Santos isn't a Ukrainian Jew Holocaust descendant or or a Wall Street financial broker or apparently even gay. I don't even know if his name is "George Santos". Now... I'm not going to lament the fact the Republican Party will never, ever vote to censor a fellow Traveller. Santos is part of the slender Republican majority in the House. So, the "concurrence of two thirds" required to expel Santos will never be reached nor do I believe it should sans violent crimes like Insurrection or Civil War.
Also, in American Democracy the people deserve to be represented by those whom they vote for, even if it's a crypto FSB asset like Mad Nazi Cawthorn or drunken gun moll like Lauren Dick Flasher Boebert. So if New York Third District wants an obvious fraud like "George Santos", that's what they should get. Of course, if the residents of the district wish to sue and have "Santos" removed they should try whatever possible avenues exist. Of course, I don't expect the Corporate Media to have delved into Santos shady background, the Media's job is to make Republicans palatable to voters and normalize the most egregious behavior.
But, local reporting had uncovered a great deal of the false background. His entire history is a fraud and involves Ponzi schemes, super shady personal finances, and lies about his education, his personal life, his ancestry, even despicably lying about having friends killed in the Pulse Nightclub Massacre and who knows what else. Remember Rightwingers always claim "The Left" and Democratic officials use their background or identity politics to make themselves immune to criticism. I'm betting that Republican strategists decided they needed an "openly Gay Republican" with a whole host of ethnic shields so they could use him to attack LGBTQ people (Santos said in April as a Gay Man he stood behind DeSantis and gave his full blown support to the Florida Republican Gay Bashing Laws) and be the face of Republican efforts to ensconce oppression and intolerance into the national dialogue and eventually into law, either through the Congress or Supreme Court. "George Santos" was then invented and staked financially to be that Face.
"I am running for Attorney General because of potential homicides in hospitals, because of vaccines — so-called vaccines,” Karen Mueller Republican candidate for Wisconsin Attorney General who plans to arrest Doctors. - Remember planning and training to kidnap and murder the Democratic Governor of Michigan = not a crime; treating people for Covid with vaccines instead of horse paste = a crime.
In an Age of accelerating fascism telling the truth about conservatives is an increasingly dangerous act. Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz identified the pernicious and vile creator of "Libs of TikTok", as Chaya Raichik, an unrepentant propagandist who spliced and edited videos to help craft the Groomer narrative the right has adopted. Raichik is a new power player on the right who is cited by the likes of Tucker Carlson and was in direct communication with Christina Pushaw, the communications director for Governor Ron DeathSentance down in Florida.
P'Shaw you say...
Conservatives exploded in fury on-line, on every site, and on every social media platform. Glenn Greenwald went apoplectic, he and other rightwing propagandists were incensed at the "doxxing" of Chaya Raichik. And to conservatives doxxing is identifying them and pointing out their agenda and lies. This is another unforgivable offense; Telling the truth about conservatives and their agenda.
Candeath Owens spent time with Charlie Kirk to spew horrible, disgusting appeals to terrorism by claiming "THEY" deliberately murdered patients, not just by pushing the vaccine and causing "Vaccine Deaths" or by denying the life saving treatments of Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine. Candeath Owens spewed the most despicable lies about "they" allowing people to die, denying treatment, crimes against humanity and she wants Tribunals and Prison.
Dennis Praeger, spent time talking about how the left has no sense of humor but, worse still he fears the left more than he fears death. Now admittedly this isn't funny and I''m not laughing because all of this; the Grooming Narrative, the Anti-CRT, the abortion extremism, the Doctors murdered conservatives, the left is more dangerous than death, all of it, is to build justification. The craft a Casus Belli in which conservatives are forced to "defend themselves" in advance.
Conservatives if given enough power will round-up and execute millions of Americans. Anyone warning that politics has not experienced a fundamental shift is an alarmist. This isn't Trump, but the conclusion of conservative ideology, which inexorably leads to death camps and pogroms. Just listen to what they are saying; Tribunals. Planned Arrests. Death sentences. These are not the claims of a party interested in justice but one hell bent on Savage violence and bloody retribution. Trials and Death Camps.
