Feinstein Says Press Needs To Stop Calling Patriot Act Surveillance Program A 'Surveillance Program'

[Newsjock]

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130926/12135824666/redefining-english-senator-feinstein-says-press-needs-to-stop-calling-patriot-act-surveillance-program-surveillance-program.shtml

In an open Senate Intelligence Committee hearing today, in which Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, NSA boss Keith Alexander and Deputy Attorney General James Cole all got to talk up how important spying on everyone is, there was an incredible moment in which Intelligence Committee boss Senator Dianne Feinstein scolded not these bosses of the surveillance program, but the press for calling it a surveillance program.

... She argued that the Patriot Act's Section 215, which has been interpreted to allow for the collection of phone records on every phone call is NOT a surveillance program because it just "collects metadata." She suggests that it's unfair to call this surveillance program a surveillance program.

[jsr]

1. Feinstein Needs To Stop Calling Herself A Democrat

[silvershadow]

17. This would have been my post, but I see you beat me to it.

[warrant46]

27. She needs to retire

[Enthusiast]

18. Yup..........nt

[whatchamacallit]

32. +1 n/t

[Th1onein]

2. Feinstein needs to step down. We need to defund her and the NSA.

I wonder if we could impeach HER?

[davidpdx]

14. Unless she steps down she's in until Jan 2019

It is a little late to defund her given she just got reelected. Sucks big time that we are stuck with her.

[The Second Stone]

3. Sounds like she has dementia

it is really time for her to step down.

[bbgrunt]

4. can she be any more infuriating?

[AzDar]

5. Next election, Di-Fi needs to go bye-bye.

She's a disgrace.

[cui bono]

10. Hopefully she won't run again. I can't vote for her again. Ever. n/t

[JDPriestly]

12. We are stuck with her until 2018 I believe. I didn't want to vote for her last time, but she

gets Republican votes and is therefore an uncontroversial shoo-in. For Democrats it was one less race to worry about. But she is a horrible senator. And, yes, she has worsened over time.

[erinmblair]

6. She needs to retire...

I used to like her years ago, but I think she needs to be replaced. There are many other Democrats in California who would LOVE to be in the Senate.

[Gravitycollapse]

7. Feinstein is currently the biggest embarrassment to the Democratic party.

At least as far as I'm concerned.

[SamKnause]

8. NSA

Bite me Feinstein.

What a traitorous politician you are.

[avaistheone1]

9. Let's see we can't call a surveillance program a surveillance program, can't call bombing a war,

and can't call bloggers - journalists?

What is with Feinstein's fascist control of language, speech and freedom of the press?

[FirstLight]

16. +10000!!!

Nailed it..on all counts

[QuestForSense]

19. Typical psychopath.

[JDPriestly]

11. Feinstein doesn't know what she is talking about. It's really sad.

What does she think surveillance is? I wonder how she would define it.

She has no clue about what can be learned from the metadata if it is placed in a really powerful computer and crunched and sorted and put back together in a more "useful" form.

Feinstein is technologically challenged. She belongs to the older generation and has no clue what she is talking about.

[nenagh]

13. +1000

[tblue]

15. Voted against her in her last 2 primaries.

She's always a sure bet to win but I don't think I voted for her in the GE either. She's awful. She's Olympia Snowe, or wants to be.

[Wilms]

20. ^

[reddread]

21. yes, this is the lady we can trust with applying the official

"journalist" certification.

[D23MIURG23]

22. California needs to stop calling Feinstein a senator.

Someone else in that state is more deserving of that title.

[SomethingFishy]

23. Her entire job seems to be voting for things that will allow her to hand

her husband's company government contracts..

Military contracts in Iraq.

High Speed Rail contracts.

Real Estate contracts for the Post Office.

Who knows what else.

This shit needs to stop.

[Octafish]

24. DiFi's old man still making a killing off the wars for profit?

Dianne Feinstein—the ninth wealthiest member of congress—has been beset by monumental ethical conflicts of interest. As a member of the Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee (MILCON) from 2001 to the end of 2005, Senator Feinstein voted for appropriations worth billions of dollars to her husband’s firms.

SOURCE: http://www.projectcensored.org/23-feinsteins-conflict-of-interest-in-iraq/

Which is why so many in Congress are so pissed at exposures like Snowden's.

[hatrack]

25. When will she retire?

Soon, I hope.

[warrant46]

29. Not a Chance there

Being from the Midwest I know little about her except that Right Wing hate groups put her picture up in their commercials to influence the weak minded sheep to vote against any Progressive on the notion that they are all like her.

But now I see she was born on June 22, 1933 So she is already 80 years old

She will be around until 2019 then she will be 86.

Maybe with a couple more terms she might beat out Strom Thurmond for longevity.

[hootinholler]

26. She's correct, it's not a surveillance program

It's a fucking time machine retroactive surveillance program.

[kenny blankenship]

28. And they probably will

Not that anybody's pursuing a deliberate tactic of spreading a "chilling effect" over dissent and the press or anything. If you feel somehow intimidated by the idea of an all-seeing, unaccountable secret police monitoring and recording all your communications, and sifting through your personal history, and doing the same to everyone else you've ever known or heard of, as well as leafing through your stored files at home or at work perhaps, for all you know, and sharing all this information with other branches of the clandestine services, who have a history of using torture and assassination - well, that's not her fault! You probably feel intimidated by the sight of a citizen peaceably carrying an AK47 slung over his shoulder in a supermarket too.

[dkf]

30. So she's about to start her Orwellian PR campaign then? Good to know.

[Spirochete]

31. I wish we could stop

calling Feinstein a senator...