A headline that grabbed my attention this morning stated "Poll shows more American disagree with Snowden than support him." The article then goes on to point out that the above statement is true when only about 60% of those responding to the poll are considered, since 40% said they "had no opinion." The article then tells us that this poll, by NBC, roughly mirrors a poll from February, 2014 which was conducted by NBC/Wall Street Journal. http://news.yahoo.com/snowden-poll-oppose-leak-174819082.html?.tsrc=lgw
Before I get to my most burning question, I would like to point out that NBC is behind both of these polls, and, in my opinion, has a vested interest in making sure that you and I BELIEVE that very few people support Snowden's whistle blower-action that confirmed to us the extreme degree to which the "Government" is now spying on you and me. The NBC and many other media have a vested interest in cooperating with the Government in both covering up the 1984-type spying that is going on against us, and in making out those who openly oppose such spying to be UNPATRIOTIC! After all, what do "good citizens" have to hide, anyway? If the media can't make a domestic-spying opponent into a kook or idiot, it can criminalize them. And the "Government" quickly joins in the criminalization.
I consider myself a good citizen, in that I am not a felon, terrorist, foreign agent, or any of those things. I am sure most of you also fall into the "good citizen" category as well. Well, my fellow good citizens, have you received your poll yet? I mean the one about whether or not you support Snowden's actions. So far no national pollster has been in touch with me. I am waiting, NBC!! If any of you received this poll, AND responded it to it, would you favor me, please, by letting me know? Thanks.
Now for my most burning question, which I guess is really two questions. First, WHY DOES OUR GOVERNMENT NEED TO SPY ON US...ALL OF US??!!! Last time I checked, the Constitution still prohibited any level of government from searching any person without probable cause to do so. Not just any old list of "beliefs" but beliefs based on facts that would support a warrant issued by a reasonable judge (who is not in the pockets of the very agencies seeking spy authority, by the way). The last time I checked, the contents of a phone call were covered under our "reasonable expectation of privacy" and not open to government search without the above mentioned LEGALLY OBTAINED warrant. So, unless the Government REASONABLY BELIEVES ALL OF US ARE SPIES AND ARE DANGEROUS TO THIS NATION, said Government cannot LEGALLY spy on us. By the way, espousing such beliefs on the Internet could expose me to the danger that my Government might SUSPECT I am a spy. Under current law agents of various government bureaus could come and get me and I would never be seen or heard from again. No I am not paranoid, just a reader of USA PATRIOT Act and NDAA. If you care to bore yourself with such boring material, you will find that what I have said is true, and is going on NOW.
Second, do you personally oppose anyone who risks his life and liberty to expose our Government's illegal domestic spying programs? I support Snowden, and further, I do not follow the logic of our Government in branding him a traitor because he fled to Russia. Snowden was in fear of being arrested under various spying bills himself, plus obviously he was a danger to the nation as defined by USA PATRIOT. Therefore, if he were ever apprehended by United States authorities he would probably never be seen again, at least on this continent. Snowden is not entitled to a trial, according to USA PATRIOT. He is not entitled to a legal defense, nor is he entitled to even a phone call, again according to USA PATRIOT. So there is little doubt that he took the wisest course available to him at the time. He risk all by exposing, with concrete proof to back it up, what our out-of-control Government is doing to ALL of us. Do you oppose his actions? And whether or not you agree with what he did, do you disagree that Edward Snowden has a right to a trial, with all the trappings, including the right to post a reasonable bond, the right to a reasonable defense, and the right to have all this afforded to him in an open way so that all of us can see what is going on?
It grieves me that our nation has reached this point, the point in which our inalienable rights are trampled at the whim of our "leaders." It grieves me also that, instead of stopping the domestic spying RIGHT NOW, our Government has instead condemned the person who exposed this activity. It grieves me that our nation has reached the point where Snowden's life is endangered by the very Government obliged to protect him. I have to wonder, if Snowden were to decide right now to simply board a jet and fly back to the United States, would his jet even make it back across the Atlantic? Asked another way, would YOU WANT TO FLY ON THAT JET WITH HIM? Not me, my friends, as the jet would no doubt experience some sort of mechanical trouble at the same time the transponder failed, and the flight would be lost in the millions of square miles of ocean between here and there. Can you say Malaysia Flight 370?
The moral of this post is that news headlines are not just misleading; they are intended to LEAD us, to form our opinions, and to condition us never to question what the Government tells us, whether directly, or through a media "poll." A national media giant tells us that "most Americans" do not support Edward Snowden and his actions in exposing a national disgrace. But I, like you (and like "most Americans") did not receive a poll regarding our opinion on this issue. We are simply asked to follow along in the bleating crowd as our cell phone calls, and probably our land-line calls, are monitored illegally because any one of us "might be a terrorist." Drones are flying over us here in the United States spying on us, again, because we might be terrorists. And we are expected to join the axe-mob against Edward Snowden, while the most powerful terrorist the world has ever seen is watching over all of us at this moment. Don't you feel so much safer? By the way, have you received your poll yet?
