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Senator Dianne Feinstein: NSA Metadata Program Here To Stay

cold fjord writes "The Hill reports, 'Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) predicted Sunday that lawmakers who favored shutting down the bulk collection of telephone metadata would not be successful in their efforts as Congress weighs potential reforms to the nation's controversial intelligence programs. "I don't believe so," Feinstein said during an appearance on NBC's Meet the Press (video). "The president has very clearly said that he wants to keep the capability So I think we would agree with him. I know a dominant majority of the — everybody, virtually, except two or three, on the Senate Intelligence Committee would agree with that." ... "A lot of the privacy people, perhaps, don't understand that we still occupy the role of the Great Satan. New bombs are being devised. New terrorists are emerging, new groups, actually, a new level of viciousness," Feinstein said. "We need to be prepared. I think we need to do it in a way that respects people's privacy rights."'"

22 of 510 comments (clear)

  1. The unseen enemy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    will never go away citizen, we need to spy on you to keep you safe. Now pick up that can.

    1. Re:The unseen enemy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I wonder why this person even lives in the land of the 'free' when she so clearly despises freedom. She's obviously not brave, either. What is her purpose here, other than to sacrifice all of our principles in order to make idiots feel safe?

      The only people convinced by idiots like her are those who believe the government is composed of perfect angels and would never abuse this information. In other words, people willing to sacrifice fundamental liberties for security; people who have forgotten the millions upon millions of people throughout history who have been murdered or abused by governments around the world, including the US government.

      She makes me want to vomit.

    2. Re:The unseen enemy by mrchaotica · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "A lot of the privacy people, perhaps, don't understand that we still occupy the role of the Great Satan. New bombs are being devised. New terrorists are emerging, new groups, actually, a new level of viciousness," Feinstein said. "We need to be prepared."

      No, you evil totalitarian bitch, we understand perfectly well. We just don't care because we're not sniveling cowards and realize that civil liberties are worth being "less safe" for!

      --

      "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

    3. Re:The unseen enemy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      A better question is why do people in California keep re-electing her over and over. She's been there for over 20 years.

    4. Re:The unseen enemy by Mitreya · · Score: 5, Insightful

      civil liberties are worth being "less safe" for!

      They are, but this is besides the point. We are not even "more safe" in any way. I think the best they could actually show is one guy convicted for sending $8.5K to some terrorist organization (that's after years and years of surveillance).
      Other dozens (or is it hundreds?) of terrorist operations are stopped by regular police work or are made up.

    5. Re:The unseen enemy by jcr · · Score: 5, Insightful

      That condescension is standard Feinstein bullshit. Anytime someone objects to her desire to usurp ever more power, the cunt will claim that we "don't understand" what she and her cronies are trying to do.

      -jcr

      --
      The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
  2. Re:Of course it is here to stay by arbiterxero · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The useful ones.

  3. Re:Of course it is here to stay by ToadProphet · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Social programs

    --
    It's on America's tortured brow, That Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow
  4. "A lot of the privacy people... by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...perhaps, don't understand that we still occupy the role of the Great Satan."

    On the contrary, I think they understand that very well.

  5. Re:Of course it is here to stay by olsmeister · · Score: 5, Insightful

    NASA.

  6. Great Satan by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "We" are not the Great Satan, Dianne. That would be you and the rest of your despicable brood of self-righteous overbearing pax americana terrorists.

  7. For reals??? by stink_eye · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Is this woman for real? She seems very protective of our Great Satan role. There are new vicious terrorists popping up everywhere, especially right here in our own back yard she seems to infer... And what the hell, the president thinks it's a good idea, so those of us in the congressional branch ought to jump right behind him on that, because, you know, he's a politician, we're politicians and we all just roll like that... Everyone knows that the American people don't need/want privacy anyhow... They will all feel so much better once we remove those annoying constitutional freedoms that are such a distraction in their day to day lives. Just like castrating a dog! How does that silly putz stay in office anyhow?

  8. Stop that by scotts13 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "A lot of the privacy people, perhaps, don't understand that we still occupy the role of the Great Satan."

    Maybe we shouldn't occupy that role?

