Al Franken lashes out at NSA for excessive secrecy

[David Krout]

Al Franken in early June was an NSA defender. When he realized the tide was turning in favor of civil liberties advocates, he changed his tone.

NSA defenders like to circulate Franken's position from June. How slick. Sorry but you will have to stick with Michael Hayden, Clapper, etc. As your idols.
Here is Franken on July 31st.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/07/31/franken-to-introduce-nsa-transparency-bill/

[AnotherMcIntosh]

1. Prediction: Al Franken will be the presidential candidate in 2016 because he has said sufficient

pro-liberal/progressive things.

But his origional pro-NSA position will make it difficult for some liberals such as me to vote for him. I prefer a candidate that will be consistently for Fourth Amendment and Fifth Amendment rights.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023451229

“I’m on the Judiciary committee and the Judiciary committee has jurisdiction (over) N.S.A. and on (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) and the Patriot Act,” he said. “I availed myself of these briefings so nothing surprised me and the architecture of these programs I was very well aware of.”

“I think there should be enough transparency that the American people understand what is happening…But I can assure you that this isn’t about spying on the American people.”

Franken, chairman of the Judiciary subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law, also said there are aspects of security programs that he should be aware of but the public should not.

“There are certain things that are appropriate for me to know that’s not appropriate for the bad guys to know,” he said. “Anything that quote the American people know, the bad guys know so there’s a line here, right? And there’s a balance that has to be struck between the responsibility of the federal government to protect the American people and then people’s right to privacy. We have safeguards in place …The American people can’t know everything because everything they know then, the bad guys will know.”

He said that the data the security agency has collected have kept Americans safe.

“I have a high level of confidence, that it is used…to protect us and I know that it has been successful in preventing terrorism,” he said.

(emphasis added)

[Aerows]

4. He was lied to as was every member of Congress

Regardless of political aspirations, political persuasions or lofty expectations, when you are running off of false data, you come to false conclusions.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

5. That may be true. Let him call for the prosecution of Clapper. Or whoever lied to him.

He can do that.

[Aerows]

2. They lied to his face

to Congress and to the American people.

Congress IS the American people, and if these liars fool them and then get caught, it's time to give them a pink slip, no golden parachute and directions to the unemployment line. Clapper and Alexander have messed up big time, and now Hayden has cast his lot with them.

In a just world all three of these asshats would be making do on a McDonald's salary and how to feed their families on SNAP.

[riderinthestorm]

3. I'll K&R both your and chthulu's fine threads and say Welcome to DU!