Conservatives are coming for us America. Right now they are barely satisfied with the Bureaucratic Violence, which rightwing legislatures and governors are doling out, in Wisconsin, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, but like addicts, conservatives develop a tolerance for this type of action and are looking for a stronger dose of fascism and violence to quicken them. And that fascist violence is coming...
Republicans are like drug dealers whose stash gets stolen and call the cops to report the theft.
After furious hair pulling and chest pounding denunciations that there was no collusion between the criminal Republican Party and Russian Agents to get Putin's puppet elected, right wing media transitioned to, Of course there was collusion but so what???
Soon when it's revealed voting machines, voting rolls, and actual cast ballots where tampered with by Russian Agents in coordination with the Republican Party, conservatives will transition to, Too bad we won! It doesn't matter that we cheated!
But, the Republicans have learned certain political lessons since the criminal traitor Nixon resigned; the key one is never apologize and when confronted with bad actions ascribe them to your political opponent. Every allegation levelled by Republicans and conservatives is, in reality, an admission of guilt and a projection of bad actions they themselves have conducted.
Thus, the Republican Party, a subsidiary of the Russian Government, is blaming President Barack Obama for their treasonous alliance with Putin and the FSB.
Republicans will do whatever possible to take power and force their vision of the American Dream onto the Nation. The Republican Dream is to turn America into a giant death camp of unending corporate bondage, where the American people work until they die and instead of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, the Republicans will give the American people death, slavery, and the endless pit of debt slavery.
So, as further evidence of direct control of Trump, his inner circle, Republican elected officials by Russian Intelligence Operatives comes to light expect the anger, right-wing lies, and calls for Civil War from conservative domestic terrorists increase. But, the Banana Republican Party doesn't care because their enemy is the American People and conservatives will ally with anyone who helps them advance their agenda of intolerance, oppression, and adulation of the rich.
Update: And just like that, America's* Purest Leftist Glenn Greenwald picks up the mantle once more of defending Putin and declaring there has postively been no evidence NONE!!!! Whatsoever for the media focus on Trump's ties to Russia and Vladimir Putin. Greenwald is a right-wing ratfucker always ready to attack the Democratic Party and liberals. The best part of Greenwald's latest right-wing hit piece is all the conservatives attracted to it who leave comments extolling conservative ideology and denigrating evil liberalism and leftists only to have embarrassed lefty's try to shush them. For instance:
Will June 28 2017, 12:37 p.m.Mr. Greenwald has correctly analyzed and pointed out the fantasy of the Left’s ‘Russia narrative’ and he should be given credit for having the courage to tell the truth.
Thank you, Mr. Greenwald.
To those of you that want to criticize him for telling the truth as he sees it, I respectfully disagree, and I will also say that I am as red/Republican as any of you, probably more so than most. Greenwald stands alone, in my opinion, among Intercept reporters who value TRUTH above political leanings.
coni
June 28 2017, 6:59 a.m.
The leftist PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER has not even mentioned the CNN firings/resignations. Leftist/liberals are liars, fascists & will be the demise of their OWN.
Trump does not have a “campaign against the media”. The lying, fascist, fake news, and propaganda outlets are damaging themselves. Trump only comments on it. MAGA!
Excellent article. It describes in detail what was known as the “echo chamber” during the Obama admin. The echo chamber was an endless and repetitious drum beat of false and politically motivated stories about Obama detractors that many in the media, including CNN, were happy to promote. I think it was Ben Rhodes, a close Obama associate, who actually coined the term “echo chamber” and it describes the phenomenon perfectly. You also made an excellent point that anonymous “officials” can basically assert anything they want, no matter how false, with no repercussions. It’s no secret that many in the federal government employ are Democrats and would love to see Trump destroyed. The whole thing is grotesque and a great example of why most Americans distrust the media it is supposed to rely on for factual news.
