Which is why douches like Roberts, Scalia and Thomas are such a problem, none of them have any particularly firm commitment to the rule of law, only to continuing their ideologies, regardless of constitutionality.
It is inconvenient that they seem to prefer to stick to the Constitution as written. After all, if the Constitution isn't a "living document," how can you take it off in bold new directions? Certainly Justice Ginsburg isn't a fan of the Constitution.
Experimental proof that the Slashmind thinks we can slam the government for privacy problems in multiple areas, but not in some very specific ones. The future does not bode well for privacy since there are some areas which SHALL NOT BE QUESTIONED.
What most people don't realize is Obama is as much a republican as Reagan, Nixon, and both Bushes. His policies are in direct line with theirs.
About the only policies of President Obama that are in something like a "direct line" from the previous administration are the general form of some of the anti-terrorism policies. That is a result of a general political consensus among the President and Congress that allowing terrorists to kill large numbers of American citizens is a bad thing. Many on Slashdot question that political consensus for some reason, usually related to traffic accidents. I expect they would also question the wisdom of declaring war against Japan in 1941 since 13 times more Americans died in traffic accidents than were killed at Pearl Harbor, and polio was still a scourge. Hmmm
We didn't need the cabinets before World War II Why don't we eliminate them?
People just like blaming Obama for apparatus that was setup under Bush's watch. That been he Repub's MO since they lost the election before the last.
If you are President, especially for 5 years heading towards 8, and it is still going on during your administration under leadership you appointed, you own it. That includes even programs that started before you came into power.
If you disagree with that, maybe you can tell us when it will be appropriate to hold President Obama responsible for events occurring during his administration? Will that be the day after he leaves office?
You must not be familiar with how literal blood feuds work. That is no way to run a country. If you think it will be an improvement, you are sadly mistaken. You've been carried away by rhetoric into the fever swamp.
If public disapproval truly is overwhelming rather than rhetorical, it can either be fixed at the next election or by recall election (if available). If you want to try to portray assassination as a legitimate tool of redress in a democratic system you should probably stop complaining about "rule of law" issues.
Democracy is known to be a flawed system of government, it is the worst, other than all the rest.
Earlier this month, as the United States rushed to shutter embassies in response to a terrorist threat, New Zealand's prime minister made a remarkable but largely overlooked assertion. According to John Key, there are al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula-trained individuals at large in his country.
"In New Zealand there are people who've been trained for al-Qaeda camps who operate out of New Zealand, who are in contact with people overseas, who have gone off to Yemen and other countries to train," he told a radio program in New Zealand on Aug. 1. "Some are still offshore and some are in New Zealand."
Put it out there, let some people get outed and killed, they are collaborator scum anyway. Sure it sounds harsh and it is, but until the security apparatus suffers some major political damage and loses some people they think of as friends they will never appreciate the harm all there secrets are doing. They have proven this over and over again.
The more likely outcome is that after digesting the material to see where the gaps in intelligence are, or how they can be created (possibly with the help of an unfriendly nation state), suicide bombers will slip through and start blowing up some shopping malls and sporting events in the US, UK, or other friendly nation. The political damage will at that point start accumulating to the various anti-secrecy movements and transparency in general. That insight never seems to make it into your thoughts.
Will you feel bad when innocents are being killed? A great many narcissists posting on Slashdot think that outcome is just fine despite the fact it is just mass murder that serves no useful purpose.
I see you are trying to "persuade" me by threatening to call names. Not very persuasive. I've seen shills use that tactic. (Mind you, I'm not saying you are.) Feel free to provide any facts and arguments to bolster your position that you care to add.
Does that really apply in this case? This is a political race in Australia. Manning and Snowden have nothing to do with it, different issues, different country.
It seems to be they may be making bad deals, for no good reason, that will cost them in the future. At the very least it seems that they may marginalize themselves and alienate the very groups that you would expect to be natural allies.
It was a myth, a good PR. The truth is probably the USA were never more, or less, democratic and free than most of western europe state.
Today, Western Europe is about as democratic as the US because within living memory various countries had actual fascist governments overthrown by war or social change, and communist governments removed or communist movements thwarted either by war or social change. Collectively all of Europe is far freer today than it was 70 years ago. The US and UK have been free and democratic the whole time, now Western (and most of Eastern) Europe has joined them. Even formerly Soviet Russia is now freer even if there are some troubling trends. (And there is a country that is an exception. And there is an ugly trend that should be a relic of the past - will that curse never leave? )
So no, it isn't just PR. This is all subject to change if people forget or act unwisely.
Because we're all sure that Al Qaeda couldn't possibly find any rail lines in Europe without leaks and whistle blowers.
You've missed the point, as have the moderators (apparently). The question in this case isn't "can they find rail lines," which is silly, but "can they avoid detection long enough to attack them in the way they prefer?" The leaks from the "whistle blowers" provide information that helps them avoid detection from the security services.
