fact. Assad is a "brutal" dictator is an ad hominem. If you wish to expand on the fact that he is a dictator and provide a separate opinion of him being "brutal" that would be different. As it was presented it was ad hominem. The same would be said with "Assad winning is a horrible outcome." The word horrible is not factual and not a backed opinion. Therefor it is an ad hominem. As I mentioned when I first requested you drop the ad hominem, their use is often subtle and used without much thought because other people (media) do so. Pay attention to the statement "without much thought".

      To Clark's list, every country on the list he provided except for Iran has been impacted. Some with full overthrow (Egypt/Libya) and others on the verge (Syria).

      You claimed that Saudi Arabia and Turkey were not as bad as Syria, I showed that this was not true. Now you claim that Turkey was a model? For what, a non revolution while remaining a tyrannical state which abuses both protestors and journalists? Outside of what media presents you, there is no difference between living in Syria and Turkey or Syria and Saudi Arabia. Yet somehow the allies of the US remain unscathed in revolution and protest.

      You also missed Iraq and Afghanistan on Clark's comments.

      --

      -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

    61. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by quantaman · · Score: 1

      Assad is a dictator would be a statement of fact. Assad is a "brutal" dictator is an ad hominem. If you wish to expand on the fact that he is a dictator and provide a separate opinion of him being "brutal" that would be different. As it was presented it was ad hominem. The same would be said with "Assad winning is a horrible outcome." The word horrible is not factual and not a backed opinion. Therefor it is an ad hominem. As I mentioned when I first requested you drop the ad hominem, their use is often subtle and used without much thought because other people (media) do so. Pay attention to the statement "without much thought".

      It wasn't without much thought, it wasn't even stated without justification.

      Before you even showed up I referred to him "Brutalizing the opposition into violent revolt", and the comment that drew you in specifically referenced him torturing people (including children) to death, and shooting protesters before the protests turned violent. I clearly justified my position that in his reactions to the Arab Spring Assad wasn't just a dictator, he was a brutal dictator. So I strenuously challenge your assertion that it was an Ad hominen because I definitely 'provide[d] a separate opinion of him being "brutal"'.

      As for Assad being a horrible outcome, I think it's a given that a) Assad has established himself as a brutal dictator, and b) a dictator reestablishing himself after a bloody sectarian civil war virtually never has a good outcome, c) as a principal we don't like dictators violently suppressing opposition to win (particularly when they instigated the violence) because it gives other dictators really bad incentives..

      To Clark's list, every country on the list he provided except for Iran has been impacted. Some with full overthrow (Egypt/Libya) and others on the verge (Syria).

      Look at the damn list. Of course they were, every country in the middle east was impacted!!

      Lets review the 6 non-invaded:
      Sryria, Libya: Civil war
      Sudan: Major ongoing protests
      Lebanon, Somalia, and Iran: Minor and short term protests

      And you know what, Saudi Arabia The fact a) you actually

      You claimed that Saudi Arabia and Turkey were not as bad as Syria, I showed that this was not true. Now you claim that Turkey was a model? For what, a non revolution while remaining a tyrannical state which abuses both protestors and journalists? Outside of what media presents you, there is no difference between living in Syria and Turkey or Syria and Saudi Arabia.

      I'm going to step back and give you a moment to reevaluate "Saudi Arabia and Turkey were not as bad as Syria, I showed that this was not true" [...] "there is no difference between living in Syria and Turkey or Syria and Saudi Arabia". Because if you were even considering comparing life in Turkey (or even Syria) to life in Saudi Arabia... I'm going to have an insulting reply.

      Yet somehow the allies of the US remain unscathed in revolution and protest.

      You also missed Iraq and Afghanistan on Clark's comments.

      Except of course for the major Arab ally, Egypt.

      Again, all you showed is that the Bush Administration wanted to intervene against a bunch of Middle East dictatorships, then a decade later the entire Middle East goes through a wave of protests, and the countries most affected are a mostly different list of Middle East dictatorships.

      --
      I stole this Sig
    62. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by PortHaven · · Score: 1

      They didn't need it, they were subcontracting their slavery and cotton production the American south.

    63. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by PortHaven · · Score: 1

      No its not. By the time we get to vote for President we are given a choice of one of two pre-selected approved candidates.

      Voting in America is akin to voting in the former Soviet Union.

    64. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If by my life or death I can protect you, I will. You have my sword...

    65. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And you have my bow.

    66. Re:I hearby pledged my oath and rifle... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And my axe!

  8. The heart of this issue by Herman+Wiliker · · Score: 4, Informative

    If a government agency violates the law and demands that you allow them to, it is not treason to hold them accountable. We shall see this play out.

    1. Re:The heart of this issue by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We shall see this play out.

      Yes....but not by Yahoo. They'ave already capitulated to the Government's unreasonable and illegal searches. Now this CEO is trying to justify their cooperating with the oppression of the American People by claiming resistance is something it is not.
      This is not Treason.

  9. so betray your users by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They had a choice to betray their government or their users[its citizens].

    They chose poorly.

  10. How misleading. by dadelbunts · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This spin on this article is amazing. What happens if you decline cooperation is classified information. That doesn't mean that declining to cooperate leads to a treason charge, just that whatever happens if you decline, is classified information. Releasing classified information is a treason charge, but that's a separate issue altogether.

    1. Re:How misleading. by GumphMaster · · Score: 1

      IANAL or even a USian, but even I can read. Releasing classified information that is detrimental to the United States is a violation of USC Title 18 Section 798, not treason, and carries at most a prison term. The offense of treason (USC Title 18 Sect 2381) requires "Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies,..." There's a fair gap betwixt the two, not least of which is the death penalty. It's also worth noting that even the action of Manning did not attract a charge of treason in the wheelbarrow of offenses alleged and he _really_ released information.

      --
      Patent litigation: A doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction... in which everyone seems willing to push the button
    2. Re:How misleading. by chrismcb · · Score: 1

      What spin? TFA claims Yahoo CEO said "Releasing classified information is treason." She also said "The thing is, we lost and if you don't comply it's treason." These are both direct quotes from Ms. Mayer. So, how is this a spin on the article? The article is just reporting on what she said.

    3. Re:How misleading. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Exactly, the summary reads like a non-sequitor and left me confused... I almost RTFA FFS :-)

    4. Re:How misleading. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The problem is that any information is now classified. There needs to be a discussion about the existence of these types of agencies and accountability. In that discussion, the word terrorist should not be allowed.

    5. Re:How misleading. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sorry to break it to you but the article explictly states that the outcome of the lawsuit that Yahoo did against the government amounts to exactly that: if you decline to cooperate it's treason.
      For once this is not a spin that the commenters take on the article.

    6. Re:How misleading. by ImOuttaHere · · Score: 1

      Why does this whole thing have such a Germany 1930's, or Russia 1920's smell to it? This can't be happening in the "Land of the Free", can it? And if it is, what are you (each and every one of you) going to do about it?

      This spin on this article is amazing. What happens if you decline cooperation is classified information. That doesn't mean that declining to cooperate leads to a treason charge, just that whatever happens if you decline, is classified information. Releasing classified information is a treason charge, but that's a separate issue altogether.

    7. Re:How misleading. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's nice what you are saying. So they can have a "classified law" saying "we will pull all of Mrs Meirs toenails and cut off her left little finger, if she talks about our wiretapping" ???

      If that is actually true, your country is in the same league as Zimbabwe. My condolences.

    8. Re:How misleading. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mod parent up. If anyone's putting a spin on things, it's the CEO.

    9. Re:How misleading. by intermodal · · Score: 1

      It has a feel of "Germany 1930's, or Russia 1920's" as you put it because it's fundamentally no different. It's a government declaring an ideology or a people (Rather than a government or other clearly defined entity) to be an enemy against which they must be given absolute power to fight. And in the process, completely removing all methods of effective recourse against overreach.

      --
      In SOVIET RUSSIA... erm...NSA AMERICA, the Internet logs onto YOU!
  11. You guys are hooped. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    So it's treason NOT to co-operate with the NSA.

    But it's NOT treason for the NSA to share their (illegally obtained?) information with other countries.

