Monday, March 06, 2017

Spies R Us

StreetwiseProfessor quotes Henry II and notes how Clintonesque manipulation of language is being used by the press and Obama's minions in their war against Trump.

the FISA court would not unilaterally issue such an order: it would only do so in response to a request from the executive branch. ...
Maybe he merely hinted, a la Henry II–“will no one rid me of this turbulent candidate?” (And “turbulent” is a good adjective to apply to Trump.) But regardless, there is no way that such a request to the court in such a fraught and weighty matter would have proceeded without Obama’s acquiescence.
 one overseas comment says cyinically:

call me a simple-minded foreigner, but I don’t understand the fuss. Of course they were spying on him.The only interesting questions are (i) was it legal? and (ii) does it matter whether it was illegal; surely Obama is above the law?

ah, but that is the point.

When "they" can spy on everyone for any reason, it would be naive to say there was no spying. The problem: The spying is supposed to be secret, and vague, i.e. only looking closely if there is a question of national security.

You know, like downloading Suicide Squad illegally.

Gizmodo on internet security.

Someone could be spying on every call, Facebook message, snapchat, text, sext, each single keystroke you tap out on your phone, and you'd never know. I'm not talking about the NSA (though that too); I'm talking about software fine-tuned for comprehensive stalking—"spyware"—that is readily available to any insecure spouse, overzealous boss, overbearing parent, crazy stalker or garden-variety creep with a credit card. It's an unambiguously malevolent private eye panopticon cocktail of high-grade voyeurism, sold legally. And if it's already on your phone, there's no way you can tell.

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