In my opinion, with an election coming up in 2014 and Congress doing absolutely nothing but forming another committee to try to find unfounded tie-ins with the Obama Administration to scandal, without any proof what-so-ever even existing, we now have another leak being promoted as proof of Government becoming Big Brother in the minds of the paranoid, far-right, far-left with strong support from defense attorneys, and the GOP.
I offer my own opinion in today’s post along with others’ who have been here and done that, and after observing years of trial and error with both the media and politics in general. I remind everyone the Obama Administration is also being accused of spying on individual citizens and the media in an effort to stop the leaks, at the very time they are accused of promoting leaks for political gain, by the exact same politicians and media.
The more the attempts were made by many of the same type of groups during the Roosevelt Administration during the recovery from the Great Depression, and later on the Clinton Administration following the decline of the 1980’s, the more FDR’s and Clinton’s popularity increased with the American public. These Presidents simply did not have as much of the made-up speculation, due to the fact the number of the Conservative and Tea Party groups and Social media have increased greatly during the Obama Administration.
Isn’t it enough that Rep. Isis is calling Eric Holder and President Obama, along with anyone who speaks for the Obama Administration and disagrees with his witch hunts, “Liars?” At no time in history has our President or Attorney General ever been shown such dis-respect by the Congress who are elected to carry out the Agenda of the President or come up with a comparable agenda of their own in order to give aide to the American people in need. Are any of us still so blinded by lies that we believe that Congress is doing their job for the American people?
“Fast and Furious”, proved nothing other than it was the Bush Administration who provided the guns that got into the hands of the drug cartels in Mexico and the Obama Administration did not act soon enough to stop the program, but stop it Eric Holder and his team did, even though the GOP, themselves, initiated the program before President Obama took office. The committee was not even formed until after Eric Holder had already stopped it. This Isis led committee, did not prevent the funding of this witch hunt, by tax payers, over a three year period while a Republican controlled Congress did nothing toward job creation.
We currently have not one but 5 different GOP Congressional committees investigating the exact same unfortunate occurrence that happened in our Embassy, while they still do nothing about job creation, making the changes that they criticize in Obama care, education, or lowering the deficit.
Corporate America is still sitting on a mountain of cash and slow to hire, not only because of European markets, but also because of the uncertainty of Congress to do something in regards to the jobs market. Luckily because of the programs by the Obama Administration, that did not require Congressional over-sight, all areas are improving and 7 conservative Governors, in their own States, are accepting Obama care. They were amongst the most vocal of all conservatives against President Obama’s health care.
9/11 changed the landscape of America forever. We are forced to accept the fact that we will all be monitored in interest of public safety, as a result of the attacks. It is our new reality. Anyone who thought we could continue as a Nation under the same lack of intelligence gathering, as was in place prior to 9/11, just were not considering how wide of a change was needed for government to gather the necessary intelligence to keep us safe.
The press comparing President Obama to George W. Bush is ridiculous except for the fact that both men knew then, as they know now,we have the capabilities to shoot down any attempts to attack America from outside of our borders but the concern must be for gathering of intelligence inside our own borders.
Government then, just as it does now, needed to put together a list of the names and telephone numbers of all of the American people as well as those who are here on visa and green cards, to have a clearer view of the contacts outside of our borders as well as those inside our borders.
Regardless of the media coverage nothing exists that government is doing anything differently from doing exactly that, and in doing so Homeland security is doing their job. Their own Agency was began by the Republican majority, as a new agency to government, following 9/11. Any thing being spoken of as fact beyond this type of gathering is nothing other than pure speculation on the part of both social media as well as previously established media.
If any of us are surprised the intelligence gathering is necessary within our own borders then just where do we think it needs to be gathered? The terrorists attacks, just as the Boston marathon attack, was done by terrorists already inside our borders. They may be influenced or brain washed by outside factions, through the internet, or over-seas visits, but it is inside our Country we need to be the most concern about protecting. I repeat: No one has a better military or defense system than America has, if anyone would decide to attack us from the outside.