    I guess the question now is... What are you all going to do about it? They made the rules of the game, so playing by the rules isn't going to get you anywhere anymore.

    1. Re:You guys are hooped. by QRDeNameland · · Score: 4, Funny

      But it's NOT treason for the NSA to share their (illegally obtained?) information with other countries.

      Right, because there's no N, S, or A in treason. Oh, wait....

      --
      Momentarily, the need for the construction of new light will no longer exist.
  12. Meyer is completely wrong... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A government that is willingly violating the Constitutional rights of citizens is committing treason.

    Companies and their executives who facilitate such violations are traitors as well.

  13. Once you bend to pressure . . . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    you set precedence. Big Business cooperation with the government is what got us here in the first place.

    For this reason, we no longer trust either of you.

    1. Re:Once you bend to pressure . . . . by alexo · · Score: 1

      you set precedence. Big Business cooperation with the government is what got us here in the first place.

      For this reason, we no longer trust either of you.

      And we don't give a damn.

      Sincerely,
      Big Business & Government.

  14. Define Treason by gishzida · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's like asking "what do you mean by sex?" and yet... how is what Snowden did treason? All he has done is reveal the fact that the three branches of our government have basically said "we have the right to spy on you be cause we say so. and if you reveal the fact that we are violating your rights under the constitution they pull the magic "States Secrets" bunny out of the hat that waves its magic wand and gags those that would speak because it is treason... Um... How's that again? Where does it say that "State Secrets" trumps the constitution?

    1. Re:Define Treason by CrimsonAvenger · · Score: 1

      We don't have to "define treason". The Constitution does that quite nicely in Article 3, Section 3.

      --

      "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
    2. Re:Define Treason by Guy+Harris · · Score: 1

      We don't have to "define treason". The Constitution does that quite nicely in Article 3, Section 3.

      And who defines "Aid and Comfort"?

    3. Re:Define Treason by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Who was Snowden aiding and comforting when he published his materials? Was he aiding the terrorists? Snowden's justification is that he wanted "to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them". Does this mean that the US public are terrorists and enemies of the US?

    4. Re:Define Treason by Guy+Harris · · Score: 1

      Who was Snowden aiding and comforting when he published his materials?

      There are probably people who would manage to find somebody they believe he aided. I'm not one of them; the point is that no country's constitution is a Magic Talisman that has only one interpretation so that it will never be interpreted in ways that people who believe it's a Magic Talisman against <whatever> won't like.

    5. Re:Define Treason by CrimsonAvenger · · Score: 1

      Who was Snowden aiding and comforting when he published his materials?

      Note that Snowden hasn't been charged with treason, either.

      There have been only six people convicted of treason in the USA post-Civil War. All of them as a result of WW2.

      --

      "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
    6. Re:Define Treason by ignavus · · Score: 1

      Where does it say that "State Secrets" trumps the constitution?

      That's classified information.

      --
      I am anarch of all I survey.
    7. Re:Define Treason by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I could tell you, but it's classified...

  15. misleading headline is misleading by iveygman · · Score: 4, Insightful

    She's not saying that it's treasonous not to cooperate, but rather lamenting the fact that they're being forced to comply.

    1. Re:misleading headline is misleading by PortHaven · · Score: 1

      Uh, she said she could wind up going to jail for treason.

    2. Re:misleading headline is misleading by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      just got home and don't have the energy to RTFA, but the last sentence clearly states that the court ruling in her suit identified a 'lack of cooperation' as 'treason'

      misleading headline was meant to be misleading: she calls betraying the constitution by revealing private documents w/o a warrant treason, but she'll be charged with treason if she doesn't

    3. Re:misleading headline is misleading by mcgrew · · Score: 0

      No, she's just too selfish and cowardly to do the right thing. It's clear if you read the article. They sued for the right to speak and lost, if they blabbed they'd go to prison.

    4. Re:misleading headline is misleading by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Let's be quite clear about this: the wealthy tech tychoons have absofuckinglutely no personal motivation to stand up for our rights. They're wealthy, they can go anywhere and be anything and never have to work again, and all their wants will be met for the rest of their natural lives. Why risk that status for the sake of strangers who you see as cattle to be milked of the very wealth which sustains you?

      No, they're complaining about being coerced because this is all very bad publicity for their corporation. It's not because the famously-robotic Meyers has suddenly found her conscience and humanity. She is acutely aware that Yahoo! needs serious PR to stay alive, and she's definitely doing her part to keep her ass in that expensive chair at the helm because she, just like all the uber rich who have chosen to give in to corruption, is greedy.

      If they were really so righteous, they would not have allowed a little thing like threats from a clearly illegal secret police force to cow them into cooperation. Not just cooperation. If Meyers were any more compliant and complicit with this heinous abomination which is shitting all over all of humanity, she would need to employ the bottom 50% of the nation's earners to manually dig out all the jizz from her frigid cunt.

    5. Re:misleading headline is misleading by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 1

      well, with all her money, she'd still be able to have a separate cell for her wittle babby.

      they don't lock up powerful ceo's. she could stand up to the government. but, see, there are other things going on. and of course, we don't see those things - but we can believe they are there, nonetheless.

      --

      --
      "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
    6. Re:misleading headline is misleading by chrismcb · · Score: 1

      She said "The thing is, we lost and if you don't comply it's treason." In other words, it is treasonous not to cooperate. Sounds like the headline is spot on.

    7. Re:misleading headline is misleading by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      She said "The thing is, we lost and if you don't comply it's treason." In other words, it is treasonous not to cooperate. Sounds like the headline is spot on.

      No, the headline makes it sound like she agrees with handing over data to the NSA. What she actually said was "you have to hand over data to the NSA because you will be branded a traitor if you resist".

  16. Say What? - by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's treason to not comply with an activity that has repeatedly been found illegal?

    This is insanity. There are apparently two Americas struggling for power with one another, and only one of them even entertains the idea that it is a constitutional republic. That America is losing badly.

  17. damned if you do damned if you dont by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Because its treason against the people if you comply willy nilly

  18. Really.... by PortHaven · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I think it was more so, that "Hey, we will arrest you. Crash your company. And or replace you. And we'll use illicit means to make it happen. Hell, we might just bump you off if you don't comply. Either way your company will comply, whether its you or the next guy."

    1. Re:Really.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's easy to weed the flock, when you know everything about every sheep.

    2. Re: Really.... by rilister · · Score: 2

      They don't even have to say anything: she knows her job depends on co-operating. Bottom line is that she doesn't own Yahoo, she is a servant of the shareholders - she is expected/obliged to put their interests first.

      OK, she could decide to not comply, or blow the NSA's cover on the extent of spying, but if she took Yahoo into direct conflict with the Federal Government over a personal opinion I doubt she'd stick around in the job for 24 more hours before the board decided she had to go.

      It's the kind of kind of grandstanding that Jobs might have got away with (what you gonna do, fire me?). Zuckerberg is an interesting case: he still owns nearly 25% of Facebook, so his chances of being summarily fired are less. Still, I find it hard to imagine a CEO deliberately risking jail and being allowed to continue to serve (as the share price plummeted)

      No need for threats and blackmail: the market does it for you...

      --
      'This writing business. Pencils and what-not. Over-rated if you ask me. Silly stuff. Nothing in it' - Eeyore
    3. Re:Really.... by celle · · Score: 1

      ""Hey, we will arrest you. Crash your company. And or replace you. And we'll use illicit means to make it happen. Hell, we might just bump you off if you don't comply."

          Isn't that what Putin has done to his political enemies. Well the ones that had the capability to defeat him.

    4. Re:Really.... by PortHaven · · Score: 1

      Yup....we just have a secret oligarchy rather than one man...

    5. Re: Really.... by ciderbrew · · Score: 1

      I think thats the meaning of being a hero. You will be crushed yet you stood and did what was right. The same crap they spout about being a patriot in the first place.

  19. What does it mean by "treason" ? by Taco+Cowboy · · Score: 1

    'Releasing classified information is treason.'