As the SWAMP is being slowly-but-surely drained, the slimy creatures are being forced to worm their way into the sunlight, denied cover of the filthy, murky sludge of the lefty & establishment-status quo.
These lefties are in PANIC MODE, so anything goes . . . just keep flinging the swamp sludge against Prez Trump and ANY of his friends, family or hires, and HOPE something sticks to keep the dem’s concocted spy-narrative front ‘n center and in the headlines. Of course, the left is soooooo gullible and desperate to excuse Hilly’s disastrous campaign, that these political mind-games are fertile fodder for the reality-challenged lib’s. Well, at your own peril, dem’s . . . now the back-water stories of your beloved Obama and his lazy, hazy years of self-indulgence and stinkin’ political maneuvering are coming to light.
NONE of this was MEANT to happen, but the swamp is full of it and we’re just beginning to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
And on and on and on these right-wing trumpanzees infest the Intercept and post these MAGA lies. You would think a pure true leftist like Greenwald would be upset his post is being touted by Faux News and MAGAmericans as proof Trump is as pure as orange snow but, when you recognize Glenn Greenwald is a right-winger and always has been it becomes clear why right-wingers like his opinions.
Is the goal the elimination of the Military-Industrial-Surveillance State? Or is it something else?
Having attended the Socialism 2013 Conference (June 27-30 at the Crowne Plaza in Rosemont, Illinois) I was able to hear Glenn Greenwald, the Special Guest Speaker on the Friday Night closing Forum. Greenwald received near unamious support and acclaim from the crowd. I reserved my applause and declined to give him a standing ovation.
Of course, Greenwald's appearance was done via Skype as he is persona non grata in the States these days. But, he is also unwelcome by many liberals and Left Bloggers.
But, Jeremy Scahill was fervent in his praise and adulation towards Glenn Greenwald. In one of the sessions, Richard Seymour spoke of Greenwald's "Libertarian Marxism".
I'm conflicted about Greenwald. I aboslutely agree with him on the Subserveince of the Media. Greenwald related several ancedotal stories of David Gregory and the New York Times Editor-in- Chief proudly proclaiming the Pentagon or some Governmental Spokesperson giving their official stamp of approval to the Reporting being done on them. The Modern Media are no longer journalists in any sense of the word, but are Stenographers for those in Power.
But, 3 days after speaking to group of Out-Right Marxists Glenn appeared on Fox & Friends and was approvingly interviewed by Eric Bolling, about the Obama Administrations intimidation of "whistleblowers".
"We were certainly safe between 2000 and 2008. I don't remember any terrorist attacks on American soil during that period of time." - Eric Bolling
So this doesn't necessarily bolster Greenwald's credibility or my impression of the man's motives.
I think Greenwald's analysis of Snowden is for the most part correct. Edward Snowden isn't some egocentric fame-seeker (Glenn used the term Fame Whore) or doing this for monetary reward. But, his revelations aren't exactly ground breaking news if one were say aware of the 1992 movie Sneakers or had been paying attention during the George W. Bush Regime.
And that is what's troubling about Glenn's reporting and Snowden's revelations; Why did it take so long?
All of a sudden after 7 years of being a Sysadmin Spook Snowden chooses to become whistleblower? 13 years after the Patriot Act was signed Greenwald's worried about US Spying Operations?
Snowden and Greenwald were in contact before Snowden got his job with Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH). Snowden explicitly stated he went to work for the NSA-affiliated BAH in order to use their structure to access classified intel collected in part by the NSA and other organizations. His application to BAH isn't like the one page sheet you turn into McDonald's. So when did he hatch his plan to get a job with the contractor knowing their classified doc handling and SCIF security was not up to the same levels as the CIA and NSA. And would Snowden have done the same if Mitt Romney were now President?
Now, the interesting aspect of the NSA/Prism/Greenwald is it's shattering affect of the Left/Right paradigm. Which is always good because the It's Okay if Your a ____, is tedious and shows a lack of fiber for doing what is correct.