Terrorist attacks did not come from outside of United States, but instead by people already here. This means that intelligence gathering occurring in the United States needs to be gathered in the United States.
We have over 1000 hate and subversive groups within our borders who are home-grown. There are any number of groups outside our borders who would work towards gaining sympathizers within our borders and gladly finance terrorism within the borders of our Nation.
In my opinion, taken from already established fact and history, all the media Bru-ha-ha over government over-reaching and paranoia spreading, over being able to trust government, is just more of the same politics being played out on the platform of the media. When they have no proof of the same and the facts speak for improvement in the economy, then attack the current Administration in office. This is especially grievous when those attacks are originating from the exact same sources who are not doing the job for which they were elected. It has always been the behavior of opposing parties but it has never before been when Government is doing their job to protect us.
Are we, as Americans, truly so paranoid we would think Government cares if Johnny is potty trained or if Aunt Mary is going to the casino or if Ethel missed Church on Sunday, and government is listening in and gathering intelligence on the same? There are not enough hours in the day or Agency’s available to spy on the pretty boring and non-eventful not to mention shallow conversations a great deal of us have on both the internet and cell phone.
The media making a mountain out of a mole-hill on a leak of intelligence gathering that should never have happened in the first place is just more of the same, in my view. Are there any Americans left who do not already know that government is hated by the far-right Conservatives, the Tea Party. and Republicans in general, and they pay their own media to promote the same?
Much of the broadcasted attempts by media found to be scandal, are the same behavior and programs that have been used and are currently being used in Corporate at their own conventions in an effort to inspire workers who must sit hours behind a computer program, and to give them a chance to let down their hair. They are seen as a reward for record profits or as a program to motivate the workers. Corporate just as government will use exercise programs to promote the health of their workers. These programs cost Corporate no different from what they do government and are used in an effort to compensate their workers for and to increase productivity.
The deficit is going down, jobs are increasing even with 10,000 Americans per week turning 65, and while many are drawing unemployment benefits until they reach the age of 66 and retire. Other seniors decided to continue to work while drawing Social Security and have since been laid off and continue to draw unemployment along with their Social Security checks. In both cases it shows up on the unemployment records or as people no longer looking for work and helps paint a gloomier unemployment number. The GOP’s refusal to prevent our going over the cliff has hurt job growth just as the uncertainty of Congress acting in regards to unemployment, a poor European market, and a slower demand for product has left big business slow to hire.
Despite All of the GOP investigating committees, instead of doing the job they were elected to do, they cannot discount the economy is coming back with 37% of big business announcing that they will be hiring thus making the economy still stronger by 2014, despite the Senate filibusters and the “do nothing” Congress. When they can’t point a finger of failure at the party in office, or the Obama Administration to be precise, then they will attempt to create scandal based on nothing other than speculation.
Housing is up, interests rates remain low on both housing and student loans, the stock market hit record highs, health care costs are going down, Social Security solvency has risen another 6 years and increased through 2032, despite the rate of retiring Seniors, People who could not buy insurance before and students are now able to buy or stay on their parents’ policies,consumer confidence is up, and Americans are about to see a greater over-all improvement in the economy ahead. America still has an economy that other Nations wish they could come close to matching and which most economist grade a medium to strong B with the majority of all economists being very optimistic about the increased growth over the next 2 years.
If the Republicans do not attack the Obama Administration now, then they will not gain the seats they want in the Senate and Congress in 2014. They and the few members of the far left have plenty of media who will suggest Government is becoming Big Brother even though intellectually they all know or should, that 9/11 changed the nature of intelligence gathering in America forever.
I remind everyone the law of our land based on common sense is, ” The hand of one is the hand of all.” Basically it means that just because the hate propaganda began out of our borders and entered into United States or was already present and home grown, all parties who conspired with or planned or will conspire with or plan attacks in the future, are as guilty as the person who plants the bombs or pulls the triggers.