    Here's the definition of the word "TREASON", courtesy of Google:

    • 1. The crime of betraying one's country

      2. The action of betraying someone or something

    I sincerely hope that Ms. Meyer isn't stupid.

    I sincerely hope that Yahoo has hired a CEO who ought to be able to discern the difference between a country and a government

    In fact, treason has been committed, by the current government of the United States, against the very country of the United States of America

    Anyone who chose to side with the treacherous regime that is lording over the citizens of the United States of America could be, in future, charged with treason

    --
    Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
    1. Re:What does it mean by "treason" ? by Stormy+Dragon · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The only entity who's defintion of Treason matters here is the USDOJ. When they jail you, you can scream "this is unjust! what I did isn't really treason!" all you like, but you're still in jail for treason.

    2. Re:What does it mean by "treason" ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I sincerely hope that Ms. Meyer isn't stupid.

      That's the option that paints her in the best light possible. The others are "coward" or "fascist".

    3. Re:What does it mean by "treason" ? by cold+fjord · · Score: 1

      In fact, treason has been committed, by the current government of the United States, against the very country of the United States of America

      Anyone who chose to side with the treacherous regime that is lording over the citizens of the United States of America could be, in future, charged with treason

      Well, you get right on forming that new government and let us know when its ready to take charge.

      Or is this what you're talking about? Sovereign Citizens: Radicals Exercising 'God-Given Rights' or Fueling Domestic Terrorism?

      --
      much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot - George Orwell
    4. Re:What does it mean by "treason" ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Like oh so many people during the past 50 years.

    5. Re:What does it mean by "treason" ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I dunno, one out of twelve jurors ought to be enough to keep you out of jail if they say "No, it's not". I'd like to hope 8% of Americans have read our constitution...

    6. Re:What does it mean by "treason" ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No. Treason is a well-defined word. Cooperation with the NSA's war against citizends fits that definition. Refusing to cooperate does not. The views of the not-so-aptly-named U.S. Department of Justice might have the effect of putting someone in jail regardless of whether (s)he has committed treason, but that does not change the meaning of the word.

    7. Re:What does it mean by "treason" ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not if we put them down via firing squad, which is what the punishment for treason is.

      Going against the constitution - treason.
      Going against a bunch of thundering cunts, not so much.

  20. Dang, ... by PortHaven · · Score: 1

    You just made me realize that we're on Team Oracle's yacht and losing badly. Penalized -2 to begin with, and now one race to 6.

  21. Re:damned if you do damned if you dont by PortHaven · · Score: 1

    Except the people aren't going to arrest you, or send Mr. Smith to run your car off the road in a freak accident.

  22. READ the Constitution Marissa by Specter · · Score: 3, Informative

    No, Marissa, it is not treason:

    "Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court."

    That's treason. Releasing classified information isn't treason per se unless it meets one of the Constitutional criteria laid out above.

    1. Re:READ the Constitution Marissa by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Lawyers and politicians love to twist things around though. Some would argue that anything you do that is not 100% in support of our government is giving the enemy aid and comfort. For example, criticizing Obama could be comfort to the enemy. The meaning behind the words are not sufficiently precise.

    2. Re:READ the Constitution Marissa by Overzeetop · · Score: 3, Interesting

      So protecting foreign combatants by intentionally masking their communications and refusing to assist the federal government in their apprehension is NOT giving them aid and/or comfort.

      I'm curious...if it were drug runners laundering money through a major US bank, would you consider that assisting them in such a way that would be against the RICO act?

      (note: I'm not siding with the government, or against those who would give the NSA the middle finger - let them do their own legwork, but I'm curious where you draw the line, and how straight that line is)

      --
      Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
    3. Re:READ the Constitution Marissa by kylemonger · · Score: 1

      It doesn't matter what treason is. The point is that she of the 1% isn't going to rot in Federal prison or in exile for the likes of you, me, the Fourth Amendment, or anything else that might make our socks roll up and down. That there is even one Edward Snowden in this fetid, materialistic country is a miracle that has restored some of my hope for the future.

    4. Re:READ the Constitution Marissa by postbigbang · · Score: 2

      There is treason, there is sedition. There is free speech. One doesn't necessarily trump the other. Snowden, Manning, and others did what they felt was right, and no matter how right, they're ready to go to jail. Not the CEO of Yahoo; she's interested in staying out of jail.

      That's where the reality is. You can cite the Constitution, even legal precedent, but jail is very real.

      Is it a horrid era that allows the contemptous behavior of the government, en masse, against its citizens? Absolutely. But we allowed fear to govern law, and money to pimp our legislators. But jail is real. Marissa Meyer doesn't want to go there. Would you? Really?

      --
      ---- Teach Peace. It's Cheaper Than War.
    5. Re:READ the Constitution Marissa by Specter · · Score: 1

      I was responding to the summary quotation that releasing classified information is treason. For a release of classified information to be treason, and not just illegal, you'd have to prove it was giving aid and comfort to our enemies. There's plenty of wiggle room in both directions when it comes to defining: aid, comfort, and enemy.

      Her statement, assuming she quoted accurately and in context, is wrong and it furthers an illegitimate end, in my opinion, by reinforcing the belief that the federal government can pretty much do as it pleases and we shouldn't be asking any inconvenient questions about it.

    6. Re:READ the Constitution Marissa by Swampash · · Score: 1

      No, Marissa, it is not treason:

      "Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court."

      That's treason. Releasing classified information isn't treason per se unless it meets one of the Constitutional criteria laid out above.

      Facilitating the private communications of TEH ENEMIES OF TEH UNITED STATES isn't giving them aid?

    7. Re:READ the Constitution Marissa by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Marissa is just a compliant fascist. It always ends badly with crap like that.

    8. Re:READ the Constitution Marissa by fuzzywig · · Score: 1
      If a major bank is caught laundering drug money they get a slap on the wrist and nobody involved even gets charged, much less prosecuted.

      What were you expecting?

    9. Re:READ the Constitution Marissa by dwpro · · Score: 1

      I think intent and specificity would have to come into play, or providing any service to the public could be treason.

      it's easy to give in to vague threats from the govt, but if HSBC can get away with targeted money laundering for terrorists with a nominal fine it's harder to make the case the government would follow through.

      However, just to be sure, I'm not paying taxes anymore. I'm feel reasonably assured that some of the tax money will get into terrorist hands, and I don't want to be a traitor.

      --
      Millions long for immortality who do not know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon. -- Susan Ertz
    10. Re:READ the Constitution Marissa by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Did you protest in public against the shitty treatment of Bradley Manning ? If not, silence forever, please.

      I did. If millions had done, Mr O-Torture would be much nicer to everybody in this affair.

    11. Re:READ the Constitution Marissa by postbigbang · · Score: 1

      You can wear protests as a badge of courage if you desire. But such efforts are more or less nihilistic. You mistake the government for giving much of a shit about what you think. This is no longer a government "by and for the people" rather, for campaign contributors and lackeys.

      For whatever record, the government already knows what I did.

      --
      ---- Teach Peace. It's Cheaper Than War.
  23. Actually, complying is treason by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Can we start a list of these people so we know who to dump in the mass grave when the revolution comes and we restore the rule of law?

  24. She also wants her cake by future+assassin · · Score: 0

    cake and eat it in a free country. Shes don't give a flying fuck, she has a corporate jet to escape America. America you gonna get what you deserve for not standing up. Bunch of pussies.

    --
    by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
  25. "We were only following orders" by kheldan · · Score: 0

    Yet another lame excuse that doesn't stand up to scrutiny. There are way too many cowards and boot-lickers in this country and not enough people willing to stand up for what this country was supposed to be about, not what it's being made into.

    --
    Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
  26. a historical note: by circletimessquare · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writ_of_assistance

    the historical events that served as the basis for the fourth amendment

    and exactly the type of abuse the NSA is perpetrating on the american people

    what we are talking about with the NSA program is a thorough, gross violation of and clear, undeniable contradiction to a founding principle of this country

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    1. Re:a historical note: by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      Thanks for that insight into US history and UK law.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    2. Re:a historical note: by JustNiz · · Score: 2

      I can tell you the UK are bad but don't go half as far as the US does in blatantly abusing their citizens rights.

