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Government
Graham says he's 'glad' NSA is collecting phone records
2013-06-07
[P.WASHINGTONTIMES] Sen. Lindsey Graham
... the endangered South Carolina RINO...
 said Thursday that he is "glad" that the National Security Agency is collecting millions of telephone records -- including his own -- from one of the nation's largest telecommunications companies in an attempt to combat terrorism.

Mr. Graham said that he is a Verizon customer and has no problem with the company turning over records to the government if it helps it do its job. The South Carolina Republican said that people who have done nothing wrong have nothing to worry about because the NSA is mining the phone records for people with suspected ties to terrorism.
Posted by:Fred

#24  Matt - uhhh...I think you are confusing the National Security AGENCY with National Security ADVISOR.
Posted by: Bangkok Billy   2013-06-07 21:31  

#23  Let's review the bidding:

1- We have an election coming up next year in which Republicans either lose or keep control of the House. The stakes are high.

2- We know that Champ has an Enemies List ("we're taking names") that Richard Nixon would consider over the top.

3- We know that Champ is willing to use federal agencies to punish his enemies (EPA, ATF, IRS).

4- We know now that the NSA has unfettered access to every bit of data an individual creates (maybe not exactly true, but you have to assume so).

5- Champ has just appointed one of his most loyal assassins, Susan Rice, to head the NSA.

6- Anything Rice does as head of the NSA will be cloaked in national security. "'Operation Take Back the House' really refers to a house in Syria, and that's all we can tell you."

Nah, I don't see any potential for abuse. And the NSA can quote me on that.


Posted by: Matt   2013-06-07 19:43  

#22  Clearly it is nearly impossible for any one person to listen into millions of daily phone calls. However it s possible to convert phone calls to text. And then mine the text for key words and phases. And then go back and listen to the entire phone conversation.

It s also possible to change the keyword search from jihad to tea party. Which is my beef with administration. Obama and his gang have focused more on conservatives than Islamic fascists.
Posted by: Airandee   2013-06-07 19:12  

#21  (left off the ? - oops) :-(
Posted by: Barbara   2013-06-07 19:04  

#20  Starting to wonder, swksvolFF
Posted by: Barbara   2013-06-07 19:03  

#19  I'm sure he is, because I'm starting to wonder if with all this sharing data stuff going about if the 2012 democrat campaign strategists were give access to this gathered information.
Posted by: swksvolFF   2013-06-07 17:43  

#18  Like Phil_b said yesterday, few seem to really understand collecting call data is not the same as listening in.

That said, I am quite pleased to have the current administration roasted on the spit of media stupidity. It ties in so well with the IRS scandal, which - I believe - is the first of its kind - the gubbamint openly using its power to intimidate.

Except that doesn't sound so unique when I type it.

In fact, my late Father-in-Law was an Illinois State Rep (R)when the state went blue in 1980 or so. Before the Dems redistricted him out of a job, the IRS audited him - twice in a row. He told them two in a row was illegal, and he was right! Targeting is not new!
Posted by: Bobby   2013-06-07 17:06  

#17  
An agency that has the ability to scrutinize the flow of information in the country also has the ability to control the country.


How?
Posted by: Rob Crawford   2013-06-07 16:58  

#16  No complaints from the Amish.
Posted by: Airandee   2013-06-07 16:51  

#15  "If some rogue administration should happen to get power"

You mean like now, John? >:-(
Posted by: Barbara   2013-06-07 16:29  

#14  An agency that has the ability to scrutinize the flow of information in the country also has the ability to control the country. If some rogue administration should happen to get power, it can decide who and what organizations oppose the national agenda, control future elections by suppressing donors and activity, determine who gets money and who doesn't, determine who gets what medical treatment, determine what companies should be targeted (via the IRS, OSHA, EPA, NLRB, etc.), and determine who gets what agency attack dogs sicked on them for being opposed to their national agenda. But wait minute, that is paranoid. It is just fiction--It's not possible in a free society. That wouldn't happen in realty. We have many, many elected guardians of freedom who wouldn't let that happen. We have built-in Constitutional safeguards that wouldn't permit that to happen.
Posted by: JohnQC   2013-06-07 16:04  

#13  HERE

This has been being built for several years, the Met office in the UK used to have the largest, but now there in the US and the largest is being used to simulate the nuclear arsenal.

Funny old world
Posted by: Devilstoenail   2013-06-07 15:54  

#12  They understand the Constitution, they just ignore it, there needs to be a recorder that tells you that they ignored it AT ELECTION TIME.
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2013-06-07 13:59  

#11  ...given how few understand the words of the Constitution, I'd say that we have a crap load in the Senate just as - if not more dumb. Is there a word for a gaggle of dumb?
Posted by: Procopius2k   2013-06-07 13:37  

#10  If I have done nothing wrong I have nothing to worry about? OK. But what is wrong and who decides? Is it wrong to go to a Tea Party rally? Is it wrong to wonder out loud if there is anybody in the Senate who is dumber than Lindsey Graham?
Posted by: Abu Uluque   2013-06-07 13:33  

#9  Among the records they are collecting are credit card purchases, so unless you buy your guns, ammo and parts with cash they already have a national gun registry of sorts.

Also, Google tells them every time you do a gun related search. They know I am posting this. They know when you go to ar15.com. etc.

Lindsay, you must go.
Posted by: Iblis   2013-06-07 12:20  

#8  Will never be abused.

Just like The IRS office.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles   2013-06-07 11:54  

#7  "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
Benjamin Franklin
Posted by: JohnQC   2013-06-07 08:31  

#6  primary this RINO squish
Posted by: Frank G   2013-06-07 07:54  

#5  "But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother."
Posted by: Elmerert Hupens2660   2013-06-07 06:58  

#4  He is clueless on this one. A favorite trick of the Taliban is to maintain a collection of cellies for field use, or go to someone's house and borrow one. Dedicated analysts along with voice recognition software is an effective counter-measure. The Taliban assume someone is listening in. Now we must assume that as well.
Posted by: Besoeker   2013-06-07 02:45  

#3  Back in the pre-Rantburg days, one of my favourite topics, which drove the Libertarians at Samizdata nuts, was you can either have more privacy or you can have more security and protection from crime, but you can't have both. So take your pick.
Posted by: phil_b   2013-06-07 02:32  

#2  Ala the orginal "RED DAWN", during the Cold War it was fear of the Soviets + their Proxies gathering public records to Amer private gun owners.

Now in the GWOT comeths Radical Islam's Jihadis [domestic?] whom desire to find out whom is an Crusader-Zionist Infidel versus whom is a Muslim.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2013-06-07 01:36  

#1  Lindsey, say you did not say this, do you realize you have crossed over to

Posted by: Au Auric   2013-06-07 00:35  

00:00