Seriously, unless you believe that the US has an impervious border (at which point you have issues that can't be solved simply by education) then it should be obvious that al Qaeda isn't what we're being told it is for the simple reason that WE'RE NOT BEING ATTACKED
Can you think of any other reasons besides having an "impervious border" that they haven't been attacking? I'll give you a couple. Al Qaida has called off attacks in the past because they felt the number of casualties they would produce is below the level they deem acceptable for their reputation. (Example: NY subway attacks) They have been foiled in various ways by infiltrators. The security services have killed their leaders and planners. Their plans have been intercepted and counter-measures taken that make the plan infeasible or useless for various reasons. Individuals or groups that were planning attacks have been detected and arrested. Much of this relies upon good intelligence, which is being compromised and may become ineffective.
And maybe you haven't noticed, but the US, UK, and a number of other European countries have all had a number of incidents of varying severity which have led to arrests, trials, and convictions. In a number of those cases the planned attack could have caused mass casualties.
All of this could change for the worse if al Qaida and its affiliates decide to change tactics, and/or the security services become ineffective in detecting them for various reasons. Providing them with detailed explanations on how they are being spied upon isn't going to be helpful in the long run.
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Rather than "be afraid," be prudent. Telling your enemies how you spy upon them isn't prudent. Once you compromise an intelligence method it can easily lose all value, and you may never get it back.
As far as things being "stepped up a notch recently"... that also applies to the massive theft of state secrets of multiple countries which are being distributed like party favours to one and all, including enemies and adversaries. (When you make something available without discrimination, your enemies and adversaries get it too.)
Slashdot Mirror
Which is why douches like Roberts, Scalia and Thomas are such a problem, none of them have any particularly firm commitment to the rule of law, only to continuing their ideologies, regardless of constitutionality.
It is inconvenient that they seem to prefer to stick to the Constitution as written. After all, if the Constitution isn't a "living document," how can you take it off in bold new directions? Certainly Justice Ginsburg isn't a fan of the Constitution.
Experimental proof that the Slashmind thinks we can slam the government for privacy problems in multiple areas, but not in some very specific ones. The future does not bode well for privacy since there are some areas which SHALL NOT BE QUESTIONED.
What most people don't realize is Obama is as much a republican as Reagan, Nixon, and both Bushes. His policies are in direct line with theirs.
About the only policies of President Obama that are in something like a "direct line" from the previous administration are the general form of some of the anti-terrorism policies. That is a result of a general political consensus among the President and Congress that allowing terrorists to kill large numbers of American citizens is a bad thing. Many on Slashdot question that political consensus for some reason, usually related to traffic accidents. I expect they would also question the wisdom of declaring war against Japan in 1941 since 13 times more Americans died in traffic accidents than were killed at Pearl Harbor, and polio was still a scourge. Hmmm
We didn't need the cabinets before World War II Why don't we eliminate them?
Presidents certainly did have cabinets before WW2. Here is President Wilson's cabinet, for example.
People just like blaming Obama for apparatus that was setup under Bush's watch. That been he Repub's MO since they lost the election before the last.
If you are President, especially for 5 years heading towards 8, and it is still going on during your administration under leadership you appointed, you own it. That includes even programs that started before you came into power.
If you disagree with that, maybe you can tell us when it will be appropriate to hold President Obama responsible for events occurring during his administration? Will that be the day after he leaves office?
You must not be familiar with how literal blood feuds work. That is no way to run a country. If you think it will be an improvement, you are sadly mistaken. You've been carried away by rhetoric into the fever swamp.
Pretty sobering since most people on Slashdot cheer the same government taking control of their healthcare and medical records.
If public disapproval truly is overwhelming rather than rhetorical, it can either be fixed at the next election or by recall election (if available). If you want to try to portray assassination as a legitimate tool of redress in a democratic system you should probably stop complaining about "rule of law" issues.
Democracy is known to be a flawed system of government, it is the worst, other than all the rest.
You must not be familiar with the concept of voting, and the law.
A plutocracy? I didn't catch that. What is the minimum income level to vote now?
Assassination isn't part of the democratic process.
People that avoid this fate: Bali bombing remembered 10 years on
Were you planning on turning to terrorism in your old age?
Al Qaeda-Trained Terrorists in New Zealand, Prime Minister Says
Earlier this month, as the United States rushed to shutter embassies in response to a terrorist threat, New Zealand's prime minister made a remarkable but largely overlooked assertion. According to John Key, there are al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula-trained individuals at large in his country.
"In New Zealand there are people who've been trained for al-Qaeda camps who operate out of New Zealand, who are in contact with people overseas, who have gone off to Yemen and other countries to train," he told a radio program in New Zealand on Aug. 1. "Some are still offshore and some are in New Zealand."
