Proud Member Of "The Glenn Greenwald Left" Here.

[grantcart]

284. "this OP was merely a response"

In that case let me add that it is a very poorly written OP to the rest of my comments.

Where in your OP do you mention that it is part of larger conversation.

I realize that many are able to spend hours and hours at DU combing through all of the threads but many of us have limited time. Last night I finished work at 11.

As to the substance of your OP I covered most of the points in this reply:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=3328894

But I will make the following comments summary points:

Anyone who uses an OP thread title like: "Proud Member Of "The Glenn Greenwald Left" Here." should assume that people are going to imply that you consider GG something of a hero.

I don't consider him either a hero or a villain:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023322707

Now as to the substance of your OP and your reply

1) The problems of the NSA use of mega data is an important issue that deserves serious discussion, and more accountability because while it hasn't led to actual "knocks on the door" it certainly could lead to further erosions of civil rights.

2) Those that construct, as GG and others do, any matrix that significantly critiques this administration's record on extending civil rights is simply ignoring the millions of people who have received additional civil rights protection through the President's executive actions.

Taking your word that you are sincerely interested in civil rights of real persons and the agenda of the left then any discussion of civil rights by this administration must take into account

a) the reversal of the Bush administration's use of ICE to conduct residential sweeps (real knock on the doors) and the mass deportation of law abiding undocumented workers as I documented in my lengthy reply noted above.

b) the use of executive orders (and there are many) that have provided undocumented workers Federal ID cards.


Now in the interests of goodwill I am going to assume that up until this point you were unaware of the fact that millions of undocumented workers have received from President Obama on the basis of an executive order and no Congressional legislation a Federal ID card that allows them to work legally in the US:



Before Obama these people were picked up these people were the subject of sweeps in residential neighborhoods. Now they can work legally and go through Border Patrol check points and not get hassled and not worry about their civil rights.

So it may not be a big deal to you, it certainly isn't to GG and others who elevate the NSA mega data issue above this one, but for millions of families who now live with civil rights that didn't exist under Bush and would be taken away by Romney we have a much different opinion on the question of evaluating this civil rights record of this administration.

It may not be a big deal to you. It is a big deal to my family because one of our members now carries a card just like that.

This is what real civil rights protection is all about.