      US is the land of the free? my ass.

    3. Re:a historical note: by ImOuttaHere · · Score: 1

      Gods! Neither the STASI nor the KGB ever had it this good or this easy, did they?

    4. Re:a historical note: by fuzzywig · · Score: 1
      It's more that in the UK we've just assumed that the government has the capability to intercept all of our communications for years, but we rely on their incompetence to keep us safe.

      It works out ok generally.

  27. Treason is in the Constitution by mbone · · Score: 2

    It is the only crime defined there :

    Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.

    Don't see anything there about not cooperating with the authorities.

    1. Re:Treason is in the Constitution by organgtool · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That's the beauty of a war on ideology: anyone who opposes your ideological values can be branded a traitor.

    2. Re:Treason is in the Constitution by gmuslera · · Score: 1

      Remember, US is in (cyber) war against all the world (except Israel, as least it seems so for the information given to them), and probably other english speaking countries, despite that the attacked countries realize the situation or not. Helping other countries to realize that they are being unilaterally attacked by US count on their books as treason.

      I just hope that the other countries realize what is the actual situation, and stop giving US in a silver plate the bullets to get shot by them.

    3. Re:Treason is in the Constitution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Treason isn't only defined in the Constitution. And in any case, it's plainly written in your quotation; the language having been expanded to mean that virtually anything can be considered aid and comfort. That's the problem. We've allowed these definitions to become vague. Democrat, Republican, Libertarian; it's all the same.

    4. Re:Treason is in the Constitution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Which is exactly why the term was defined in the constitution as ONLY "in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort." To prevent the perversion of the term that the founders had already witnessed.

    5. Re:Treason is in the Constitution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, if the people define the current state as government war against the people, then it would be treason helping the government, right?

    6. Re:Treason is in the Constitution by intermodal · · Score: 1

      It's also the beauty of a war on an undefined and vaguely-described enemy.

      --
      In SOVIET RUSSIA... erm...NSA AMERICA, the Internet logs onto YOU!
    7. Re:Treason is in the Constitution by JigJag · · Score: 1

      to anyone who hasn't read Jean-Paul Marat's The Chains Of Slavery yet, I invite you to check: http://jpmarat.de/english/jpmcha4e.html#ToC6

      The entire book is available at http://jpmarat.de/english/jpmie.html

      --
      "The hallmark of humanity is the ability to move beyond sensory inputs" - Mary Helen Immordino-Yang
  28. More like corporate suicide by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    More like corporate suicide!

    1. Re:More like corporate suicide by djupedal · · Score: 1

      More like corporate suicide!

      Right - she said what the govt. lawyers told her. She didn't say what her personal feelings are, which is only fair from a corporate mouthpiece.

  29. Yahoo has a great approach to this... by bitt3n · · Score: 1

    rather than treasonously reporting government info requests, every time they receive such a request they will make their logo slightly blander. by this time next year, it'll look just like helvetica

    1. Re:Yahoo has a great approach to this... by Em+Adespoton · · Score: 1

      rather than treasonously reporting government info requests, every time they receive such a request they will make their logo slightly blander. by this time next year, it'll look just like helvetica

      I think in conjunction with increasing the transparency of their logo, they should make the "scales" of the Y more and more unbalanced. Eventually they can overturn it completely.

  30. YAHOO == NAZIS ?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Arbeit macht Frei !!

    Valley Girl in Yahoo claims CREDIT for being a Nazi !!

  31. Perhaps by lesincompetent · · Score: 1

    Mass civil disobedience (followed by public outrage hopefully) could be the answer, even in this case?
    Am i simply being delusional if i hope corporations could do that?

  32. Four legs bad, two legs good by JoeyRox · · Score: 2, Insightful

    We're approaching the end game of fascism in America. The country has had a good run but alas humans can't stop being humans and so this country will crumble under its weight like all countries before it.

    1. Re:Four legs bad, two legs good by wrackspurt · · Score: 2

      I've been trying for some time to come up with reasons to disagree with what you've posted. I readily admit I'm not doing all that well. I've one hypothesis and that is that democratic states with all the freedoms such states entail will generally win out over less democratic states because freedom of speech and assembly among other fundamental rights inherently provide efficiencies that less democratic states lack. This idea doesn't necessarily apply to special cases like China today which is playing catchup by stealing our methods, or, even necessarily to contemporary Russia which is selling off it's natural resources without provisions for the future. It does hold over the long run, but then as Keynes pointed out, over the long run we're all dead.

    2. Re:Four legs bad, two legs good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No sir, you are wrong. This country is too important to be lost... it has to find it's way back... fortunately the onus is on American citizens.

    3. Re:Four legs bad, two legs good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ... so this country will crumble ...

      Countries crumble when the cost of oppressing those with military & manufacturing jobs is excessive. Meaning, the poor and enslaved don't change the government. With spying on citizens as easy as downloading their email spool and bank records, governments can oppress dissent for a long time. The US can attack its citizens without limit because its federal budget creates money out of thin air. Lastly, the US police can legally steal from citizens, creating further oppression.

      The rest of the world pays the US to be an international bully. The debacle in Syria is probably the first time pro-US countries have ignored US policies and military actions. The USA still has the biggest guns so the world depends on their goodwill, which will be given to the most obedient countries.

      If the US is crumbling, it happening so slowly it is imperceptible.

  33. Another Violator of the Constitution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Normally, corporations cannot violate people's civil rights. However, when they do so at the direction of the US government, then they can. Marissa Mayer is complicit in the violation of the civil rights of millions of Americans.

  34. can we call what Yahoo did to Flickr "treason"? by themushroom · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Because someone needs to be swinging from a yard arm or given a blindfold and a cig for how badly Marissa boned Flickr.

  35. No Such Agency by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Well, since it doesn't exist, why should we bend towards it?

    1. Re:No Such Agency by PPH · · Score: 1

      And how do you know who is from the NSA and who is working for the FSB or some other foreign agency? Do they have badges? And what do they look like? Is there a number I can call to verify whether someone claiming to be an NSA employee actually is? As far as I know, the NSA has no status as a law enforcement agency.

      Until then, I'm just going to shoot any seedy looking people sneaking around our data center.

      --
      Have gnu, will travel.
  36. Re:damned if you do damned if you dont by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    true, but there's no compelling evidence that the people will stand with you in court if you are arrested (assuming the court proceedings are held publicly) or help you when they see Mr Smith closing in

    we've gotten kinda soft lately

  37. Corporations are people? by Patent+Lover · · Score: 1

    So what happens if a corporation commits treason? Methinks, like murder, nothing.

  38. Why not just move?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why not move all of Yahoo (and their servers) from the U.S. to Europe or any other country where the U.S. has no say at all?

    It could set a major precedent whereby tech companies who provide services such as Yahoo (i.e. Google, etc.) move out of the U.S. permanently. Services they've always provided would still be available to the U.S. of course but the NSA nor any other agency would be able to pressure Yahoo to give them anything as they would no longer be within their jurisdiction.

    I'm extremely curious if this would be feasible thing to do for big companies like Yahoo and Google just to uproot and leave America.

  39. Beware of patriots like Mayer by RandCraw · · Score: 0

    Treason is a rare and essentially non-legal label, normally used only by political blowhards like Senator Joseph McCarthy. And now Melissa Mayer.

    I suspect Mayer is trying to make Yahoo look good after they sniveled, cowered, and cringed their way into the NSA's good graces by handing over every imaginable user confidence. While joyously waving the flag, of course.

    It's OK though. 'Cause she's a PATRIOT.

  40. Its fun to read comments on this kind of topics by davmoo · · Score: 1

    I hear a lot of tough talk in here. And in theory, I agree with a some of it. But in reality, I have to wonder how many of you would continue that tough talk if it were YOU being questioned or served with a secret warrant by the NSA or any other federal three-letter organization. I'd be willing to bet money that 90 percent of you would wilt like a daisy dropped in Death Valley.

    --
    I want a new quote. One that won't spill. One that don't cost too much. Or come in a pill.
    1. Re:Its fun to read comments on this kind of topics by Mr.+Slippery · · Score: 1

      I'd be willing to bet money that 90 percent of you would wilt like a daisy dropped in Death Valley.

