Comments on: Bill Keller, Super Genius! http://www.sundriesshack.com/2006/06/26/bill-keller-super-genius/ Delivering the Best of the New Media Since 2004. Tue, 22 May 2012 22:10:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Mackhttp://www.sundriesshack.com/2006/06/26/bill-keller-super-genius/comment-page-1/#comment-235633 Mack Tue, 27 Jun 2006 08:34:42 +0000 http://sundriesshack.com/?p=2518#comment-235633 <i>Every minute the government wastes investigating me is a minute not spent investigating a real threat. The only conclusion I can draw from this is that the administraion is more afraid of left-leaning citizens than terrorists. Makes sense, I vote and the terrorists do not. </i> Another viable conclusion is that your mom doesn't run the counter-terrorism effort, and so the only way to evaluate and assess the risk you might pose to the rest of us is to investigate based on flags, activities and behaviors common to those who either engage in terrorist activity or provide logistical support to those that do. Every minute the government wastes investigating me is a minute not spent investigating a real threat. The only conclusion I can draw from this is that the administraion is more afraid of left-leaning citizens than terrorists. Makes sense, I vote and the terrorists do not.

Another viable conclusion is that your mom doesn't run the counter-terrorism effort, and so the only way to evaluate and assess the risk you might pose to the rest of us is to investigate based on flags, activities and behaviors common to those who either engage in terrorist activity or provide logistical support to those that do.

]]> By: The Heretik » Blog Archive » Instapundiocy TMhttp://www.sundriesshack.com/2006/06/26/bill-keller-super-genius/comment-page-1/#comment-234397 The Heretik » Blog Archive » Instapundiocy TM Mon, 26 Jun 2006 20:39:07 +0000 http://sundriesshack.com/?p=2518#comment-234397 [...] Too rich for the common man? “The Times, apparently, told the story The president, apparently, spied and spied because it he could and because it thinks it can get away with it.” Who is getting away with what here? Damn that New York Times and its arrogance. Arrogance shall be reserved to those with experience. Damn us all. [...] [...] Too rich for the common man? “The Times, apparently, told the story The president, apparently, spied and spied because it he could and because it thinks it can get away with it.” Who is getting away with what here? Damn that New York Times and its arrogance. Arrogance shall be reserved to those with experience. Damn us all. [...]

]]> By: Jimmiehttp://www.sundriesshack.com/2006/06/26/bill-keller-super-genius/comment-page-1/#comment-235157 Jimmie Mon, 26 Jun 2006 18:46:29 +0000 http://sundriesshack.com/?p=2518#comment-235157 The big deal was that the specifics weren't international knowledge in 2002, or at any point until the <i>Times</i> decided that it ought to be. The administration gets warrants for the things it needs to get warrants for and it doesn't for the things that don't require warrants. I don't find that difficult to grasp. Your conclusion, Tom, is...well...interesting. In a "guy who takes long-distance photos of Area 51 hoping ot catch a glimpse of a flyuing saucer" sort of way. BUt it's not grounded in anything that looks like evidence, your contention about what is "clear" notwithstanding. The big deal was that the specifics weren't international knowledge in 2002, or at any point until the Times decided that it ought to be.

The administration gets warrants for the things it needs to get warrants for and it doesn't for the things that don't require warrants. I don't find that difficult to grasp.

Your conclusion, Tom, is…well…interesting. In a "guy who takes long-distance photos of Area 51 hoping ot catch a glimpse of a flyuing saucer" sort of way. BUt it's not grounded in anything that looks like evidence, your contention about what is "clear" notwithstanding.

]]> By: Tomhttp://www.sundriesshack.com/2006/06/26/bill-keller-super-genius/comment-page-1/#comment-234875 Tom Mon, 26 Jun 2006 17:18:51 +0000 http://sundriesshack.com/?p=2518#comment-234875 What's the big deal about this? I knew about this program back in 2002. That's when the governmnet started freezing my bank account every time I did an international wire transfer. If they would do that kind of crap to me, I assumed they were doing it to the terrorists as well. I now have a special account that I only use for international transfers because of this issue. No doubt the terrorists have figured that one out, too. Well, the stupid ones, at least. The smart ones were using the Hawala system from the start. My only question is this: Why is the administration so afaid of warrants? They had no problem getting a warrant on me to open all my foreign mail (probably as a result of this very program). If they can get a warrant on me, they can get one on a terrorist. Of course, maybe they didn't get a warrant on me. Maybe there is another undisclosed program that allows them to open my mail without a warrant. That said, one thing that is clear is that these programs are not limited to terrorists. As for the information they are getting from me, I can't for the life of me think of any reason why it might be useful. The information falls into three categories: foreign bank statements that are already reported to the IRS, Christmas cards from a Tibetan refugee, and rare recordings of the Dalai Lama. Scary stuff. Actually, it is scary. Every minute the government wastes investigating me is a minute not spent investigating a real threat. The only conclusion I can draw from this is that the administraion is more afraid of left-leaning citizens than terrorists. Makes sense, I vote and the terrorists do not. What's the big deal about this? I knew about this program back in 2002. That's when the governmnet started freezing my bank account every time I did an international wire transfer. If they would do that kind of crap to me, I assumed they were doing it to the terrorists as well. I now have a special account that I only use for international transfers because of this issue. No doubt the terrorists have figured that one out, too. Well, the stupid ones, at least. The smart ones were using the Hawala system from the start. My only question is this: Why is the administration so afaid of warrants? They had no problem getting a warrant on me to open all my foreign mail (probably as a result of this very program). If they can get a warrant on me, they can get one on a terrorist. Of course, maybe they didn't get a warrant on me. Maybe there is another undisclosed program that allows them to open my mail without a warrant. That said, one thing that is clear is that these programs are not limited to terrorists. As for the information they are getting from me, I can't for the life of me think of any reason why it might be useful. The information falls into three categories: foreign bank statements that are already reported to the IRS, Christmas cards from a Tibetan refugee, and rare recordings of the Dalai Lama. Scary stuff. Actually, it is scary. Every minute the government wastes investigating me is a minute not spent investigating a real threat. The only conclusion I can draw from this is that the administraion is more afraid of left-leaning citizens than terrorists. Makes sense, I vote and the terrorists do not.

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