tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post9102728534289457118..comments2024-03-25T20:06:39.794-05:00Comments on Grits for Breakfast: Public opinion and privacy: Weird contradictory polling on NSA phone spying scandalGritsforbreakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-15118250931066397682013-06-17T11:42:13.440-05:002013-06-17T11:42:13.440-05:00The Democrats "steal the election"?? Tha...The Democrats "steal the election"?? That's rich, given the brazen stealing of the election in 2000 to select W. Just had to say that.<br /><br />One of my hopes for the Obama administration was that is would divest the presidency of the enormous and largely unchecked powers Rove/Cheney and company larded onto it (They believed they had a 60 year lock on the office). It is one of my biggest disappointments that he has not only failed to do so, but has further enlarged presidential powers. The "separation of powers" is badly out of balance now, thanks to the above mentioned gang, a completely supine Congress, and a people who can't be bothered to do their most basic duties as citizens of a representative government. We are seeing the results of that play out now.Phillip Bakernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-62104913746021643992013-06-14T11:43:51.885-05:002013-06-14T11:43:51.885-05:00I am more concerned about how the administration u...I am more concerned about how the administration used the IRS and other federal agencies to attack its opponents and steal the election.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-65311050355899280232013-06-13T18:10:36.466-05:002013-06-13T18:10:36.466-05:00trying to sign in as charlestrying to sign in as charlesckikerintuliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02670661043872744115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-1194702891342181072013-06-13T18:08:54.544-05:002013-06-13T18:08:54.544-05:00Actually that was Charles, not Patricia on the pre...Actually that was Charles, not Patricia on the previous post. This one probably will say Patricia as well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-51048179708222850052013-06-13T18:07:13.665-05:002013-06-13T18:07:13.665-05:00I have not seen the polls, but I suspect that the ...I have not seen the polls, but I suspect that the way the polls are worded could have something to do with the discrepancy?<br /><br />Do you want Uncle Sam listening to your conversations? versus<br /><br />Do you want to be safe from terrorists even if it means Uncle Sam listening in on private conversations?<br /><br />Those two questions would, in my opinion, produce remarkably different results?<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16120625465793272116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-60516181332799988192013-06-13T11:10:02.335-05:002013-06-13T11:10:02.335-05:00I think the disparity is due to the fact that the ...I think the disparity is due to the fact that the issue is really in flux, or as Drudge would say, "developing". <br /><br />I believe that most Americans supported "snooping" in one form or another post-9/11 but we were generally led to believe that we were snooping on foreign, rather than domestic communications. After all the "F" in FISA and FISC does mean foreign, not domestic. But several changes have ensued: First of all, the FISA Court has decided that within their purview is not only FOREIGN communications, but rather any that are routed through a server located in the United States, which broadens the scope considerably. Second, there is concern about which calls are monitored or logged, is it foreign or domestic, telephone or email, communications only or more widespread data mining. Finally, the recently exposed antics of the Obama administration regarding the IRS and its other "scandals" has given pause to a lot of people on both the left and right about just whom all Big Brother is watching, and what he will do with the information he gathers. Will he arrest you, or audit your tax return, or what?<br /><br />I predict that we will see opinions change on this as the light shines more brightly on these surveillance activities. Let us hope the light is allowed to shine. John C. Key MDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03151753880353930772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-9015292325308166032013-06-13T10:26:10.901-05:002013-06-13T10:26:10.901-05:00Hobbes has it. The way the questions are being co...Hobbes has it. The way the questions are being couched, there are only two possible answers:<br /><br />A) It's OK to look at internet traffic to find terrorists<br /><br />B) It's never OK for the government to look at internet traffic<br /><br />The actual issue -- the blanket collection of everything that happens on the internet involving ordinary Americans -- has yet to be polled.Phelpshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06270536870200063563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-63256851966658731232013-06-13T08:16:11.376-05:002013-06-13T08:16:11.376-05:00You have to look at the questions and then wonder ...You have to look at the questions and then wonder about the folks who designed the surveys and how they were interpreted . . .<br /><br />Pew/WP: "NSA has been getting secret court orders to track calls of millions of Americans to investigate terrorism . . ."<br /><br />Gallup: "As you may know, as part of its efforts to investigate terrorism, a federal government agency obtained records from larger U.S. telephone and Internet companies in order to compile telephone call logs and Internet communications. Based on what you have heard or read about the program, would you say you approve or disapprove of the government program?"<br /><br />I suppose I'm thinking Pew's mention of a court order might suggest judicial oversight and divert respondents from considering the tactic itself, regardless of whether it is sanctioned.<br /><br />In another question, Pew asks whether it is more important to investigate terrorist threats or to not intrude on privacy. 62%, of course, responded that investigating terrorist threats is more important, but I think it's fair to say that the question didn't accurately characterize what the NSA has been doing.<br /><br />You have to wonder what the outcome would have been if respondents had been asked, "How do you feel about the NSA collecting telephone call metadata on tens of millions of Americans without any articulable suspicion that any of those people have done anything wrong so that the NSA can maintain the data indefinitely and later comb through as they wish without having to go back to any court or other disinterested third party for permission?"Thomas Hobbeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10832779920216463979noreply@blogger.com