If Face book, Google, Micro-soft, or Verizon or anyone, for that matter, are knowingly or unknowingly helping Government to track down criminals or terrorists, in an effort to keep Americans safe, where were our minds when it came to the future of intelligence gathering after 9/11?
These same internet groups, along with search engines when we allow them to establish cookies, monitor us anyway, and have always monitored us for far less reason. They want to find out what we like and what we buy and to pass that information on to Corporate America. Haven’t you ever asked yourselves how it is that they have any criminal records, our phone numbers, our credit rating, where we are employed, for a price and made available to anyone who pays for the same, or how they can map us exactly to the houses or apartments we live in?
Chat lines, Twitter, internet dating services, and any social media that have chatting, along with Face book,when we try to increase our friends’ list in an attempt to appear popular, know what we say to any number of strangers we include on our friends’ list. Anyone else who is part of that same Star’s, politician’s or new agencies’ repertoire also have access to what you say.
What we don’t know many times is if the name they are using is real or made up because all they need is an email address. Anyone can get those through any number of outlets such as Hotmail, AOL, I-cloud, or G-mail without showing proof of identity. We don’t even know for sure if they aren’t related to News Agencies, terrorists, criminals, or Big business. They do not just have our information and conversations but also have the same of everyone else on our friends’ list and their friends’ list as well. There was a reason our parents told us not to speak to strangers.
Clearly all of us should have known, if not then but certainly by now, that this is going on. We all need to accept as fact; every time we allow a site or search engine to set cookies, we are being monitored as to what we like, buy, or our public record, and what sites we visit.
Our Social sites very well may be monitored by the criminal element, terrorists, or Big Business, if we are angry or disgruntled Americans who promote hate we can be a candidate to be drafted by subversive or hate groups who are often very charming in their agreement with us, if we have a close relative who dies and they need their ID to use as fake ID, if we sound like people who would make good mules to take drugs across the border or into the United States without suspicion of the same, if we announce plane reservations when we are leaving America and when we are returning and even on what flights, we are often telling the World, come get me.
If we promote hate or swear, or brand others with labels, have a felony record, brag about being wiped out, stoned, or getting drunk, or put nudity in Social venues or on-line and talk about deviant sexual behavior, it can be used as a reason to fire us for our views or behavior. It can also be used as a legal reason as to not hire us in the private sector, when we are qualified in every other way, by Big Business. Americans talk entirely too much about their personal lives and research facts way too little, in life, on cell phones, and on the internet, thinking they some how have anonymity or only their friends can see it.
Government cannot do the same nor can they listen to our conversations but instead they can investigate through phone numbers and internet contacts, any correlation we may have to or with acknowledged and registered hate groups, deviant sexual behavior that is considered criminal, those who have huge potential to turn terrorists through their associations, have legal reasons to be suspected of crime or been found guilty of known criminal activity, or are already known terrorists through gathering of our telephone numbers and internet contacts. This has been the law going back to my farthest memory and way before the establishment of Homeland Security or waaaayy before the establishment of Social media or before the Obama Administration.
Do any of us really mind if government is now doing their jobs more effectively, since too many of us have been too slack in our own behavior of allowing strangers into our lives or our own children on-line? Don’t we need government to monitor or look for that kind of activity in order to keep “We the People”, safe, against our own naivety?
If we want to, instead, become out-raged and believe the media hype and speculation against the Obama Administration and those who protect us; currently being played out by the media, is not for political gain by the conservatives of both parties with strong emphasis on the Tea Party and like members of the GOP in 2014, then what can I say more, than I have already said? Not much. Have a good weekend everyone, knowing no one has the time or hours to spend listening to the mundane subjects and conversations, the great majority of us talk about or are forced to listen to, now or at any time in our lives.