      Maybe so. One never knows until one's in that position.

      OTOH, I do know that when the "Communications Decency Act" passed, I and a whole bunch of other people got pissed off and engaged in civil disobedience (strong language NSFW) at the (small, but we didn't really know at the time) risk of federal prosecution. I was younger and more full of fire then, perhaps; but I like to think that if I received a "National Security Letter I'd still have the testicular fortitude to post it far and wide, snail-mail out as many copies as I could, stand on the street corner handing them out to passers-by until they came to get me.

      And then? Go out in a blaze of glory, or let them drag me off to prison in hopes of being a continual embarrassment to them? I don't know. Maybe that's when I'd wilt and say, "ooh, so sorry." But I hope I'd still stick a thumb in their eye first.

      --
      Tom Swiss | the infamous tms | my blog
      You cannot wash away blood with blood
    2. Re:Its fun to read comments on this kind of topics by markjhood2003 · · Score: 2

      Google CEO Page is worth 25 billion dollars and along with Brin owns enough voting shares to completely control the company. Mayer is worth 300 million. They have resources that you and I don't: the ability to hire the best lawyers in the world and media platforms that reach the majority of the people in the US and perhaps the world.

      If they had any sense of responsibility, obligation, or patriotism they could fight this thing and have a good chance of winning.

    3. Re:Its fun to read comments on this kind of topics by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 0

      the diff is: we don't have the MIGHT that she has (via her money and lawyers and position).

      if I had that, I'd not even think twice about having a fight with the government.

      you can even publish anything you want on your DOMAIN. all of yahoo is hers to use as she pleases. she could be a really nasty thorn in the side of the NSA if she so chose.

      but she likes her luxury and won't ever risk it.

      rich spoiled cunt. totally useless when it comes down to it.

      --

      --
      "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
  41. No Treason by Lysander Spooner Part 2, section 2 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The Constitution says:

    "Treason against the United States shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort."

    This is the only definition of treason given by the Constitution, and it is to be interpreted, like all other criminal laws, in the sense most favorable to liberty and justice. Consequently the treason here spoken of, must be held to be treason in fact, and not merely something that may have been falsely called by that name.

    To determine, then, what is treason in fact, we are not to look to the codes of Kings, and Czars, and Kaisers, who maintain their power by force and fraud; who contemptuously call mankind their "subjects;" who claim to have a special license from heaven to rule on earth; who teach that it is a religious duty of mankind to obey them; who bribe a servile and corrupt priest-hood to impress these ideas upon the ignorant and superstitious; who spurn the idea that their authority is derived from, or dependent at all upon, the consent of their people; and who attempt to defame, by the false epithet of traitors, all who assert their own rights, and the rights of their fellow men, against such usurpations.

    Instead of regarding this false and calumnious meaning of the word treason, we are to look at its true and legitimate meaning in our mother tongue; at its use in common life; and at what would necessarily be its true meaning in any other contracts, or articles [*8] of association, which men might voluntarily enter into with each other.

    The true and legitimate meaning of the word treason, then, necessarily implies treachery, deceit, breach of faith. Without these, there can be no treason. A traitor is a betrayer --- one who practices injury, while professing friendship. Benedict Arnold was a traitor, solely because, while professing friendship for the American cause, he attempted to injure it. An open enemy, however criminal in other respects, is no traitor.

    Neither does a man, who has once been my friend, become a traitor by becoming an enemy, if before doing me an injury, he gives me fair warning that he has become an enemy; and if he makes no unfair use of any advantage which my confidence, in the time of our friendship, had placed in his power.

    For example, our fathers --- even if we were to admit them to have been wrong in other respects --- certainly were not traitors in fact, after the fourth of July, 1776; since on that day they gave notice to the King of Great Britain that they repudiated his authority, and should wage war against him. And they made no unfair use of any advantages which his confidence had previously placed in their power.

    It cannot be denied that, in the late war, the Southern people proved themselves to be open and avowed enemies, and not treacherous friends. It cannot be denied that they gave us fair warning that they would no longer be our political associates, but would, if need were, fight for a separation. It cannot be alleged that they made any unfair use of advantages which our confidence, in the time of our friendship, had placed in their power. Therefore they were not traitors in fact: and consequently not traitors within the meaning of the Constitution.

    Furthermore, men are not traitors in fact, who take up arms against the government, without having disavowed allegiance to it, provided they do it, either to resist the usurpations of the government, or to resist what they sincerely believe to be such usurpations. [*9]

    It is a maxim of law that there can be no crime without a criminal intent. And this maxim is as applicable to treason as to any other crime. For example, our fathers were not traitors in fact, for resisting the British Crown, before the fourth of July, 1776 --- that is, before they had thrown off allegiance to him --- provided they honestly believed that they were simply defending their rights against his usurpations. Even if they were mistaken in their law, that mistake, if an innocent one, could not make them traitors in fact.

  42. Bullshit! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Completely utterly bullshit! Will NSA or the Justice Department arrest an Fortune 500 CEO with $5 billion of revenue? What about two or three CEOs with companies injecting trillions in the economy? Bullshit!

    They are just sleeping together, I can understand, at least with Mayer.

    1. Re:Bullshit! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Steve Jobs turned down the NSA and no they didn't arrest him but...

    2. Re:Bullshit! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Completely utterly bullshit! Will NSA or the Justice Department arrest an Fortune 500 CEO with $5 billion of revenue? What about two or three CEOs with companies injecting trillions in the economy? Bullshit!

      They can, they have, and they will. Meet Joe Nacchio, the man who said "No" when he was CEO of Qwest.

    3. Re:Bullshit! by Squidlips · · Score: 1

      And since everyone on Wall Street is using insider info (yes) and the NSA has the good on them, then this a a credible threat...

  43. she didn't say it was treason by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    merely that releasing classified info is treason, working with NSA is incorrectly classified, therefore not treason

  44. Facism it is... by Grog6 · · Score: 1

    Another Hitler should be showing up soon.

    Any guesses who the Jews will be this time?

    Or will they just tell the Soldiers we're all "Zombies", like night of the living dead?

    This will not end well for anyone; these people have nuclear weapons, and have used them in war.

    This time it will be New York and San Francisco, those stinking Liberals...

    .

    --
    Truth isn't Truth - Guliani
    1. Re:Facism it is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Given the fact that New York and San Francisco are two of the largest concentrations of liberals in the US, it is not clear to me what exactly you are trying to say. Are you welcoming "another Hitler" because you think he will rid you of "those stinking Liberals" in New York and San Francisco? Try to make some sense, man!

    2. Re:Facism it is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The liberals are too fruitful of a voter pool for that kind of treatment.

    3. Re:Facism it is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think he was trying to say that the fascists this time are the conservative types, and they'll loose their wrath on the "lefty" bastions.

      But as San Fransisco and (especially) New York demonstrate, "liberal" doesn't mean not overtly authoritarian. The whole country, left and right alike, are swinging very hard toward powerful and oppressive government. This isn't a left vs right thing, it's an up vs down thing.

    4. Re:Facism it is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Another Hitler should be showing up soon.

      Any guesses who the Jews will be this time?

      Oh, we're conservative about that. People with Near East roots who think they are entitled to live in the land of their forefathers are still good for that. It's just different people this time round.

    5. Re:Facism it is... by Grog6 · · Score: 1

      +1 Insightful. :)

      Godwin has been suspended, until we overthrow the Nazis in power.

      --
      Truth isn't Truth - Guliani
  45. WE DID NOT BETRAY OUR COUNTRY by Jeremiah+Cornelius · · Score: 1

    "OUR" country betrays US!

    This message brought to you by the Committee to Elect Edward Snowden for President.

    --
    "Flyin' in just a sweet place,
    Never been known to fail..."
    1. Re:WE DID NOT BETRAY OUR COUNTRY by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Really. It's too sick to even make an "in soviet Russia" joke about.

    2. Re:WE DID NOT BETRAY OUR COUNTRY by gagol · · Score: 1

      Snowden is an oracle of morality if a sea of douchebagery.