One of the recent allegations to be leveled at Snowden is according to Ars Technica, Snowden was a regular commentator since at least 2006, under the handle The True HOOHA. His alleged online beliefs were firmly in support of spying, 'Those people should be shot in the balls' and against Leakers, 'They’re like wikileaks. You don’t put that shit in the NEWSPAPER.' The True HOOHA also was a firm believer in pushing young IT adept and Server Savvy people into working for the computer/intelligence side of the MIC, "Thank God for wars." Why did those beliefs change? I don't automatically conclude that Snowden is lying or is simply Hating Obama and I believe a reasoned change of mind and re-evaluation of ones' beliefs is possible. And Snowden is correct (and I envy him for this) that, "Being called a traitor by Dick Cheney is the highest honor you can give an American."But, is that what is going on here with Snowden and with, by extension, Greenwald? So, what am I to make of Greenwald's tacit acceptance of the Bush Era Surveillance and Warmongering and his bositeroius ardent hatred of Surveillance and Warmongering now? And what exactly does everyone want President Obama to have done and do about the NSA? Should he have unillaterally decalred the Executive would not be enforcing the Patriot Act ala DOMA? Should he be pressuring Congress to curtail the budget for the CIA and NSA and elimination of the Drone seciton of the DoD? Should the US not spy on anyone? Is this really about Privacy?
Seriously, it's as if people never saw the movie Goodfellas. Why do you think Big Paulie Cicero (Paul Vario) didn't talk on the phone in the 1950s?
One important thing to note is thus far almost everything alleged by Edward Snowden and Glenn Greenwald has been revealed or known since the book The Puzzle Palace (1982) by James Bradford and leaked details about Total Information Awareness were revealed.
This isn't going to be a condemnation of Edward Snowden's personal life but the details of his past do need scrutiny and have bearing upon his overall credibility.
It's not important that Snowden *received a GED instead of a regular High School Diploma or was discharged from the Army due to a medical injury.* That he got a position as a CIA analyst, with a posting in Geneva, Switzerland, and with an NSA affiliated contractor Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH) obviously shows he had technical skills and probably displayed a high degree of intelligence.
But, just because Snowden is claiming a massive NSA spying on Americans Conspriacy doesn't mean he's presented actual or truthful facts. There is very much a confirmation bias at work here across the political spectrum.
Achmad Chalabi and "Curveball" reported facts about Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi WMD Program. The Bush Administration wanted these facts to be true, too.
Snowden singed up for the Great Patriotic Iraq War but did not make it out of Boot because of an injury.
If he had he might have learned about Iridium phones (aka Satellite Phones). These satellite systems were launched in the 1990s and during the Afghan Invasion and Iraq War were 100% targeted. Any coms routed through the satellites was intercepted, US Spy Satellites were parked in geo-synch orbit over ground based rely stations.
If World War 1 was the Chemists War and World War 2 was the Mathematicians War, Post 9/11 is the IT SysAdmin War.
Also there is a serious question about Snowden's job at BAH. Glenn Greenwald claimed to have started worked with Snowden back in Feb 2013. Snowden wasn't offically hired by BAH until March 2013. Did he seek that IT systems analyst position soley for the purpose of accessing highly classified files in order to give them to Glenn Greenwald?
And what documents exactly did he come across which he was able to cobble together to present to Greenwald. His duties would not have included him having legitimate access to foundational doctrines of the Spying program. So did he open up a file labeled Shhhh! Top Secret Spying on Americans Program with powerpoint images of cartoonish top-hated villains twirling their moustaches and cackling Bru ha ha ha ha?
According to Snowden he became partially disillusioned in 2007 but wanted to give President Obama some time to rectify the situation. Barack must have failed in Snowden's opinion.
Should President Obama have unilaterally dismantled the Prism Program and ended NSA spying? We all know who would have paraded out the Political Circus of Impeach! Impeach! Impeach! for Obama defending the Rights of Terrorists post Boston Marathon Bombing.
Since October 2011, FISA and section 702 has undergone review with various members of the Senate and House 22 times. Why is SCOTUS debating repealing the Civil Rights Laws and the ACA instead of the NSA Prism Program?