  9. Basically, Fuck You! by pablo_max · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What she is really saying is, "Fuck you Citizen! We are the Government and will do as we like. We are not concerned that nearly all Americans and 100% of foreign nationals are appalled by our actions. Go back to playing with your iPhones while us grownups take care of business".
     

  10. Re:Of course it is here to stay by pixelpusher220 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Unemployment benefits? Medicare cuts? Vouchers for healthcare instead of actual health care? School funding?

    If the GOP had it's way LOTS of social programs would be gone entirely..or haven't you been listening to what they actually say?

    --
    People in cars cause accidents....accidents in cars cause people :-D
  11. Re:Of course it is here to stay by ackthpt · · Score: 5, Informative

    Banking regulations, Works Progress Administration (WPA), Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA), National Recovery Administration (NRA)... to name a few

    This is a post 9/11 world, didn't anyone get the memo?

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  12. Re:Rape, burn, pillage, rape... by CrimsonAvenger · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Rape, burn, pillage, rape. We rape twice because it's more fun."

    No,no, no! You pillage BEFORE you burn!

    Amazing the number of people who get that wrong and do them out of order....

    --

    "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
  13. Re:Well, at least they are honest by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It should be far more useful than it has been. So far, it's been useless, according to all of the Snowden documents. No benefit has been gained from it. Zero. Nada. Zilch. It's worthless.

    Riddle me this, Batman: Why didn't the NSA stop the Target data breach? They surely could've seen it coming. They surely should've seen its traffic while it was in action. Why haven't they tracked down the perpetrator and thrown his ass in Gitmo? He's cost the economy something far more than a few billion dollars. He cost it confidence. That's a threat to national security and stability. Where is the NSA? Somewhere in a datacenter, doing fuck-all about the real security issues facing the nation, that's where.

    "Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein" needs to address that before she starts parroting back crap the Ayatollah said 35 years ago. He's an old fart, and obviously incapable of rational thought. He's also been ineffective in reaching most of his goals for the last 35 years. Unfortunately, those same things can be said about Sen. Feinstein. It seems the old adage "physician, heal thyself" applies here.

  14. Re:solution? by CanHasDIY · · Score: 5, Insightful

    the debate is about WHEN and HOW...the government has the right to access your personal data with proper warrant

    what is proper warrant for the different kinds of digital communication?

    THATS THE QUESTION that none of the privacy trolls here on slashdot want to discuss.

    I think the issue is rather that the anti-privacy advocates do everything in their power to avoid that question, since the answer is pretty cut-and-dried - warrants shall be issued describing the particular place to be searched, and the particular thin to be seized, pursuant to Amendment IV of the United States Constitution.

    Don't like it? Amend the Constitution, or deal with it and operate within existing law. Feigned ignorance is no excuse.

    --
    An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
  15. Re: Well, at least they are honest by O('_')O_Bush · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Forget the Target breach, how about the Boston Marathon bombing? That was exactly the kind of attack this program is being sold as preventing. And it didn't. Yet we still have it and it still hurts us.

    --
    while(1) attack(People.Sandy);
  16. Overwhelmingly Democrat in California by sjbe · · Score: 5, Informative

    With those two exceptions California is actually largely Republican.

    Right. That's why California has 38 Democrats versus 15 Republicans in the House of Representatives, 2 Democrat senators, over 60% of the voters vote Democrat in presidential elections and the Republicans haven't won a majority of the popular vote in presidential elections since 1988. (that's 25 years for those of you counting at home) The Democrats hold enormous majorities in the State House and State Senate and registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans by over 2.5 million voters.

    But you go ahead and keep believing that California is "largely Republican" if it helps you sleep at night.

    1. Re:Overwhelmingly Democrat in California by lgw · · Score: 5, Insightful

      This doesn't surprise me at all. The "institutional left", (which is well represented in DC but probably not representative of the left-leaning public) has reached the point now where they'll seize any excuse for a larger, more powerful, more well-funded government, even crossing traditional lines to become defense hawks.

      I expect the Democratic Party (at the federal level) to increasingly support any government program with a budget, even the military, to the increasing frustration of the voters, as the money starts to run out. At the state and local levels, acceptance that the budget can't be infinite is coming much faster and earlier, and politicians (on both sides) are discovering that cutting budgets isn't actually the end of the world, but that hasn't started trickling up to the federal level yet.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.