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Remove all of the white noise concerning Edward Snowden and we are left with a simple question: when will Congress stop the NSA and the administration from illegally spying on us? No one is arguing that the programs are illegal. No one is arguing that the United States has become a repressive police state where “free speech” has become an illusion. Gary Pruitt, the head of AP, has publicly stated that news sources are in fear of the government and will no longer talk to the press. Once the government became omnipotent (in their eyes) with a worldwide spying network, the end game was set.
The answer to this simple question needs to understood by all of us: there will be no hearings in Congress to stop any program (illegal or otherwise) which will decrease the power of the federal government. Nothing will change until we understand that the federal government is not the United States of America. But until we acknowledge this simple truth, the spying will continue and our natural rights will be overruled by the government in order to provide the pretense of natural security. But the reality is that they are increasing their power base for themselves at the expense of the “Great Experiment”.
David DeGerolamo
The Ethics of Whistleblowing
by Ben O’Neill
However, one exception to this ordinary contractual case is crucial: confidentiality contracts are not legitimate and should not be regarded to be ethically or legally operative when the confidentiality is designed to protect secret unlawful actions that are being taken by one of the parties.However, one exception to this ordinary contractual case is crucial: confidentiality contracts are not legitimate and should not be regarded to be ethically or legally operative when the confidentiality is designed to protect secret unlawful actions that are being taken by one of the parties.Despite repeated denials by its officials, it is now evident that the NSA runs a data-collection and spying network which collects masses of data on the private communications of non-US citizens, and some private communications on US citizens. It does so without requirement for any individual warrants for its targets, and without requirement for any probable cause with respect to any of the individuals whose communications are collected. Instead, the entire program operates under a broad procedure-based warrant system, whereby a special clandestine court hears submissions from the government in secret and then dutifully approves general procedures for mass surveillance, without any adversarial argument being raised by any other party. The warrants allow mass surveillance and storage of data at the discretion of NSA analysts, and these warrants are clearly at odds with the principle of eschewing unreasonable searches.
Proving the old adage that no good deed goes unpunished, Snowden is presently facing charges from the US government for theft of government property and unauthorized disclosure of defense and intelligence material. He is also subject to widespread vilification in the establishment media.
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However, one exception to this ordinary contractual case is crucial: confidentiality contracts are not legitimate and should not be regarded to be ethically or legally operative when the confidentiality is designed to protect secret unlawful actions that are being taken by one of the parties.
