NSA Spying on Americans

[Richard the Lionheart]

Link to Article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10488458/

Any thoughts?

[AK47]

Since I am a law abiding american I have no worries if the goverment listens to my phone calls.

[Hound_Of_Culann]

Sure, they're looking for terrorists now. But how long until they start monitoring every petty thief, marijuana grower or prostitute? Every unpatriotic American?

[Kanaric]

Since I am a law abiding american I have no worries if the goverment listens to my phone calls.

The people running against Nixon in the 70s were law abiding americans right?

With the patriot act ANY politician can get their local friendly appointed by them judge and have them put an order to listen to the phone calls of any person and use them against them for any sort of gain. Nixon resigned because he did simular things to this, are you saying that its right to do such things? If so you are certainly unpatriotic AND unamerican, privacy is my constitutional right and I want that protected. ANY converstation can be used against a person, it doesn't matter what they say is legal or not.

Hopefully now that the senate rejected the patriot act this country will be more like America again. Other than what it is now, something that causes our forefathers to roll in their graves.

[Templedog]

This happened to me.

About a month ago a secret service guy and a local cop knocked on my door. They asked me if I was TempleDog....I said "ahhh yeah, I guess". "Have you threatened the President of the United States latley?" I replied "ummm, I don't know....maybe" then I chuckled. He asked me if I had any knifes or guns in the apartment which I told him no...Then he asked me if I could come down town and answer some questions...I said, ok...i guess so....

So, we entered into the police station from the back....into a small room with a 2 way mirror and a small table with 2 chairs... and threw about 2 pages of questions at me....things like "Are you interested in the JFK assasination. Do you like the military? Have you wanted to join the military? Do you know who jack ruby is?" and alot of other crazy things. All of which I answered calmly. Then I had to ask, "Why the hell am I here??" He then layed out a copy of a forum that I visit often....been going to the forum for about 5 years, and know alot of the members really good...we even get on ventrillo and talk...some of the people I know on the forum are as close of internet buddies as you can get on the net....

He points out a line of text I typed that was highlighted, it read: "I am a constitutionalist, I believe in the2 amendment; right to bear arms, if the government gets to powerful and out of control, the people should rise up and take the government out! Bush is going down..."

I looked at the SS agent and started laughing at him...and he got really angry and said "Do you think this is a joke!" and I said with a giggle "YES" Then he yelled back "Do you realize where you are!!!" and I said "ahhh yea. the police department" in a smartass tone. Then I had to explain to him that I was talking to online friends and that I am not a TERRORIST!!! and we always joke around like that....and I had to say over and over...I dont even own a gun!!!! Then I got alittle ticked off knowing that this guy he was accusing me of being a terrorist and that my tax dollars is paying his salary to pick on me...and others like me..He asked me for my parents addresses and brothers and sisters....so I told him their addresses. He said he had to contact them and give a report to the district attorney. His hands were shacking when he wrote on his paper...he was really angry at me...but the local cop was near by...so I figured I could give him alittle hell...I told him "please don't call my mommy and daddy" He asked me if I had any problems with the government and I told him, yes the Patriot Act.He left the room and came back...said we were done..and followed me back to my apartment (i was in a cop car) my neighbors were outside when I left and returned..wondering WTF was going on...because they frisked me when they took me in.

I asked the secret service guyin my parking lot "So, I'm done right." And he said that I am on some kind of list now...and that I can't visit any political event or washington DC!!!! I can't go to Washington DC my capital!!! because I'm on this list...and after 2 hours or so of interrogation I didn't feel or want to argue with him in front of everyone...so i just said "ok, so I wont ever see you or anything again then right?' and he replied "If you see me again, you better be running" then jumped in his red SUV and took off.....

Weird thing is....I posted that a month b4 the secret service guy came to talk to me...talk about great terrorist fighters. This is the first time I told anyone about this online...after saying "Bush is going down" again, I might be visited again by the secret service....lame.....what do you guys think of all of this?? am i crazy? I was just kidding around, not threatening the president because my message wasn't even intended for him to read. I feel like some of my rights have been taken away....

2nd Post : what sucks...is that according to the patriot act...they obviously talked to my cable provider and got my address, and now have the right to monitor all my internet activity...what books I check out..and phone conversations....all that stuff...so now I am majorly pananoid. It's creepy when I want to look at porn now :/

I'm thinking about calling up the white house to sign up for a white house tour to see what happens.

[Oldgamer]

This happened to me.

I'm thinking about calling up the white house to sign up for a white house tour to see what happens.

Templedog, one of the perils of living in this society is being too outspoken. You have suffered some for that.

In October of 1974, I debated Bill Clinton at Westark Community College, in Fort Smith Arkansas, and gave him a severe drubbing. I left Arkansas after Clinton became governor, because I started having yearly audits by the States' Revenue Service.

In 1993, Clinton takes the oath of office as President of the United States. This had several effects on me.

First, from 1993 to 2000, I was audited by the IRS every year.

Second, I went on the Secret Service Watch List. If Clinton was coming to my area, I would get anonymous calls which stated, "Are you __________?" When I said "Yes", the caller would hang up. There were other problems with being on this watch list I won't talk about, here.

