No big surprise.
It's almost impossible to be surprised by anything that is uncovered about the Bush administration's activities. So, it is hardly a shock to hear that the Bush administration had built an unprecedented surveillance operation; that was bringing in hoards of information far exceeding the warrantless wiretapping. How extensive it was is still under investigation.
No doubt they were investigating groups or individuals they considered "agian'em." Here and abroad.
In the first gulf war new tactics were implemented to control the US public's access and reaction to the war. The Vietnam war and the people's reaction to it was considered influenced by instantaneous media coverage. That was something that never existed before and got some blame for interfering with the prosecution of a decent war.
Its difficult for the public to have a formulated opinion and determine a stratagem of resistance against atrocities committed in their name, with their tax dollars, when the news is old news. All that's left is to write the history and critiques after he fact. I know for a fact that the Bush administration, primarily Dick Cheney, wished to control the historical documentation after the fact also.
There was a belief in their office that the Presidency was all powerful. Whatever they said was the truth was to be taken as fact. There was to be no disputing it without verging on a treason.
I don't mean they had a psychotic belief that they were telling the truth, they just believe the the office of the President had the right to write history the way they wished it told. They saw this as a major problem with the US. There were people writing the truth and there were people writing lies too but they wished a control on the propaganda. PSYCH-WAR was being elevated to new levels. They also wished for their version of reality to be the only permissible version for the textbooks and the history books. They were fully aware of the truth, they just thought they had to right to rewrite it the way they wanted the public to believe it. Their constituents were fully on board with the notion that the President had this right to perpetrate these deceptions for the good of county, mankind, and manifest destiny.
The US has concepts like free speech and the public in general feels a direct connection to the acts perpetrated by our leaders. Although you wouldn't realize that there was all this caring out here given the shear quantity of screwing each other over that goes on. But, in general, the public has a great sense of fair play and goodwill. Fighting a just war is the only kind of war we want to fight. The terrorists on the other hand see this as a weakness. War strategists study wars and the Vietnam is no exception. The new tools of media and propaganda are all used. So in the first gulf war media controls were implemented and in the Iraq War more controls were implemented. I am pretty convinced that the surveillance operation had components designed to circumvent and thwart public disagreement, not only with the war but with the prevailing ideological stance of the far right or Neo-cons.
Well, I don't wish to debate those things, I just read that the surveillance operation is turning out to be unprecedented in it's scope. Of course my personal feelings were that it was, this was just a validation of my suspicions. No big surprise.
Report: Too few officials knew of surveillance
By PAMELA HESS
Associated Press Writer
Jul 11, 10:01 AM EDT
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_DOMESTIC_SURVEILLANCE?SITE=OKOKL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Feinstein suggests CIA concealment broke law
By PETE YOST, Associated Press Writer Pete Yost, Associated Press Writer - 1 hr 55 mins ago
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090713/ap_on_go_co/us_cia_concealment;_ylt=Agu77qAnxP92WdjUhgToVl8DW7oF
Six months into Barack Obama's presidency, his Democratic allies are pushing for twin investigations into Bush-era torture and anti-terrorism policies.
Two senators including the head of the intelligence committee suggested Sunday that the prior administration broke the law by concealing a CIA counterterrorism program from Congress.
The assertion that Vice President Dick Cheney ordered the concealment came amid word that Attorney General Eric Holder is contemplating opening a criminal probe of possible CIA torture.
A move to appoint a criminal prosecutor is certain to stir partisan bickering that could prove a distraction to Obama's efforts to push ambitious health care and energy reform.
Obama has repeatedly expressed reluctance to probing alleged Bush-era abuses. He resisted an effort by congressional Democrats to establish a "truth commission," saying the nation should be "looking forward and not backwards."
No doubt they were investigating groups or individuals they considered "agian'em." Here and abroad.
In the first gulf war new tactics were implemented to control the US public's access and reaction to the war. The Vietnam war and the people's reaction to it was considered influenced by instantaneous media coverage. That was something that never existed before and got some blame for interfering with the prosecution of a decent war.
Its difficult for the public to have a formulated opinion and determine a stratagem of resistance against atrocities committed in their name, with their tax dollars, when the news is old news. All that's left is to write the history and critiques after he fact. I know for a fact that the Bush administration, primarily Dick Cheney, wished to control the historical documentation after the fact also.
There was a belief in their office that the Presidency was all powerful. Whatever they said was the truth was to be taken as fact. There was to be no disputing it without verging on a treason.
I don't mean they had a psychotic belief that they were telling the truth, they just believe the the office of the President had the right to write history the way they wished it told. They saw this as a major problem with the US. There were people writing the truth and there were people writing lies too but they wished a control on the propaganda. PSYCH-WAR was being elevated to new levels. They also wished for their version of reality to be the only permissible version for the textbooks and the history books. They were fully aware of the truth, they just thought they had to right to rewrite it the way they wanted the public to believe it. Their constituents were fully on board with the notion that the President had this right to perpetrate these deceptions for the good of county, mankind, and manifest destiny.
The US has concepts like free speech and the public in general feels a direct connection to the acts perpetrated by our leaders. Although you wouldn't realize that there was all this caring out here given the shear quantity of screwing each other over that goes on. But, in general, the public has a great sense of fair play and goodwill. Fighting a just war is the only kind of war we want to fight. The terrorists on the other hand see this as a weakness. War strategists study wars and the Vietnam is no exception. The new tools of media and propaganda are all used. So in the first gulf war media controls were implemented and in the Iraq War more controls were implemented. I am pretty convinced that the surveillance operation had components designed to circumvent and thwart public disagreement, not only with the war but with the prevailing ideological stance of the far right or Neo-cons.
Well, I don't wish to debate those things, I just read that the surveillance operation is turning out to be unprecedented in it's scope. Of course my personal feelings were that it was, this was just a validation of my suspicions. No big surprise.
Report: Too few officials knew of surveillance
By PAMELA HESS
Associated Press Writer
Jul 11, 10:01 AM EDT
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_DOMESTIC_SURVEILLANCE?SITE=OKOKL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Feinstein suggests CIA concealment broke law
By PETE YOST, Associated Press Writer Pete Yost, Associated Press Writer - 1 hr 55 mins ago
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090713/ap_on_go_co/us_cia_concealment;_ylt=Agu77qAnxP92WdjUhgToVl8DW7oF
Six months into Barack Obama's presidency, his Democratic allies are pushing for twin investigations into Bush-era torture and anti-terrorism policies.
Two senators including the head of the intelligence committee suggested Sunday that the prior administration broke the law by concealing a CIA counterterrorism program from Congress.
The assertion that Vice President Dick Cheney ordered the concealment came amid word that Attorney General Eric Holder is contemplating opening a criminal probe of possible CIA torture.
A move to appoint a criminal prosecutor is certain to stir partisan bickering that could prove a distraction to Obama's efforts to push ambitious health care and energy reform.
Obama has repeatedly expressed reluctance to probing alleged Bush-era abuses. He resisted an effort by congressional Democrats to establish a "truth commission," saying the nation should be "looking forward and not backwards."