      --
      Tomorrow is another day...
    3. Re:WE DID NOT BETRAY OUR COUNTRY by Tastecicles · · Score: 1

      your country didn't betray you, *your Government did*.

      Love your country. Fight tyranny. In all its forms.

      Defend your Constitution against all enemies, *foreign and domestic*.

      --
      Operation Guillotine is in effect.
    4. Re:WE DID NOT BETRAY OUR COUNTRY by Jeremiah+Cornelius · · Score: 1

      your country didn't betray you, *your Government did*.

      Love your country. Fight tyranny. In all its forms.

      Defend your Constitution against all enemies, *foreign and domestic*.

      Humanity is my country. Love is my creed.

      --
      "Flyin' in just a sweet place,
      Never been known to fail..."
  46. WE DID NOT BETRAY OUR COUNTRY by Jeremiah+Cornelius · · Score: 1

    "OUR" country betrays US!

    "This message brought to you by the Committee to Elect Edward Snowden for President."

    --
    "Flyin' in just a sweet place,
    Never been known to fail..."
  47. Look at the person's position... by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

    And then please tell me what you all would expect her to say... Please! Knock me over with a feather!

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    1. Re:Look at the person's position... by arth1 · · Score: 1

      And then please tell me what you all would expect her to say... Please! Knock me over with a feather!

      "Okay, I'll do as you say, and grab my ankles. But please wear a condom?"

      The only practical recourse I see is to challenge the demands as much as you're allowed to, and tell people as much as you can. And hope that the public one day will be more interested in their dwindling liberties than in Kardashians, price of gasoline and hoop ball.

      In other words, it's fighting a losing battle. The nation is sinking, and probably has to reach bottom to find leverage to kick upwards. I don't see 'Tis of Thee returning to glory in my lifetime, nor that of our children. One day, though, there may be an Imperium Romanum 3.0 that does better.

  48. "The country" is we the people by erroneus · · Score: 1

    The government players think they run the country. They kind of do. What do you think those billions of bullets are for? But you can't commit treason against traitors. The people who are betraying "the people" are traitors.

    Yahoo? You're toast.

  49. Steve Jobs refused PRISM.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    and look what happened to him!

  50. I hope it'll be short, and sweet by Taco+Cowboy · · Score: 0

    May be. Finally we (USG) found a war that is going to last forever and it is war with citizens! Heee Haaa!

    I hope it won't last forever, because that would be very VERY BAD for the United States of America.

    I hope this war would be short, and sweet, and we get to throw all those treacherous fuckers into the big house, where they belong !

    --
    Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
    1. Re:I hope it'll be short, and sweet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We already sent the treacherous fuckers to the big house.
      The big, White, House.

    2. Re:I hope it'll be short, and sweet by Midnight+Thunder · · Score: 2

      We already sent the treacherous fuckers to the big house.
      The big, White, House.

      You have been eaten by a grue - uh, sorry wrong game. ;)

      --
      Jumpstart the tartan drive.
  51. Yahoo CEO is either stupid or lying. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Not cooperating with the NSA =/= "releasing classified information".

    Not cooperating with the NSA =/= treason. (Cf., U.S. Constitution, Article III, Section 3, which DEFINES treason)

  52. Re:those stinking Liberals. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Who knew Michael Savage had such a low UID on slashdot?

  53. Mayer is lying - what about Apple and Twitter? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Did Apple commit treason up until 2012 when they finally participated in PRISM? Is Twitter committing treason since they are not participating in PRISM?

  54. There is more than Yahoo by Bucc5062 · · Score: 1

    Wow..There is A LOT of talk on the whole treason thing and I get it, she's really blowing it out her ass, but the other thing the struck me was...
    if that is her view,
    why use Yahoo? (Sorry for the rhyme).

    I mean, the best way to show her view is lame is to not use her product. She wants to give over data to the Governmet, fine, I wont use her product. She feels I have no rights as a customer? I wont use her product.

    Until the day something like Yahoo is the only access to the Internet (Web) I have a choice and I would not choose Yahoo (thanks to her). Let me be a customer of companies that still attempt to protect ones rights and let Marissa wrap her self in a flag of rightiousness and failure.

    --
    Life is a great ride, the vehicle doesn't matter
    1. Re:There is more than Yahoo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Good idea. I'll tell all the Yahoo! users about this. He'll appreciate it.

  55. fuck that dumb twat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    get the fuck out you fucking overpaid toothpaste model

  56. treasonous? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    it would have been treasenous to defy hitler too ... but as we stand those who defied hitler are called heroes and those that followed hitler are called nazis ...

  57. Re:No Treason by Lysander Spooner Part 2, section by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The Constitution says:

    "Treason against the United States shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort."

    This is the only definition of treason given by the Constitution, and it is to be interpreted, like all other criminal laws, in the sense most favorable to liberty and justice.

    Sorry, wrong.

    It is to be interpreted, like all parts of the constitution, according the intent of the founders, in whatever way the appelate court chooses to interpret the intent of the founders. If you don't like that interpretation, take it to the Supremes.

  58. Giving Aid is Treason by Thruen · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Giving aid to the enemy would be considered treason, and what she says at the end of the article is "if you don't comply it's treason." If the target of the inquiry is considered an enemy, as they may in a terrorist investigation, it seems to me not handing over the requested information could be seen as treason. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if this was spelled out in the court case she's referring to. There's really nothing outrageous about the headline, the real problem is the ease with which agencies can force a company to hand over the information. Personally, I don't take issue with them considering it treason if they're requesting information on a dangerous enemy, I just think it's bull that they can use this on just about anyone with no real oversight, in a manner thought unconstitutional by the court in charge of it.

  59. Two senses of Treason by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    She can be right about treason and maintain her self respect. As long as she's refering to what she'd be convicted of, she's in the clear. If she means that working against the NSA is morally treason, she has a problem. The NSA is manifestly (morally) treasonous in that it is working against the spirit of the US Constitution, but no one has the power to properly and legally convict them. Anyway destroying global human privacy is very litterally a crime against humanity and hampering your government from accomplishing such an aim is a noble heroical act. (Disclaimer: I'm not an American Citizen)

  60. CEO needs to read the U.S. Constitution by Rene+S.+Hollan · · Score: 1

    "Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court. The Congress shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted."

    -- U.S. Constitution, Article III, section 3.

    So... bullshit.

    --
    In Liberty, Rene
  61. By coincidence this reminds me of ... by Evil+Pete · · Score: 2

    ... a video I was watching recently. A youtube vid of one of the story arcs of Babylon5, the Earth Civil War. Something about this statement just brought this to mind. Not stating that this as serious but well it does have dark overtones.

    --
    Bitter and proud of it.
  62. Lands you incarcerated? by Jeremy+Erwin · · Score: 1

    What a peculiar turn of phrase.

  63. Government is more powerful than the people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They can do anything they want now, even if unfair and there is nothing we can do about it, we are just angry internet users.

  64. What matter freedom privacy when money is at stake by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hey Yahoo - 'Just following orders' didnt work for Nazis and it wont work as a defense for YOU.

  65. Arm-chair Lawyers by Tempest451 · · Score: 2

    A lot of "arm-chair" lawyers here, but the basic thing is that they tried to fight it in open court and they lost, over, done. And if you think the others (Google, Facebook, etc) would have fared any better, you are simply fooling yourself. You can try to reinterpret what treason is all you like, but the fact is they are compelled to comply.

    1. Re:Arm-chair Lawyers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A lot of "arm-chair" lawyers here, but the basic thing is that they tried to fight it in open court and they lost, over, done.

      Any society that is dumb enough to let lawyers have the final say in the nature of the law will quickly find that it has surrendered its freedom.

      The legal profession is in a position of ethical conflict of interest with respect to the nature, scope, and form of the legal system. Having artificial complexity, confusing laws, contradictions, and excessive penalties within that system all creates over time a powerful, long term, artificial demand for the services of the legal profession.

      Hence, if the people within a society aren't paying attention to the legal system, and developing their own views of right and wrong, they will quickly find that they have traded a government of the people, by the people, and for the people for a government of the lawyer, by the lawyer, and for the lawyer.

