The dangers of our new normal...

[birdog1960]

What in the world does this have to do with classifying social sciences as a true science?

it has to do with this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science

 

Ever since classical antiquity, science as a type of knowledge has been closely linked to philosophy. In the West during the early modern period the words "science" and "philosophy of nature" were sometimes used interchangeably,^[3].3 and until the 19th century natural philosophy (which is today called "natural science") was considered a branch of philosophy.^[4]

 

However, "science" has also continued to be used in a broad sense to denote reliable and teachable knowledge about a topic, as reflected in modern terms like library science or computer science. This is also reflected in the names of some areas of academic study such as social science and political science.

 

^{economics seems to fit the bill. philosophy, sociology, psychology, even literature seem to fit. but in only one of these is there a reasonably high likelihood of financial success. and we all know that's the true measure of professional achievement to so many americans.}

Edited May 28, 2015 by birdog1960

[Deranged Rhino]

Christie attacks Paul and Lee for 'siding' with Snowden:

 

 

 

The Republican presidential hopeful blasted the likes of Lee and Paul for supporting viewpoints similar to those of Edward Snowden, whom Christie called a criminal.

“He’s a criminal and he’s hiding in Russia, and he’s lecturing to us about the evils of authoritarian government while he lives under the protective umbrella of Vladimir Putin?” Christie asked. “That’s who Mike Lee and Rand Paul are siding with? With Edward Snowden? Hey, come on.”

 

 

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/chris-christie-defends-patriot-act-slams-rand-paul-mike-lee-118314.html

[DC Tom]

Christie attacks Paul and Lee for 'siding' with Snowden:

 

 

 

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/chris-christie-defends-patriot-act-slams-rand-paul-mike-lee-118314.html

 

Point of note: Snowden is a criminal. Not all that much worse than John Anthony Walker, really.

[Tiberius]

 

Point of note: Snowden is a criminal. Not all that much worse than John Anthony Walker, really.

That's giving him too much credit. Criminal yes. Arch spy? No

[....lybob]

 

Point of note: Snowden is a criminal. Not all that much worse than John Anthony Walker, really.

George Washington was also a criminal

[DC Tom]

George Washington was also a criminal

 

Yeah, Snowden and George Washington. They're virtually twins.

[FireChan]

 

Yeah, Snowden and George Washington. They're virtually twins.

John Brown might be better.

[Tiberius]

John Brown might be better.

leon czolgosz

[Deranged Rhino]

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/dont-just-let-the-sun-go-down-on-patriot-powers

[reddogblitz]

President Obama says that if the NSA phone survelance ends we could get another terrorist attack.

[3rdnlng]

President Obama says that if the NSA phone survelance ends we could get another terrorist attack.

At this point, I wouldn't put it past him.

[IDBillzFan]

President Obama says that if the NSA phone survelance ends we could get another terrorist attack.

 

I spend a lot of time discussing how incompetent Obama is, but in all fairness, one area he excels at most amazingly is the art of blame.

 

We haven't even been attacked yet, and already he's casting blame elsewhere. Pure genius. If only his intelligence didn't stop at this one item.

[Deranged Rhino]

 

As I wrote after Sunday night’s legislative action, which paved the way for Tuesday’s vote, this marks the end of a vast expansion in surveillance authorities that began almost immediately after the 9/11 terror attacks. Indeed, the Freedom Act represents the single greatest surveillance reform package since the 1970s.

But that’s a low bar.

After 14 years of rubber-stamping executive-branch requests for pretty much anything related to terrorism, Congress had an extraordinary moment of opportunity to pass genuine reform. The Snowden revelations had changed the public’s attitude about government surveillance. And three provisions of the Patriot Act were set to expire.

The provisions did expire after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell repeatedly failed to stampede the Senate into extending them as is. Loath to vindicate Snowden, McConnell and most of the Republican majority took a position even more extreme than that of the White House and the intelligence community, both of which had declared themselves satisfied with the modest changes in the defanged compromise legislation.

 

 

https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/06/02/one-small-step-toward-post-snowden-surveillance-reform-one-giant-step-congress/

[Tiberius]

 

 

https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/06/02/one-small-step-toward-post-snowden-surveillance-reform-one-giant-step-congress/

"And while the Freedom Act contains a few other modest reform provisions‚ such as more disclosure and a public advocate for the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, it does absolutely nothing to restrain the vast majority of the intrusive surveillance revealed by Snowden."

 

So, nothing much has changed...