They have had some interesting systems over the years, such as the ES7000 line.
Enterprise Servers: Unisys ES7000 Model 7600R G3 Enterprise Servers
Up to 8 sockets and 6 TB of memory with Red Hat and Suse support.
That's appears to be longer than most Criminal Statute of Limitations in Florida, except for the most serious crimes.
Put it out there, let some people get outed and killed, they are collaborator scum anyway. Sure it sounds harsh and it is, but until the security apparatus suffers some major political damage and loses some people they think of as friends they will never appreciate the harm all there secrets are doing. They have proven this over and over again.
The more likely outcome is that after digesting the material to see where the gaps in intelligence are, or how they can be created (possibly with the help of an unfriendly nation state), suicide bombers will slip through and start blowing up some shopping malls and sporting events in the US, UK, or other friendly nation. The political damage will at that point start accumulating to the various anti-secrecy movements and transparency in general. That insight never seems to make it into your thoughts.
Will you feel bad when innocents are being killed? A great many narcissists posting on Slashdot think that outcome is just fine despite the fact it is just mass murder that serves no useful purpose.
I see you are trying to "persuade" me by threatening to call names. Not very persuasive. I've seen shills use that tactic. (Mind you, I'm not saying you are.) Feel free to provide any facts and arguments to bolster your position that you care to add.
I doubt he would make that trip alone.
He's already made his game known.
Does that really apply in this case? This is a political race in Australia. Manning and Snowden have nothing to do with it, different issues, different country.
It seems to be they may be making bad deals, for no good reason, that will cost them in the future. At the very least it seems that they may marginalize themselves and alienate the very groups that you would expect to be natural allies.
This is a complicating factor: China Admits Selling Prisoners’ Organs
When the state can profit from your death, safeguards are weak, and charges that can lead to a death sentence are a trivial problem....
Not good: China Takes Aim at Western Ideas
It was a myth, a good PR. The truth is probably the USA were never more, or less, democratic and free than most of western europe state.
Today, Western Europe is about as democratic as the US because within living memory various countries had actual fascist governments overthrown by war or social change, and communist governments removed or communist movements thwarted either by war or social change. Collectively all of Europe is far freer today than it was 70 years ago. The US and UK have been free and democratic the whole time, now Western (and most of Eastern) Europe has joined them. Even formerly Soviet Russia is now freer even if there are some troubling trends. (And there is a country that is an exception. And there is an ugly trend that should be a relic of the past - will that curse never leave? )
So no, it isn't just PR. This is all subject to change if people forget or act unwisely.
America used to be a free country and now where are we?
Same place as yesterday, just with one less popular blogger that overreacted to something that has been a remote possibility her entire life.
Because we're all sure that Al Qaeda couldn't possibly find any rail lines in Europe without leaks and whistle blowers.
You've missed the point, as have the moderators (apparently). The question in this case isn't "can they find rail lines," which is silly, but "can they avoid detection long enough to attack them in the way they prefer?" The leaks from the "whistle blowers" provide information that helps them avoid detection from the security services.
Seriously, unless you believe that the US has an impervious border (at which point you have issues that can't be solved simply by education) then it should be obvious that al Qaeda isn't what we're being told it is for the simple reason that WE'RE NOT BEING ATTACKED
Can you think of any other reasons besides having an "impervious border" that they haven't been attacking? I'll give you a couple. Al Qaida has called off attacks in the past because they felt the number of casualties they would produce is below the level they deem acceptable for their reputation. (Example: NY subway attacks) They have been foiled in various ways by infiltrators. The security services have killed their leaders and planners. Their plans have been intercepted and counter-measures taken that make the plan infeasible or useless for various reasons. Individuals or groups that were planning attacks have been detected and arrested. Much of this relies upon good intelligence, which is being compromised and may become ineffective.
And maybe you haven't noticed, but the US, UK, and a number of other European countries have all had a number of incidents of varying severity which have led to arrests, trials, and convictions. In a number of those cases the planned attack could have caused mass casualties.
All of this could change for the worse if al Qaida and its affiliates decide to change tactics, and/or the security services become ineffective in detecting them for various reasons. Providing them with detailed explanations on how they are being spied upon isn't going to be helpful in the long run.
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Rather than "be afraid," be prudent. Telling your enemies how you spy upon them isn't prudent. Once you compromise an intelligence method it can easily lose all value, and you may never get it back.
The world is a big place with a lot happening.
China Admits Selling Prisoners’ Organs
As far as things being "stepped up a notch recently" ... that also applies to the massive theft of state secrets of multiple countries which are being distributed like party favours to one and all, including enemies and adversaries. (When you make something available without discrimination, your enemies and adversaries get it too.)
There are people out there just waiting to exploit that sort of information to slip by unnoticed: Al-Qaeda 'targeting European rail network'
Things will get figured out in some form eventually.