Comment by jlgreco

12 years ago

Part of Obama's campaign was an end to warrentless wiretaps. Now, if people were paying closer attention, then maybe they would have known better than to trust him (or indeed, any American politician), but I think it is quite a stretch to say that the people are to blame when a politician is less than honest.

Furthermore, the people who are to blame for our current political system are long dead. Everyone alive today was born into this framework and told to work within the framework to modify the framework. They have not had the opportunity to shape the framework free from the constraints of the framework. The facilities the framework provides to modify itself are clumsy, inadequate, and ineffective when everything is working smoothly.

This isn't a system we chose, this is a situation that we were born into, and find ourselves unable to change.

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jlgreco

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acqq  12 years ago

Exactly, Obama in 2007:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAQlsS9diBs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6fnfVJzZT4

"This Administration also puts forward a false choice between the liberties we cherish and the security we demand." (...) "That means no more illegal wire-tapping of American citizens. No more national security letters to spy on citizens who are not suspected of a crime. No more tracking citizens who do nothing more than protest a misguided war. No more ignoring the law when it is inconvenient. That is not who we are. And it is not what is necessary to defeat the terrorists."

This should be quoted much more often.

Regarding "work within the framework to modify the framework" Snowden decided not to work within it and we still don't know what will happen to him.

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130726/01200123954/obama-...

  • jlgreco  12 years ago

    > Regarding "work within the framework to modify the framework" Snowden decided not to work within it and we still don't know what will happen to him.

    What we do know is that he got shit done. His voice has been heard, people are talking now, he has had an impact.

    Opting to work outside the framework is often not safe, particularly when the framework includes provisions for harming those who opt to work outside of it, but sometimes that is the only effective option.