The Civil-Liberties Freak-Out -- by Joe Klein, regarding NSA leaks "non-scandal"

[Jessy169]

First of all, we pretty much knew everything that has “broken” in the past week. The NSA has been involved in a legal data-mining operation for almost a decade. Its legality was clarified in the renewal of the Patriot Act, which I supported. It has been described, incorrectly, as electronic eavesdropping. What is really happening is that phone and Internet records are being scanned for patterns that might illuminate terrorist networks. If there is a need to actually eavesdrop, the government has to go to the FISA court for permission.

http://swampland.time.com/2013/06/10/the-civil-liberties-freakout/#comments

[cali]

1. yeah, I read that. typical garbage from the thoroughly repugnant Joe Klein.

[niyad]

2. you saved me the trouble.

[Catherina]

4. Thanks n/t

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. "This remains, and always will be, an extremely libertarian country; it’s encoded in our DNA"

That's a Polyanna-ish attitude from Klein. You have to ignore a lot of events over the years to believe it.

[WinkyDink]

5. IF "we pretty much knew everything that has 'broken'," why pursue Snowden? Riddle me THAT, Joe.