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In reply to the discussion: Senator Al Franken on NSA surveillance [View all]Franken, the chairman of the Senates Privacy, Technology and the Law Subcommittee, said hed learned about programs like this one through classified briefings before, but he still had questions about the National Security Agencys practice of requesting records from cellular companies like Verizon.
We have to see what safeguards there are and how this program is structured, and how this data is used and whether its stored, for example, he said.
We have to see what safeguards there are and how this program is structured, and how this data is used and whether its stored, for example, he said.
Senator Franken knows far more than he will speak of openly. He is an intelligent, well qualified Senator from
Minnesota. He stated that what we the people know, the enemies and or terrorists do also. This is about transparency, which is needed. However, as a national security measure, some things must be classified, for the protection of this nation. It would be shear stupidity to tell our enemies of our plans to thwart them.
Franken knows this. That is why he has my respect, BlueCheese.
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"There's certain things that its appropriate for me to know that its not appropriate for the
elleng
Jun 2013
#1
The thing is, the Program has never stopped a single serious act of terrorism inside the U.S. The
leveymg
Jun 2013
#27
Sen DiFi claimed that the 2009 subway bomb plot was thwarted by PRISM. That mischaracterizes
leveymg
Jun 2013
#36
NSA's defenders can't cite a single solid case that's been thwarted by this thing. Burden is on them
leveymg
Jun 2013
#39
Burden is on them, yes, to inform the Senate judiciary committee of successes, not the public
stevenleser
Jun 2013
#85
Not a big believer in an informed public are you? DiFi couldn't cite a single valid example
leveymg
Jun 2013
#105
There are plenty of examples. All you have to do is google. Virtually every prevented terror attack
stevenleser
Jun 2013
#122
actually, this is silly and not logical at all. Nothing happening means events thwarted.It works.
graham4anything
Jun 2013
#119
Well, Franken is just another cryptofascist acolyte of the extremist RW corporatists.
baldguy
Jun 2013
#4
Less than a year ago there was a big New York Times article on the same thing. They called the
okaawhatever
Jun 2013
#13
Ugh, that was unpleasant! But Markey isn't going to let anything sneak by, either.
freshwest
Jun 2013
#90
Have those other intelligent and well-informed people received the same briefings on
MADem
Jun 2013
#112
We can take great comfort in the fact that no future president will ever use the vast
indepat
Jun 2013
#16
Well I guess Al is under the bus with the rest of us who think the outrage is nonsense.
DCBob
Jun 2013
#21
I don't think they're quite there, but I believe they have a project plan
DisgustipatedinCA
Jun 2013
#130
Thank you senator Al Franken. Who gave up his LUCRATIVE entertainment career & has worked hard
graham4anything
Jun 2013
#40
so basically he is saying that snowdon is telling the truth, wrapped up in pretty words.
Monkie
Jun 2013
#43
If Sen Franken is endorsing the surveillance program, as represented by the blogger, why can't
AnotherMcIntosh
Jun 2013
#50
Mr. Franken's support for the Iraq war illustrated his judgment in such matters for me.
bbgrunt
Jun 2013
#59
Thank you. I can tell you what I've figured out today. It has to do with private
DevonRex
Jun 2013
#61
I like Al Franken, but I vehemently disagree with him here, even knowing he's privy to more
DisgustipatedinCA
Jun 2013
#68
He might have a little more credibility if he hadn't just voted to take the food out of poor
Egalitarian Thug
Jun 2013
#82
Well I'll give him this, he is a much better actor than I gave him credit for.
Egalitarian Thug
Jun 2013
#123
Well then let me just stop thinking for myself and agree with him on this issue just because
liberal_at_heart
Jun 2013
#95