Ron Paul throws Greenwald, WaPo's hype under a bus

[ProSense]

Ron Paul: Why The 2,776 NSA Violations Are No Big Deal – OpEd

By Ron Paul

<...>

The Post article quotes an NSA official explaining that the thousands of unauthorized communications intercepts yearly are relatively insignificant. “You can look at it as a percentage of our total activity that occurs each day. You look at a number in absolute terms that looks big, and when you look at it in relative terms, it looks a little different.”

So although the numbers of Americans who have had their information intercepted in violation of NSA’s own rules seems large, it is actually miniscule compared to the huge volume of our communications they intercept in total!

Though it made for a sensational headline last week, the fact is these 2,776 “violations” over the course of one year are completely irrelevant. The millions and millions of “authorized” intercepts of our communications are all illegal — except for the very few carried out in pursuit of a validly-issued search warrant in accordance with the Fourth Amendment. That is the real story. Drawing our attention to the violations unfortunately sends the message that the “authorized” spying on us is nothing to be concerned about.

- more -

http://www.eurasiareview.com/19082013-ron-paul-why-the-2776-nsa-violations-are-no-big-deal-oped/

Did he say "miniscule"?



Another NSA "Bombshell" Starts to Fizzle Out, as Greenwald Pushes Government Conspiracy Theory
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023478767

[Bonobo]

1. Ha ha, ProSense is now a "Paulite"!!! OMG, I can't breathe!!!

[ProSense]

3. Hype meet bus.

[David Krout]

15. You mean "Ron Paul's bus"

Clarify. Let's not forget you think Ron Paul is a kook, so you may wanna call it the kooky bus.

[Douglas Carpenter]

2. I guess it's time to decide whose side are we on? Ron Paul's? or Glenn Greenwald's?

[aquart]

5. Oh, I hope we have more dimensional choices than that.

Otherwise it looks remarkably like push polling.

[ProSense]

6. How about

"I guess it's time to decide whose side are we on? Ron Paul's? or Glenn Greenwald's?"

...helping the shipwreck.

The leak was an attempt to bolster the libertarian brand.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023481343

[David Krout]

16. lol. When Nancy Pelosi said allegations were "extremely disturbing," Prosense was mum

He avoided Pelosi's statement like a hot potato.

But his new idol Ron Paul deserves his attention and glee.

[limpyhobbler]

7. Yes everyone must pick a side on this.

No waffling allowed.

Line up folks.

[KittyWampus]

9. I'd say the side of the Democratic Party. Greenwald can take his Nader strategy and rot.

[Rex]

4. Dam that is a lot of people under the bus now!

Ron Paul approves of drones offing thieves fleeing the scene of a crime...yeah explain that one to a kid.

"See Billy, those flying robots are keeping our streets safe from swarthy types that would steal your Big Gulp!"

[HumansAndResources]

8. Did Everyone Here Miss the Main Point He Made???

"The millions and millions of “authorized” intercepts of our communications are all illegal — except for the very few carried out in pursuit of a validly-issued search warrant in accordance with the Fourth Amendment. That is the real story"

He seems to be saying that this story ignores the Much Larger Issue - the one Drake and others pointed out - that they are running All communications through fiber-optic repeaters and vacuuming up everything. This is how those "accidental" searches which they admitted to in their internal documents (released via Snowden) could have occurred n the first place.

Paul's economic-ideas should not be confused with his consistent support for civil-liberties. Challenge him where is is Wrong - not where he is Right. If only his son, Rand, shared his principles on Civil Liberties - but he doesn't - pro-droning criminal-suspects in the USA; he only shares the bad economic ideas.

[Rex]

11. Oh that's right it is Rand that doesn't mind obliterating perps on the sidewalk!

How could I get the two confused! What does Ron Paul, so you are saying he is a great civil libertarian right, what great liberties of ours does he support? Is he all for socialized medicine? Is he for shrinking the MIC into an affordable tool? What does he think about NAFTA and the Chamber of Commerce in league with Communist China?

Links are fine.

[jakeXT]

13. I think he wasn't in Congress back then, the Democrat who voted for NAFTA in his 14th district

switched parties years later.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/103-1993/h575

Paul also seemed to be on the wrong side of the debate over NAFTA, widely regarded in Texas as a boon to the state economy. "That may be changing," he suggests. "Mexico dumped their cattle on us, and now the U.S. government is giving them $100 million in aid to rebuild their herds." Nonetheless, the cattleman's association sponsored pro-Laughlin mailings.
http://www.ninomiya.org/libertarian/ronpaul_vs_laughlin.html

Rep. Tauzin, one of four representatives who resigned from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, discussed the background of Rep. Greg Laughlin’s (R-TX) switch to the Republican party in return for a seat on the Ways and Means Committee. He also chided the Democratic leadership for discriminating against more conservative Democrats.
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/65981-1

[HumansAndResources]

17. Ron (not Rand) was against All Foreign Wars

That was his best position, though he also opposed all unconstitutional spying on citizens. He also opposed all corporate-welfare - even beyond the MIC 'contract' welfare, which the Rs and Ds won't stop the war-crimes-enabling activity.

As far as economic issues - he was awful, as previously noted - that would include trade-agreements, outsourcing, and protecting American workers from at-home competition from foreign-hires (enforcing citizen-only hiring laws) to undermine their wages.

[Le Taz Hot]

10. It was hot today. 104.

Supposed to be 106 tomorrow.

[Marr]

12. So... it sounds like Paul agrees with *you*.

What exactly are you crowing about?

Thanks for the link though-- I expect I'll have many opportunities to post it at Third Way types around here.

[David Krout]

14. You said it, Prosense is a Paulite and Greenwald is not.

Isn't it sweet that the claim that only "Paulites" are the ones sharply criticizing NSA spying is debunked by one of the myth creators?

[ProSense]

18. You seem to

have a soft spot for the Pauls.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023479770
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023487970