      It follows that "arm-chair" lawyering is a good thing, especially when one has moral courage and a willingness to oppose authority, something rarely found in the US legal profession.

      A decision made "in open court" is certainly not final, lost, over, done. Study your American history if you don't understand that: the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's was a rejection -- on a massive scale by the public -- of many prior court decisions.

      Further, the Bill of Rights explicitly provides for the assertion of unspecified rights âoeretained by the peopleâ and âoereserved to the peopleâ. Note that âoeretained by the peopleâ does not at all mean the same thing as âoestealable by the governmentâ. Hence, no legal professional, no court, no executive, and no legislative body can steal such rights. It is entirely appropriate for the people to be thinking about what rights they are going to assert as those rights "retained by" the people.

      All too often, in this day and age, "in open court" is synonymous for "a group of lawyers have once again decided to screw up the legal system to the benefit of their profession, in violation of the principles of ethical practice of law, and in violation of the oaths they have taken to uphold the Bill of Rights".

      Put aside your preconceptions, eliminate any brainwashing from your brain, and study the legal system in depth and if you a competent thinker you will inevitably come to the same conclusion.

  66. Re:damned if you do damned if you dont by PortHaven · · Score: 1

    That was my point....

    I have friends who see nothing wrong with NSA/TSA. They think I'm the one with issues because I do.

    With such apathy and normalcy bias, how is a CEO to risk company and possibly life in standing up to a fascist government.

  67. First of all by PortHaven · · Score: 1

    When you're talking about secret courts and domestic spying. We are talking about gross violations of the Constitution. (And let's be honest, you're not dumb enough to believe that the FIS is only surveilling foreign communications. I'm sorry, please...)

    Oh, mind you, the Constitution is superior to even the courts. And while the Supreme Court makes a determination of what's constitutional. And is a check and balance along with the other two branches. There is a fourth branch of the American system. It is called "We the People", and it is a final check and balance.

    And let's not forget the EFFs FOIA request which showed that the FISC court itself feels the NSA is grossly and repeatedly in violation.

  68. Above so should be modded up. by PortHaven · · Score: 0

    ;-)

  69. Agreed by PortHaven · · Score: 1

    I honestly feel we need a hero. We need someone of high profile, like Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEOs, someone big to basically come out with a whole dump of what's going on.

    And if they did so, and found themselves arrested...then it is time for us to support freedom over tyranny.

  70. Treason? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So surely they can arrest the company, take it off and throw it in jail. Oh, it's not a bank so that must mean you jail the actual employees. Funny how that works.

  71. Nice headline buddy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Headline implies that Meyer thinks it would be treason. She actually said she thinks the government acts like it is treason.

  72. Yahoo: AMERICANS only! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Treason?

    To 99.99% of the worlds citizens, NSA constitutes as a foreign agency.
    To us, handing over content to this FOREIGN entity absolutely counts as treason.

    So fuck you Yahoo, and please stay away from the WORLD Wide Web.

  73. Stupid American CEO by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Treason to not cooperate with a government committing treason is like saying it's treason to disobey an illegal order in the US military. It's not treason; it's the kind of heroism that began the American war of independence.

  74. Morality and Legality by Paradigma11 · · Score: 1

    Do we really want corporations decide what laws they should follow?
    Do corporations really have, and should they have, a moral compass and responsibility?
    If so, which one and how should they operate in different cultures?
    If the laws suck then we, the people, have a responsibility to fix it through democratic measures.
    I do not think it legitim to condemn an organisation and the people working there for following the law.

  75. Would it be treason not to cooperate with by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    i) The Gestapo
    ii) The NKVD
    iii) The Stasi
    iv) The NSA
    v) All of the above

  76. Re:those stinking Liberals. by MickLinux · · Score: 1

    Mod up inciteful? Or how about insightful?

    --
    Correct Horse Battery Staple: 72 bits of entropy. Enter "Correct H" into google. When it generates the phrase, that's
  77. Move out of USA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Move your operations out of the USA, e.g. Iceland, Sweden, Switzerland etc, escape the US laws altogether, this is how you secure the freedom of your operation and your customers (and put heavy pressure to Google and others to do so the same - you will see a quick rethinking of all the politicians who favor NSA/PatriotAct when they see big companies moving their operations out of USA).

  78. Brewster Kahle and Archive.org by ikhider · · Score: 1

    The Yahoo CEO is not thinking of the best interests of whom they are supposed to serve and the Yahoo! way of doing business pretty much reflects that.That is why I am glad they are losing marketshare. If you want an example of someone who gets it right, please read this interview with Archive.org founder, Brewster Kahle. http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/elements/2013/06/what-its-like-to-get-a-national-security-letter.html In a nutshell, the government tried to intimidate him into acting against the peoples' best interests and he resisted. Rightly so. Mind you, Archive.org is all about public service whereas Yahoo! is clearly not. Dear Yahoo!, don't be evil.

    --
    "SO we bide our time, waiting for a purer kick to bloom and the future is still bleak, uncertain and beautiful" -GSYBE
  79. treason by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. It's one of three crimes defined in the constitution. You'd think the yahoo staff lawyers might have noticed the definition.

  80. ffs by grenadeh · · Score: 1

    Then Yahoo is just another in a string of appeasers who doesn't understand the constitution.

  81. This from the most hated woman in IT by Squidlips · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I am sure that the woman who would not let her employees work at home, but has a nursery built next to her office, would he happy to let the NSA listening in on your conversations, but hers.

  82. No, it's treason to comply with illegal activities by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    These activities violate the constitution, that makes the NSA an illegal, and treasonous entity.
    Any compliance with the NSA is treason, punishable by firing squad.

    Let's get all members of the NSA and their overlords lined up and ask them what they want on their Tombstone(R)!

  83. Perhaps.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It is time for some top level people in these companies to go to jail to make the world a better place for all of us. If enough of them speak out and get sent to prison, the NSA will have to give up their NSL spam..

  84. No the voters had the responsibility and failed it by Marrow · · Score: 1

    Instead they chose to stock D.C. from floor to ceiling with criminals and sociopaths. Somewhat understandable, as you would not want them home in your state. But still, on the whole, a bad move.

  85. As I've said previously by jodido · · Score: 1

    You can't expect corporate executives to defend your rights. Marissa Mayer, the gang at Google, Verizon, you name them, they and the NSA are all on the same side, which is the side of protecting US capitalism. World capitalism, actually, to be more accurate.

  86. Be brave, Marissa by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You are being paid 36.6 million dollars per year on a company that has 1.13 billion quarterly earnings, 137 million quarterly revenue, and 3.97 billion 12 month profit.

    That means you can have the balls to stand up against the government for the sake of your users which make those numbers happen for you. That means that were the government stuipid enough to try and prosecute you personally all their dirty secret court / secret orders / dirty laundry would be revealed. Which means they won't do it. Lavabit can't do that. You can.

    They may try to hinder your business other ways, and it means you can't be so cozy with them anymore. The public and your customers will understand that.

    Or you can not, and face the same lack of confidence in your services that we have of the government.

    So, what you've really proved here is that you're a coward who doesn't deserve the salary you earn. Live with it.

  87. And that's why I don't use Yahoo - for ANYTHING! by mmell · · Score: 1

    At least Google tried to keep it on the down-low. *Sheesh*

  88. well.... by tatman · · Score: 1

    While I do agree that it is disappointing that companies, such as Yahoo, do not stand up for freedom and privacy they way they should, I think it is valuable to listen to what she said. The government has strong armed tech companies into compliance with the threat of jail time and who knows what else. I can't really blame someone for caving. I would like to think I would be all bold and stand up for rights but come end of the day, I don't make good jail material and would probably cave too.

    We should be more alarmed and more afraid of a government that wields this kind of power

    --
    I've always said English was my second language. Had Romeo and Juliet been written in C, I might have understood it.
  89. Politics by NewYork · · Score: 1

    If you does, it's treason. If politicians does, it's patriotism. Register/operate yourself (Yahoo) as a Political Party.

