Classic Republican Stupidity

Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Ks) is mad!

It seems that the government in China is demanding that hotels install surveillance devices that will allow them to monitor Internet usage and data transfers. Well Sen. Brownback wants us to know that this is spying and spying is wrong.

This is the public security bureau in China requiring the installation of hardware that they can listen to anybody and everybody’s and their communications and their recordings that are sent over the Internet in a real-time purpose or over long-term. That’s spying, John. […] Your Internet communications can all be monitored in a real time basis by the public security bureau of the Chinese government. I think they’re clearly intent upon spying. they’re going to be spying.

He is upset, he is offended, he is shocked. He is also a lying two faced idiot.

He seems to have forgotten that the Bush administration did just about the same thing almost 8 years ago. In fact they Bush Administration went China one better and placed their spying devices where they could intercept all communication, not just that coming out of hotels.

Please remember this man, who is now shocked and offended by China's actions, voted to allow the US government to spy on electronic communication of it's citizens without any oversight. He refused to take any action to help stop the Bush spying efforts and voted to not hold responsible those companies who broke the law by spying on our communications in the US. Yet, this man is livid about China's actions.

Stupid and dishonest, two defining traits of so many current members of the Republican party.

Tags
Domestic Spying, FISA, Kansas, Republicans

This Is What Bush Thinks Is Worth Fighting For

Since 2001 the US Government has been spying on traffic traveling through US communication circuits. There is a process to do this legally, but the Bush Administration didn't bother to follow those rules, they, with the help of some of the telecommunication companies, just tapped the lines.

When they were found you they got congress to give them some temporary authority to do this. This authority is expiring and there is great debate as to how to extend this governmental authority to spy on communications.

There is a new bill working through congress that would do just this, but Bush is threatening to veto it.

According to his administration, and some on the right, a failure to pass this law would result in attack on the US, hundreds will die, and our nation will fall. All our defenses, security and police forces will be rendered impotent if they can not continue to tap these lines. The trouble is, while the new bill would extend this right, they think it is still to restrictive.

So what is the issue that destroys this bill? There are many points in the bill that are causing debate but only one is drawing the veto threat.

The bill would not provide immunity to the telecoms for past violations of the law.

According to Bush, this bill is vital, this bill is necessary to secure our land (both BS, but let’s let that pass), yet, he has made it clear that he is willing to expose us all to grave risk to assure that AT&T (and other major corporations) will not be sued for their past illegal actions.

This makes two things absolutely clear; that this law is not that vital to our security and Bush's real concern is protecting corporations, not protecting the US.



Tags
Bush Administrtion, FISA, AT and T