Before I get to my most burning question, I would like to point out that NBC is behind both of these polls, and, in my opinion, has a vested interest in making sure that you and I BELIEVE that very few people support Snowden's whistle blower-action that confirmed to us the extreme degree to which the "Government" is now spying on you and me. The NBC and many other media have a vested interest in cooperating with the Government in both covering up the 1984-type spying that is going on against us, and in making out those who openly oppose such spying to be UNPATRIOTIC! After all, what do "good citizens" have to hide, anyway? If the media can't make a domestic-spying opponent into a kook or idiot, it can criminalize them. And the "Government" quickly joins in the criminalization.
I consider myself a good citizen, in that I am not a felon, terrorist, foreign agent, or any of those things. I am sure most of you also fall into the "good citizen" category as well. Well, my fellow good citizens, have you received your poll yet? I mean the one about whether or not you support Snowden's actions. So far no national pollster has been in touch with me. I am waiting, NBC!! If any of you received this poll, AND responded it to it, would you favor me, please, by letting me know? Thanks.
Now for my most burning question, which I guess is really two questions. First, WHY DOES OUR GOVERNMENT NEED TO SPY ON US...ALL OF US??!!! Last time I checked, the Constitution still prohibited any level of government from searching any person without probable cause to do so. Not just any old list of "beliefs" but beliefs based on facts that would support a warrant issued by a reasonable judge (who is not in the pockets of the very agencies seeking spy authority, by the way). The last time I checked, the contents of a phone call were covered under our "reasonable expectation of privacy" and not open to government search without the above mentioned LEGALLY OBTAINED warrant. So, unless the Government REASONABLY BELIEVES ALL OF US ARE SPIES AND ARE DANGEROUS TO THIS NATION, said Government cannot LEGALLY spy on us. By the way, espousing such beliefs on the Internet could expose me to the danger that my Government might SUSPECT I am a spy. Under current law agents of various government bureaus could come and get me and I would never be seen or heard from again. No I am not paranoid, just a reader of USA PATRIOT Act and NDAA. If you care to bore yourself with such boring material, you will find that what I have said is true, and is going on NOW.
Second, do you personally oppose anyone who risks his life and liberty to expose our Government's illegal domestic spying programs? I support Snowden, and further, I do not follow the logic of our Government in branding him a traitor because he fled to Russia. Snowden was in fear of being arrested under various spying bills himself, plus obviously he was a danger to the nation as defined by USA PATRIOT. Therefore, if he were ever apprehended by United States authorities he would probably never be seen again, at least on this continent. Snowden is not entitled to a trial, according to USA PATRIOT. He is not entitled to a legal defense, nor is he entitled to even a phone call, again according to USA PATRIOT. So there is little doubt that he took the wisest course available to him at the time. He risk all by exposing, with concrete proof to back it up, what our out-of-control Government is doing to ALL of us. Do you oppose his actions? And whether or not you agree with what he did, do you disagree that Edward Snowden has a right to a trial, with all the trappings, including the right to post a reasonable bond, the right to a reasonable defense, and the right to have all this afforded to him in an open way so that all of us can see what is going on?
It grieves me that our nation has reached this point, the point in which our inalienable rights are trampled at the whim of our "leaders." It grieves me also that, instead of stopping the domestic spying RIGHT NOW, our Government has instead condemned the person who exposed this activity. It grieves me that our nation has reached the point where Snowden's life is endangered by the very Government obliged to protect him. I have to wonder, if Snowden were to decide right now to simply board a jet and fly back to the United States, would his jet even make it back across the Atlantic? Asked another way, would YOU WANT TO FLY ON THAT JET WITH HIM? Not me, my friends, as the jet would no doubt experience some sort of mechanical trouble at the same time the transponder failed, and the flight would be lost in the millions of square miles of ocean between here and there. Can you say Malaysia Flight 370?
The moral of this post is that news headlines are not just misleading; they are intended to LEAD us, to form our opinions, and to condition us never to question what the Government tells us, whether directly, or through a media "poll." A national media giant tells us that "most Americans" do not support Edward Snowden and his actions in exposing a national disgrace. But I, like you (and like "most Americans") did not receive a poll regarding our opinion on this issue. We are simply asked to follow along in the bleating crowd as our cell phone calls, and probably our land-line calls, are monitored illegally because any one of us "might be a terrorist." Drones are flying over us here in the United States spying on us, again, because we might be terrorists. And we are expected to join the axe-mob against Edward Snowden, while the most powerful terrorist the world has ever seen is watching over all of us at this moment. Don't you feel so much safer? By the way, have you received your poll yet?
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