This is from one of the President's supporters, an elite institution that over decades has acted as one of the manufacturers of consent among the American public for State abuse of the public. The editorial is in reference to President Obama's news conference Friday after receipt of his hand-picked panel's report on surveillance reform.
He could have started by suspending the constitutionally questionable (and evidently pointless) collection of data on every phone call and email that Americans make.
...
Mr. Obama has had plenty of time to consider this issue, and the only specific thing he said on the panel’s proposals was that it might be a good idea to let communications companies keep the data on phone calls and emails rather than store them in the vast government databases that could be easily abused. But he raised doubts about such a plan, and he left the impression that he sees this issue as basically a question of public relations and public perception.
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He kept returning to the idea that he might be willing to do more, but only to reassure the public “in light of the disclosures that have taken place.”
In other words, he never intended to make the changes that his panel, many lawmakers and others, including this page, have advocated to correct the flaws in the government’s surveillance policy had they not been revealed by Edward Snowden’s leaks.
Image: Yeah, right? "You've got to be kidding me." That was my reaction to the President's remarks also.
He could have started by suspending the constitutionally questionable (and evidently pointless) collection of data on every phone call and email that Americans make.
...
Mr. Obama has had plenty of time to consider this issue, and the only specific thing he said on the panel’s proposals was that it might be a good idea to let communications companies keep the data on phone calls and emails rather than store them in the vast government databases that could be easily abused. But he raised doubts about such a plan, and he left the impression that he sees this issue as basically a question of public relations and public perception.
...
He kept returning to the idea that he might be willing to do more, but only to reassure the public “in light of the disclosures that have taken place.”
In other words, he never intended to make the changes that his panel, many lawmakers and others, including this page, have advocated to correct the flaws in the government’s surveillance policy had they not been revealed by Edward Snowden’s leaks.
Image: Yeah, right? "You've got to be kidding me." That was my reaction to the President's remarks also.