Third, my house was broken into secretly once, and my home office rifled. Another time, they came into the house in force, including Storm Troopers in black. They took my harddrive, and just about everything I had ever written. During this time, I was in handcuffs, and a 9mm was at my right temple. Surprisingly enough, they took the cuffs off, and left.

A few weeks later, I got my harddrive back via FedEx. It had been completely wiped. I had to buy another operating system and start over. None of my papers were ever returned.

I did not shut up, however ...

It all stopped in January, of 2001, which actually included a phone call from the FBI expressing regret for the persecution of me that took place during the Clinton Administration.

Point is, you don't need the Patriot Act to make someone's life hell.

[Farnan]

Why did they ask Secretary Rice her opinion? She Secretary of State not head of the NSA.

For the record I am going to suprise everyone and say I am against this. Though if the NSA has a reasonable suspicion of Terroist activity they should be allowed, but be forced to keep records of why there is a suspicion and what evidence they have and once a month submit it to the House Intelligence committee for review. If evidence is found of abuse, then spying is off limits without Grand Jury approval.

[Atheist Peace]

This is one of the most despicable practices possible. Someone better put a stop to this...oh wait.

Templedog, did that actually happen to you?

[Templedog]

Yea, that happened to me Peace. Oldgamer I feel for ya. You don't need the Patriot act to make someone's life hell, but it sure doesn't help. Why make it legal to harrass you? It's just not the Patriot Act alone that scares me. It's the mind set over time. First the patriot act, people get use to it, then a few more laws get passed and on and on. The patriot act just needs to be refined, I don't think it's all bad. Don't get me wrong.

Yes, I like to speak my mind. Everyone is too touchy feely for free speakers.

[Richard the Lionheart]

I also read on the news that the Pentagon is spying on people too. Apparently the Pentagon has it's eye on anti-war protestors mainly. And as far the NSA thing goes, apparently even some people in the NSA were opposed to this practice of spying on Americans.

[Templedog]

Ever see the movie Taxi Driver with Robert Deniro? The ending was cool. lol

[LSJ]

I don't see how listening to private phone calls accomplishes anything. There are thousands of secret codes used by thousands of unknown terrorist groups. Sure, let us put in word locking technology, so saying the word "Bomb" sets it on... What does that do? What if the people talking use odd slang and codes that no one can decode without hearing more samples? I think that it violates the rights to privacy of innocent Americans, and accomplishes nothing but creates a horde of protestors.
There are so many secret agencies that even the FBI are being spied on. Almost every country has spy agencies that no one except the high and mighty politicians know about (and the members). There are a few known anti-spy groups, spy networks, anti-anti-spy groups...
When even I can get a hold on state of the art FBI technology no one can be safe. And listening to phone calls means more secret codes, more anti-spies, and more conspiracy theories among us.
As the saying goes,
"Don't use your best technologies against your enemies unless desparate: for anything you use can and will be used against you soon."
:wink:
For all you guys know I am an international terrorist who has hundreds of followers and owns the world's largest collection of nukes. These days you don't know what anyone is like, not that you ever did, but even more so now.

[Shaun]

just what exactly is the patroitic act?

[Atheist Peace]

just what exactly is the patroitic act?

The Patriot Act. Always check on wikipedia for something like that.

[Guderian]

If those stories are true, I don't know what is happening to America jeez...oldgamer what exactly did you do to Clinton?

[DarkGhost89]

If your story is true, that is ungodly wrong. It is despicable that the USA agent actually believe a bunch of gamers have the capacity to actually have the resource to even seriously think about going after bush. It is unbelievable our tax dollars is going to monitor a bunch of guys in a forum. Common sense alone should be enough to determine if a person talking on a forum acutally a terrorist. Certainly, shouldn't be bared out of polical events and the capital itself

Just for the hell of it.


"I, DarkGhost89, plan to attack President Bush with a c4, a car, and an ak-47. Drive to Washington DC, go the the gate, shoot the guard, drive the car strait into the white house going thur wall till i reach the office and use the c4 the blow the entire building."





It gonna be hilarious if they actually took that serious and then they find out I'm an asian teenage honor student who lives a thousand miles from where he lives and never even seen a gun (I seen police but never outside the holster) outside of tv.

[RZZZA]

Wow Templedog thats the damndest thing ive heard all week...are we actually paying people to do that? Cuz we should definetly stop. Just for the hell of it...Yeah I wanna KILL BUSH too. If I ever see him walking down the street I'm gonna kick him in the ass....

[Templedog]

RZZZA, secret service might be knocking on your door now. :/

[mike^_^]

I don't see how listening to private phone calls accomplishes anything.

because it's not about stopping "terrorists"

it's about setting precedant and acclimating us into accepting tyranny with incrementalism.

hey did you know we doubled the FBI and ATF's funding after Oklahoma City? that didn't protect us from the CIA agents taking part in drills that went live on 9-11, did it?

do you like getting scammed?

[genghis khan]

Actually I find this most amusing because as long as you use the internet or a phone you can be heard anyway. *Cough Echelon cough*. I mean really, is anyone surprised that the NSA was doing this? I am not but maybe thats because I already expected it.