[Deranged Rhino]

"And while the Freedom Act contains a few other modest reform provisions‚ such as more disclosure and a public advocate for the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, it does absolutely nothing to restrain the vast majority of the intrusive surveillance revealed by Snowden."

 

So, nothing much has changed...

 

I don't know, you tell us. You're the expert.

 

 

*****************************************************************

Nothing to see here... just the FBI spying from the air...

 

 

 

 

Scores of low-flying planes circling American cities are part of a civilian air force operated by the FBI and obscured behind fictitious companies, The Associated Press has learned.

The AP traced at least 50 aircraft back to the FBI, and identified more than 100 flights in 11 states over a 30-day period since late April, orbiting both major cities and rural areas. At least 115 planes, including 90 Cessna aircraft, were mentioned in a federal budget document from 2009.

For decades, the planes have provided support to FBI surveillance operations on the ground. But now the aircraft are equipped with high-tech cameras, and in rare circumstances, technology capable of tracking thousands of cellphones, raising questions about how these surveillance flights affect Americans' privacy.

"It's important that federal law enforcement personnel have the tools they need to find and catch criminals," said Charles Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "But whenever an operation may also monitor the activities of Americans who are not the intended target, we must make darn sure that safeguards are in place to protect the civil liberties of innocent Americans."

The FBI says the planes are not equipped or used for bulk collection activities or mass surveillance. The surveillance equipment is used for ongoing investigations, the FBI says, generally without a judge's approval.

 

 

 

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FBI_SURVEILLANCE_FLIGHTS?SITE=VACHA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Edited June 3, 2015 by GreggyT

[Tiberius]

 

I don't know, you tell us. You're the expert.

 

 

*****************************************************************

Nothing to see here... just the FBI spying from the air...

 

 

 

 

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FBI_SURVEILLANCE_FLIGHTS?SITE=VACHA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

2009? Gosh, with Drones think how much easier it will be going forward

[Deranged Rhino]

2009? Gosh, with Drones think how much easier it will be going forward

 

That's a great answer. Insightful.

[Tiberius]

 

That's a great answer. Insightful.

Wasn't an answer, it was an observation.

 

We will have robots in a decade or so. I imagine someone will be charged with the crime of having their robot murder someone. Just a thought

[Deranged Rhino]

For Terrorist Fearmongers It's Always the Scariest Time Ever:

 

 

 

 

Here we are 14 years after 9/11, and it’s still always the worst threat ever in all of history, never been greater. If we always face the greatest threat ever, then one of two things is true: 1) fearmongers serially exaggerate the threat for self-interested reasons, or 2) they’re telling the truth — the threat is always getting more severe, year after year — which might mean we should evaluate the wisdom of “terrorism” policies that constantly make the problem worse. Whatever else is true, the people who should have the least credibility on the planet are the Lindsey Grahams and Dianne Feinsteins who have spent the last 15 years exploiting the terror threat in order to terrorize the American population into doing what they want.

 

 

 

 

https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/06/02/fear-mongers-always-scariest-time-ever/

Wasn't an answer, it was an observation.

 

We will have robots in a decade or so. I imagine someone will be charged with the crime of having their robot murder someone. Just a thought

 

I wasn't being literal. You never answer questions, remember? That's why it's funny. Not as knee slappingly funny as your "insights", but still funny.

 

[ICanSleepWhenI'mDead]

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/05/us/hunting-for-hackers-nsa-secretly-expands-internet-spying-at-us-border.html?rref=homepage&module=Ribbon&version=origin&region=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Home%20Page&pgtype=Multimedia&_r=0

 

 

 

Without public notice or debate, the Obama administration has expanded the National Security Agency’s warrantless surveillance of Americans’ international Internet traffic to search for evidence of malicious computer hacking, according to classified N.S.A. documents.

* * * *

While the Senate passed legislation this week limiting some of the N.S.A.’s authority, it involved provisions in the U.S.A. Patriot Act and did not apply to the warrantless wiretapping program.

* * * *

The N.S.A.’s activities run “smack into law enforcement land,” said Jonathan Mayer, a cybersecurity scholar at Stanford Law School who has researched privacy issues and who reviewed several of the documents. “That’s a major policy decision about how to structure cybersecurity in the U.S. and not a conversation that has been had in public.”

* * * *

The government can also gather significant volumes of Americans’ information — anything from private emails to trade secrets and business dealings — through Internet surveillance because monitoring the data flowing to a hacker involves copying that information as the hacker steals it.

 

One internal N.S.A. document notes that agency surveillance activities through “hacker signatures pull in a lot.”