Spying?

[Larry]

@doctor-phibes said in Spying?:

Back when Dick Cheney was patriotically bugging everybody's phone we were told not to worry, everything would be fine.

Obviously, there was nothing terrifying whatsoever about Dick, Liz is far scarier.

Bull shit. Do you always talk out your ass like that?

[Doctor Phibes]

@jolly said in Spying?:

@doctor-phibes said in Spying?:

@george-k said in Spying?:

You can bet Carlson's people are filing a FOIA request.

Let's hope they're not using FedEx.

With Tucker, there always seems to be a massive scandal just over the horizon which for some mysterious reason never quite materialises.

I don't care who it is and you shouldn't, either. It's illegal. It's being done for political gain.

"nuff said.

Yeah, maybe. It hasn't really been verified what has happened.

Tucker's M.O. is to say a lot of stuff which could be happening, and everybody gets very excited, and then generally it turns out not to be that big a deal after all.

It's all about the viewers.

[Doctor Phibes]

@larry said in Spying?:

@doctor-phibes said in Spying?:

Back when Dick Cheney was patriotically bugging everybody's phone we were told not to worry, everything would be fine.

Obviously, there was nothing terrifying whatsoever about Dick, Liz is far scarier.

Bull shit. Do you always talk out your ass like that?

Only when I'm talking to Americans. I've found that it helps to converse with them in a language with which they're familiar. They're simple folk, but quite likeable.

[jon-nyc]

@jolly said in Spying?:

Needs to stop.

You mean the screaming for attention by Tucker? Or the amplification of anonymous "tips" supporting his own victimization claims?

[Jolly]

Listen, you partisan, dim-witted bastard...and that's being kind, because you deserve worse, since you are much smarter than you are portraying yourself...This is an on-going problem. Whether it's happening to Trump, Tucker, whoever. You should have enough sense to know, that the pendulum will swing and then an already weaponized NSA will be used against people and things you value.

It's wrong. It needs to stop. Now. People need to go to jail.

If you don't cut the crap tap off right now, it can and will, get worse.

[Doctor Phibes]

OK, some of them are quite likeable.

[jon-nyc]

@jolly lol

Perhaps if you were a bit less ideologically committed you’d recognize the simple fact that anyone who’s job it is to be sensational 5 days a week is going to, shall we say, cut a lot of corners.

Especially when the suits at his network admit it outright in lawsuits brought about by just such corner-cutting.

[George K]

@jon-nyc said in Spying?:

@jolly lol

Perhaps if you were a bit less ideologically committed you’d recognize the simple fact that anyone who’s job it is to be sensational 5 days a week is going to, shall we say, cut a lot of corners.

Especially when the suits at his network admit it outright in lawsuits brought about by just such corner-cutting.

Perhaps if you were a little bit less ideologically committed you's admit that the United States government probably intercepted communications of a citizen, and probably illegally revealed his identity.

TuCa might be an asshole (as I commented above), and he might be committed to sensationalism. Neither of those points abrogate his rights as a citizen. His right to privacy is absolute.

Why can't you see that?

Let's play a thought experiment....

JonCYN contacts a Russian citizen for the purpose of getting an interview with a Russian government official.

NSA intercepts his communications. Then, a whistleblower in NSA communicates to JonCYN that NSA has his messages, and quotes them to JonCYN, proving that they know that "Citizen #1" is, indeed, JonCYN.

Put aside the alleged motivations for such unmasking - they are irrelevant, as far as I'm concerned.

You're OK with that process?

[Loki]

I wouldn’t.

But I also can’t imagine other reporters wouldn’t pick up on the story even it was TuCa.

It is quite the allegation so it does deserve to be heard.

[Jolly]

@george-k said in Spying?:

@jon-nyc said in Spying?:

@jolly lol

Perhaps if you were a bit less ideologically committed you’d recognize the simple fact that anyone who’s job it is to be sensational 5 days a week is going to, shall we say, cut a lot of corners.

Especially when the suits at his network admit it outright in lawsuits brought about by just such corner-cutting.

Perhaps if you were a little bit less ideologically committed you's admit that the United States government probably intercepted communications of a citizen, and probably illegally revealed his identity.