  90. Confusing Statement by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The question asked was "What if Yahoo declined to cooperate with the NSA?" Her answer was 'Releasing classified information is treason. It generally lands you incarcerated." Did she misunderstand the question or answer a completely different one? What does releasing classified information have to do with cooperating with the NSA - in this case, meaning turning over data or allowing the NSA access to its servers?

  91. Coward! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Treason is committed by those going along with the NSA not those opposing. Coward!

  92. Yahoo CEO Says It Would Be Treason To Decline To C by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Treason
    The betrayal of one's own country by waging war against it or by consciously or purposely acting to aid its enemies.

    Some would say that giving up private citizens' information to an agency without law enforcement powers and therefor, could not technically legally obtain a warrant... is treason against the united states and its constitution.

    Just saying.. I mean,.. I know you probably somehow think you are doing right in some twisted way but, having worked for the NSA and the DoD in an Intelligence position for over 30 years,.. I saw all the regulations and had to abide by them and the fact that the conscious recording or continued recording of a US citizen once the person has been identified as such was ILLEGAL and punishable by Bad Conduct Discharge and/or prison.

  93. so we need an update by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    to the pledge of allegiance to include the nsa?

  94. This just in... by Cosgrach · · Score: 1

    The CEO if Yahoo is a moron. Rich perhaps, but still a moron.

    --
    Why is it that most of the people that I encounter seem to have been shat from the Sphincter of Mediocrity?
  95. Marissa Meyer Has No Balls! Hey, wait... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I guess that's redundant.

  96. Treason? by hanekhw · · Score: 2

    Resistance to tyranny is never treason.

  97. We're in Alice's Wonderland & it's NSA's tea p by JohnReynolds425 · · Score: 1

    It seems like we've entered Alice's Wonderland and it's NSA's tea party. Their philosophy is, "We're hunting terrorists. We don't need no stinking 4th Amendment." And so those who oppose them are traitors. This is "SPIES GONE WILD" the sequel. Common sense tells me we need to take matters into our own hands to protect what little is left of our privacy. What can we do? Encryption won't keep NSA out entirely, but it will make it harder for them to pick us out of the crowd. Decrypting still takes extra time & effort and that little bit of hassle may be enough to keep their noses out of your business. The same goes for storing stuff on Dropbox, iCloud, etc. Take it down and stash everything in a CloudLocker (www.cloudlocker.it), which works just the same but it's private and stays in your home where they still need a warrant to see inside.

  98. Amazon CEO is a Traitor to the Constitution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This corporapist CEO, and all the high level elitist leeches of the
    casino capitalist, bankster board, corporate welfare state, are
    sociopaths. They hate freedom. They hate civil liberties. They
    hate free speech. They hate truly free markets. They especially
    despise democracy. They are traitors to our nation who actively
    work to undermine and destroy the U.S. Constitution which defines
    and defends the freedoms, civil liberties and democracy of the
    people, and that therefore stands in the way of their avarice
    driven xeno-centric enforcement of the total market monopolies
    mandated by their capitalist corporate charters.

    duh.

    1. Re:Amazon CEO is a Traitor to the Constitution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sober up, then post

  99. Waves hand in front of face... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... speaks in clipped British accent,"These aren't the rights you're looking for."

  100. I was also a fish in a school. by lsatenstein · · Score: 1

    For many many years, I followed in great detail, the news casts produced by ABC, CBS, NBC, and even PBS and the BBC. I truly believed that what I was fed was fair and honest. But then with NSA, and the idiot woman from Yahoo stating that it would be treason to report to the NSA, I realize, that no USA broadcaster, email provider, messenger provider or any other service could be trusted with confidential (even non treasonous data). Then by chance I caught Al Jazeera America, a news agency that actually has employees in the conflict zones, and in the reporters galleries around the world. I was skeptical at first, but as time went on, more precision about news took place. Today, if I want unbiased news reporting, I tune to Al Jazeera, because they do present both sides of debates and conflicts.

    But if one can't trust CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX' PBS, BBC etc, then we can't trust Google, Yahoo.com Hotmail, etc. etc. etc.

    Yahoo's users are international. We want our emails to remain in our countries, and in an International environment, if Yahoo or another organization is asked by NSA for information, and the owner of the email is Chilian, or Canadian, or Chinese, the country of origin of the email must give permission. Otherwise, what I see it coming in the next five years, is a parallel internet, not run by the USA.

    NSA breaks the law, and we say nothing. Boy, are we not all couch potatoes. Al Jazeera tells it as it is -- Shameful. And by the way,
    We should just encrypt our emails to business partners with different keys, based on the day of the year, and with a different algorithm, also based on the day of the year, and relabel AES files as Bluefish, 3des, or whatever. AES is the encryption algorithm that the USA government has stipulated, is not suitable for use within the Government.

    I guess I meandered, but the President of Yahoo is an example of being brainwashed.

    --
    Leslie Satenstein Montreal Quebec Canada
  101. How nice for her, but I disagree. by JonathanPDX · · Score: 1

    Yahoo is a corporation, not a citizen. It's interests do not lie in the same
    place or even the general direction as a citizen's. It's sole purpose is to make
    money, and despite her best intentions, true patriotism and love of money are
    not compatible. One cannot serve two masters.

    Despite what the courts claim, corporations are NOT individuals, and therefore
    do not have the same rights as an individual citizen of this country.

    If Ms Meyer believes that playing along with the NSA is patriotic, so long as she
    says that from he own perspective and not that of anyone else, that's her right.
    However, being a patriot is not something anyone can truly claim for themselves,
    because only time will reveal whether or not someone's ACTIONS make them out
    to be a patriot, a milquetoast citizen or a traitor.

    So if Ms Meyer feels it's her patriotic duty to sell out her customers to the Eye In
    The Sky, that's something she''ll have to live with and answer for.

    But she doesn't speak for me.

  102. Yea sure! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm assuming that companies in Nazi Germany, in World war 2, said the same thing about the Gestapo :-)

  103. But violating the Constitution Isn't by oldestgeek · · Score: 1

    Losing freedom an inch at a time!

  104. It's about time by billd10 · · Score: 0

    It's about time a corporation echoed the views of our founding fathers instead of toadying up to the federal government in order to receive some sort of undeserved benefit.

  105. Sounds like Nazi Germany by derfla8 · · Score: 1

    I'm sure that's what German soldiers thought as they marched people into concentration camps. It would be treason to go against Hitler's instructions.

  106. It's only treason if you're an American . . . by RockDoctor · · Score: 1

    So why are multi-national companies hiring or promoting people who have the severe disability of being vulnerable to pressure from this most pernicious of countries? It is just plain dangerous to your business model.

    --
    Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
  107. she would have said Rosa Parks was a traitor. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    IIRC, some people were making that argument and making a lot more sense than any of this "war on terror" nonsense of today, since we needed to keep the important parts of USA 'strong' (and untroubled by racial strife) to prevent losing nuclear holocaust to USSR.

    she PLAYS DUMB about the diff between 'treason' and 'civil disobedience'.

    PS-Israel did 9/11, and everyone knows it, including her. Even the FBI says "we don't know who was on the planes".

    PPS-Yahoo sucks, always has, always will. Its like another AOL. Last time I even saw Yahoo's site was when I got hijacked to it few months back. Yeah, that will make me a customer.

    1. Re:she would have said Rosa Parks was a traitor. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      PPPS- "So what should she have done?"

      I'll give you a hint! When CA Gov Grey Davis was letting his nitwits play games with the power grid and they shut off Hewett-Packard's juice, Carly said "If that happens again we will relocate H-P out of CA".

      What the Yahoo MILF should have said is "We will be relocating all sensitive data handling to Norway or Iceland, or Japan, or Ecuador, and only keeping non-customer-infomation support services (which actually employ the most people) in USA or other NWO owned nations. We value our customer's privacy and we understand that once info is turned over to US Govt it is only as secure as the sleaziest employee in the Fed Govt. Meg Whitman's illegal alien maid had a CA issued valid DL, which all levels of Govt will tell you is impossible."

  108. Special Ed should take a message... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This notion would by default make Snowjob guilty of treason!