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from the dont-like-the-rules?-change-the-game dept.
An appeals court ruled the NSA's bulk collection was illegal. Rand Paul prevented the controversially named Patriot Act from being renewed, even if it was replaced a couple days later by the equally contentiously named "USA Freedom Act".
Mission accomplished? Not so fast:
The Obama administration has asked a secret surveillance court to ignore a federal court that found bulk surveillance illegal and to once again grant the National Security Agency the power to collect the phone records of millions of Americans for six months. The legal request, filed nearly four hours after Barack Obama vowed to sign a new law banning precisely the bulk collection he asks the secret court to approve, also suggests that the administration may not necessarily comply with any potential court order demanding that the collection stop.
Maybe some branches of the government are more equal than others?
Original Submission
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Wednesday June 10 2015, @01:47AM
They voted for hope and change. They got what they wanted.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by anubi on Wednesday June 10 2015, @03:00AM
Just remember that last election and who Obama was up against.
Nobody was voting for anyone they liked.
I sure did not. I voted, asking mercy from the Lord on what I was doing.
I had perceived what Obama was up against was just about the greediest, most self centered 0.01 percenter on the planet.
( The above line will probably earn me a troll mod, but for the sake of frankness and honesty, I have just got to say it. )
I believe everyone voted for who they thought would do the least damage.
The people got what they voted for.
I do not think what we got is what we had in mind.
I still believe the alternative would have been worse.
Maybe the American people-at-large will become motivated to put aside sports and Hollywood and address politics during the next election - ask the hard questions - and make it crystal clear those utterings do not come under "campaign promises"... no, those promises should be taken by the public as seriously as the government takes the tax code - and hold them to it.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anal Pumpernickel on Wednesday June 10 2015, @04:56AM
Nobody was voting for anyone they liked.
Incorrect. Not everyone is a short-sighted fool who votes only for the 'lesser of two evils'.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 10 2015, @05:08AM
Attack the message? Ok. Attack the messenger? No.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Anal Pumpernickel on Wednesday June 10 2015, @05:24AM
His statement was factually incorrect. He said that nobody voted for anyone they liked, which I know to be false, and it only takes a single counterexample to prove that statement wrong. Additionally, it's very shortsighted to vote for the 'lesser' evil, because you're just trying to stop the current greatest 'evil', and the candidates will keep getting more and more evil if you keep voting for evil. They have no real incentive to stop, as they get more power by being malicious. Then there are the excuses that these people usually trot out to try to justify their votes for bad candidates, not realizing (or not caring) that they're just creating self-fulfilling prophecies.
I have no problem calling out shortsighted behavior. I might attack the messenger in addition to responding to their message.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by black6host on Wednesday June 10 2015, @05:54AM
I respect your opinions. And agree with many. I do get a bit riled up though when a person is attacked. Let's educate if we feel we have a good argument. I posted after moderating your comment because I thought that was the fair thing to do. If I've got a problem with something I'll discuss it. (Albeit one may look at it like "shoot first, ask questions later" :) )
And others are free to correct my moderation.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 10 2015, @06:05AM
Who votes for Derepublicrats still though? After all this, it's insane to continue, stop it.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 10 2015, @11:18AM
Thats the problem with you pedants, you fail to understand when the speaker's statement is understood to have certain implications. In this case, anubi's statement was based on the implication that he was only talking about the overwhelming majority - people who voted for Rs and Ds. There's also the fact that there are exceptions for every rule, so even the statement "All water is wet" could be proven factually false, because of a single counterexample, but everyone understands that when the word "all" is used the speaker is generally disregarding the rare exceptions because of the overwhelming number of cases where its true. You pedants always insist on making a big deal out of what are basically error bars or 'rounding errors'.
(Score: 1, Redundant) by Anal Pumpernickel on Wednesday June 10 2015, @01:46PM
Thats the problem with you pedants, you fail to understand when the speaker's statement is understood to have certain implications. In this case, anubi's statement was based on the implication that he was only talking about the overwhelming majority - people who voted for Rs and Ds.
Then simply use the word "most" or something such as that, instead of making incorrect statements.
(Score: 2) by kurenai.tsubasa on Wednesday June 10 2015, @01:52PM
it only takes a single counterexample to prove that statement wrong
Allow me to do the honors!
I rather liked Gary Johnson, so I voted for him. I continue to like him and the work he is doing to end the drug war and to bring legitimacy to “3rd parties” in the media.
They have no real incentive to stop
Mod parent up more! A million times this!
I get so irritated with folks I know around election time who for some misguided reason believe that not voting at all is somehow showing dissent against the status quo. It isn't! The only wasted vote is no vote or a vote for somebody one does not actually want to be in office. I'll tell them, ok, maybe Libertarians are out in left field some times, so vote Green FFS! I would never want the Greens in power, but FFS, do something! Hell, even if the Greens won a major election, maybe they would push for actual reform that would allow us to have real political discourse.
I know the money, maths, and game theory is against us, but damn it, do something!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 10 2015, @05:46AM
Excuse me, but Obama is a 1%er too.
http://www.davemanuel.com/pols/barack-obama/ [davemanuel.com]
http://www.bankrate.com/finance/taxes/top-1-percent-earn.aspx [bankrate.com]
Hemocyanin (different computer don't know my password by heart)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 10 2015, @11:22AM
He may be a 1%er, but prior to becoming president he was far more in touch with reality and the middle class than Romney. Romney is the very definition of ivory tower elitist.
(Score: 2) by urza9814 on Wednesday June 10 2015, @01:15PM
Speak for yourself. I'm still proud to say I voted for Rocky Anderson. I'm done voting for Republicrats.