TuCa might be an asshole (as I commented above), and he might be committed to sensationalism. Neither of those points abrogate his rights as a citizen. His right to privacy is absolute.

Why can't you see that?

Let's play a thought experiment....

JonCYN contacts a Russian citizen for the purpose of getting an interview with a Russian government official.

NSA intercepts his communications. Then, a whistleblower in NSA communicates to JonCYN that NSA has his messages, and quotes them to JonCYN, proving that they know that "Citizen #1" is, indeed, JonCYN.

Put aside the alleged motivations for such unmasking - they are irrelevant, as far as I'm concerned.

You're OK with that process?

Would probably ruin his wife's career and possibly screw over his son getting into that university his dad wanted.

But, what the hell...It doesn't matter, does it?

[Jolly]

@loki said in Spying?:

I wouldn’t.

But I also can’t imagine other reporters wouldn’t pick up on the story even it was TuCa.

It is quite the allegation so it does deserve to be heard.

Those news outlets you mentioned? How long did they run with the Russia Hoax? Even after they knew better?

[jon-nyc]

It just seems like a lot of question begging. Given that (as you agree) he sensationalizes for a living, how can you assume this story is true?

[Doctor Phibes]

Once upon a time, there was a little boy who cried wolf....

[George K]

@doctor-phibes said in Spying?:

Once upon a time, there was a little boy who cried wolf....

What, in Carlson's statement is false? I'll grant the "trying to get me fired" is hyperbolic.

Even the NSA doesn't deny what he said, and the Axios article confirms it.

He's a blowhard, but he's not in the wrong here.

Why was his name revealed, and by whom?

But, spying on journalists is in the finest tradition of the US government, just ask James Rosen's mother.

[Doctor Phibes]

The point about the boy who cried wolf is how many times Tucker has talked about these imminent scandals that never really materialised.

Why believe him this time?

Maybe he's right. It wouldn't particularly surprise me. I'm sure the US intelligence services are a law unto themselves, and politicians from both parties are a bunch of sleazebags, but I don't really know what's happened.

[George K]

@doctor-phibes said in Spying?:

The point about the boy who cried wolf is how many times Tucker has talked about these imminent scandals that never really materialised.

I agree.

Why believe him this time?

Because an independent source (Axios) said so and the NSA didn't deny it. The very fact that they issued a statement is very unusual.

but I don't really know what's happened.

Yeah, and that's the problem. Nobody knows will admit what happened.

[Jolly]

Quit getting hung up on "who", simply because you don't like the messenger. It's looking more and more like Carlson is right - the NSA read through his emails and then unmasked him.

The email part is understandable and falls within the limits of the law. But the unmasking part does not. This is not the first time this has been done. It seems like it is becoming more prevalent. The law is being weaponized by political entities to destroy private citizens and their families.

This not a partisan issue. Because of the nature of power change in Washington, target lists will change.

Consider this scenario...Biden's economy tanks and stagflation erupts. The Administration is clearly foundering and is viewed as inept as Jimmy Carter's. Then, the same thing happens at the ballot box as happened after Carter's term...Twelve years of GOP administrations. Now, the NSA has been weaponized, so who lands on the new target list?

You might be angry and cry for justice at that point, but then you're just complaining about standard procedures...

[Doctor Phibes]

I don't like the fact that the US intelligence service spies on it's people. I'm not particularly over-excited about this instance, because I honestly think it's been going on for decades.

I realise some of you guys think Joe Biden is a whole new kind of evil, but I personally think that's a load of bollocks.

[Jolly]

Don't get hung up on the politics.

[George K]

@doctor-phibes said in Spying?:

I don't like the fact that the US intelligence service spies on it's people.

Right. So you agree that Carlson was spied upon...or at least "harvested" by spying, is that what you're saying?

I don't think the US is very different in that regard than other countries. Perhaps the difference is that we supposedly have laws that limit the type of surveillance that can be carried out on its citizens. FISA courts should have strict guidelines for this stuff.

Again, the question is who broke the law, if it was broken, indeed? If it wasn't broken, who permitted the work-around by unmasking him?