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Obama to Call for End to N.S.A.’s Bulk Data Collection

this was percolating in Congress as it was, but fine -

Op-Ed: Will US Congress end NSA metadata collection?
Many lawmakers are calling for an end to the NSA surveillance program that collects metadata on U.S. phone calls as a new report echoes the sentiment.

The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board that oversees U.S. surveillance activities in its first report recommended the government end its phone data collection program. The report questioned the efficacy of the program and also its legal foundations. The report also claims the program "raises serious threats to privacy and civil liberties as a policy matter, and has shown only limited value." Rep. Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California, said that these recommendations "spells the end of the government bulk collection" of phone call data.
While President Obama outlined reforms that would require intelligence agencies to get court approval before accessing the data, he did not recommend ending the collection
 
What agency or director has ever told a sitting U.S. President to "go pound sand"?

In most presidencies, they would be called ex directors.
 
Well, as a privacy-minded conservative, I applaud the president for at least addressing it.

And I utterly despise what this thread tells me about my fellow conservatives.

IF OBAMA BYPASSES CONGRESS TO END THIS PRACTICE HOW IS THAT NOT THE ACT OF A SO-CALLED TYRANT YOU GUYS ALWAYS RANT ABOUT?

Obama hasn't called for an end to anything. He kicked the can back to congress and now has plausible deniability if the practice continues. I agree with you that this is preferable to Presidential edict however I wonder how we got here in the first place. Was it the Patriot act that gave the NSA it's over reaching authority? Was it the lack of Congressional oversight? Was it a Presidential signing statement? I think we need to know what created this cancer before we decide how to cure it.
 
So if we have another 911 where we are taken by surprise will the same people that don't want this complain there wasn't enough done?
Following the 911 attacks, the issue seemed to be that sufficient information was already available.
However the information was not being shared and coordinated among the various Gov't agencies. Couldn't connect the dots that were available.
Hence, the creation of the DHS.
The NSA does not need all the dots!
 
So if we have another 911 where we are taken by surprise will the same people that don't want this complain there wasn't enough done?

Yay, fear mongering!
 
I'm skeptical of everything this administration does and says. IF (big if) this actually goes through and depending on the final look of the bill - less NSA snooping on regular people, mass collections and recordings of email, text and phone conversations with no judicial order is a good thing. I still fully expect the NSA and other intelligence agencies to do their job and listen for credible, actionable terrorism, get a FISA court judge to authorize surveillance and protect the citizens of the US. They can still do that without recording everything everyone says and does.
 
More transparent pandering in an attempt to keep the senate. Why do you think it took him 5 years to posture as he now is?

He has never been as lacking in political capital as he is now. Five years of a struggling economy in which the personal wealth, number of people working, etc. has steadily declined, and at least 50% of the people believe we are still in recession, plus the miserable rollout of Obamacare and the indecisive, confused manipulations of the law as one after another bad issue pops up . . . all that has greatly decreased confidence in the POTUS.

It is a near certainty that he is desperate looking for some way to wag the dog somewhere and get the attention off Obamacare and the misery index. The Malaysian missing airliner served that purpose for a week or so now, but now that the wreckage has been found, he is almost certainly desperately looking for something new to put on the front pages. He isn't getting a lot of traction with Putin. So look for a lot more statements like the NSA one of what 'he intends to do' or some impressive initiative he intends to take so people will love him again.
 
My question - Is Obama ending the program because he got caught? It appears that this is the case. This is one reason not to vilify Edward Snowden.
 
Read more @: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/25/us/obama-to-seek-nsa-curb-on-call-data.html?smid=tw-share&_r=1

Hell yes! :applaud This is definaltey a step in the right direction. Its clear that the people of this country what these kind of practices ended. Its definaltey a start, but its not perfect. I expect most people accept this as a definate step in the right direction. [/FONT][/COLOR]


I suspect that if he really wanted to end the N.S.A. bulk data collection then he would simply order the NSA to stop doing it and or use an executive order and while doing that push for a bill restricting how long companies may keep records or banning companies from keeping these records in order to prevent future N.S.A. abuse.Seeing how anti-4th amendment scum exist in both parties. I think Urging the senate and congress to pass a bill banning bulk collection just seems like an attempt to push for a DOA bill so he can fraudulently claim he tried.
 
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He has never been as lacking in political capital as he is now. Five years of a struggling economy in which the personal wealth, number of people working, etc. has steadily declined, and at least 50% of the people believe we are still in recession, plus the miserable rollout of Obamacare and the indecisive, confused manipulations of the law as one after another bad issue pops up . . . all that has greatly decreased confidence in the POTUS.

It is a near certainty that he is desperate looking for some way to wag the dog somewhere and get the attention off Obamacare and the misery index. The Malaysian missing airliner served that purpose for a week or so now, but now that the wreckage has been found, he is almost certainly desperately looking for something new to put on the front pages. He isn't getting a lot of traction with Putin. So look for a lot more statements like the NSA one of what 'he intends to do' or some impressive initiative he intends to take so people will love him again.

Agreed, and even the media is pegging him. These are the questions an adversarial media would have asked long ago. But we have to see him elected twice before people wise up. Look how dumbfounded he is...his reply is jibberish, he just mumbles.


 
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Yes, really. The NSA is under the direct authority of the president.

No... No its not. Simply not even close to true. If you believe this you simply fail US politics 100..
 
No... No its not. Simply not even close to true. If you believe this you simply fail US politics 100..

The NSA is a part of the Department of Defense. The Secretary of Defense runs the Department of Defense. The Secretary of Defense answers to The President.

It is YOU that is failing, sir.

Look, I know you'll say anything to cover for The Messiah, but at least try to make sure you get a facts straight.
 
As long as the companies keep it and the NSA can get it, we're still good to go. But companies weren't doing that before.
 
The NSA is a part of the Department of Defense. The Secretary of Defense runs the Department of Defense. The Secretary of Defense answers to The President.

It is YOU that is failing, sir.

Look, I know you'll say anything to cover for The Messiah, but at least try to make sure you get a facts straight.

That still does not mean POTUS has unprecedented authority to do whatever he wants. Why do you think Bush had to pass the Patriot Act to get the wide range surveillance system we have now?
 
That still does not mean POTUS has unprecedented authority to do whatever he wants. Why do you think Bush had to pass the Patriot Act to get the wide range surveillance system we have now?

The fact that you actually asked that question proves that you don't have a clue.
 
The NSA is a part of the Department of Defense. The Secretary of Defense runs the Department of Defense. The Secretary of Defense answers to The President.

It is YOU that is failing, sir.

Look, I know you'll say anything to cover for The Messiah, but at least try to make sure you get a facts straight.

Please. The congress and the senate also have a lot to do with the department of defense and the intelligence agencies. Ever heard of checks and balances? We don't live in a dictatorship where the chief executive has unlimited power and can change things on a dime by one phone call. Sometimes I wish we did as we'd get more done but we don't. So give up your argument. It's crap.
 
That still does not mean POTUS has unprecedented authority to do whatever he wants. Why do you think Bush had to pass the Patriot Act to get the wide range surveillance system we have now?

You're putting forth bull**** now. Obama can call the NSA and shut them down, if he wants to. Now he will have to deal with Congress if they objective given they exist under law, but Obama is the boss of the executive branch period (unfortunately).
 
You're putting forth bull**** now.
Why cant you answer the question?
Obama can call the NSA and shut them down, if he wants to. Now he will have to deal with Congress if they objective given they exist under law, but Obama is the boss of the executive branch period (unfortunately).
Really? Can he?
 
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