I would love a real debate on Surveillance and Rights to Privacy. Does anyone believe such a debate will be genuine? Because there are too many dishonest liars and power hungry egomaniacs on Left, Right and Center who will only use this as a condemnation of their political enemies while seekingto preserve those power for their use.
Republicans, Faux News and the Right-Wing Fart Bubble are immediately trying to twist this into a condemnation of President Obama and the Democratic Party. They either have to know that this is going to immediately cause Democrats to reflexively set themselves up in defense instead of an open-minded inquiry or they seriously believe IOKIYAR.
Bob Cesca has a breakdown of the Rush Limpballs, Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, Joe Scarbourgh love for the NSA and spying back under Bush who seem, for some unfathomable reason, to now loathe it.
So, before I label Snowden the next Daniel Ellsberg, let's see if what he provided turns out to be something more than what's been known for decades and something that he embellished based on his own political beliefs. And let's see if he moves from Hong Kong to Bejing before calling him Kim Philby.
*- This sentence changed to eliminate prejudical language.
Except of course, Glenn Greenwald is lying again. Glenn is a lying Libertarian who gave George W. Bush a pass on the Patriot Act, Warrantless Wiretaps, the Iraq War and leaving Americans to die in New Orleans because George W. Bush lowered Glenn's taxes. Anything else Bush did is inconsequential in comparison.
And it seems Greenwald is lying about the NSA snooping campaign. From the New York Times,
The companies that negotiated with the government include Google, which owns YouTube; Microsoft, which owns Hotmail and Skype; Yahoo; Facebook; AOL; Apple; and Paltalk, according to one of the people briefed on the discussions. The companies were legally required to share the data under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
They opened discussions with national security officials about developing technical methods to more efficiently and securely share the personal data of foreign users in response to lawful government requests.
While handing over data in response to a legitimate FISA request is a legal requirement, making it easier for the government to get the information is not, which is why Twitter could decline to do so.
Details on the discussions help explain the disparity between initial descriptions of the government program and the companies’ responses.
Each of the nine companies said it had no knowledge of a government program providing officials with access to its servers, and drew a bright line between giving the government wholesale access to its servers to collect user data and giving them specific data in response to individual court orders. Each said it did not provide the government with full, indiscriminate access to its servers.
The companies said they do, however, comply with individual court orders, including under FISA. The negotiations, and the technical systems for sharing data with the government, fit in that category because they involve access to data under individual FISA requests. And in some cases, the data is transmitted to the government electronically, using a company’s servers.
In my capacity as a Police Officer I do know that Apple has declined to provide me information about stolen Apple products I have recovered from thieves. Youtube, Snapchat and Facebook have rules detailing how I can get information about users. I can't just call up and ask for the identity of a user of those sites, nor can I simply fax over a request with the Department letterhead though I have successfully requested they digitally secure and cache as evidence certain pages without a court order. But, obtaining that information has always been done pursuant to a Warrant.
Of course, Glenn Greenwald and others are already convinced that President Obama is guilty and Glenn has repeatedly asserted that Barack is worse than Dick Cheney so why not *break* a giant snooping news story which happens to be falsified if it serves the greater good of smearing Barack and advancing Greenwalds' bona fides. Update:
A former CIA employee (not an agent) who handed over NSA documents to Glenn Greenwald has revealed himself and fled to the Peoples' Republic of China
On May 20, he boarded a flight to Hong Kong, where he has remained ever since. He chose the city because “they have a spirited commitment to free speech and the right of political dissent”, and because he believed that it was one of the few places in the world that both could and would resist the dictates of the US government.
In the three weeks since he arrived, he has been ensconced in a hotel room. “I’ve left the room maybe a total of three times during my entire stay,” he said. It is a plush hotel and, what with eating meals in his room too, he has run up big bills.
He is deeply worried about being spied on. He lines the door of his hotel room with pillows to prevent eavesdropping. He puts a large red hood over his head and laptop when entering his passwords to prevent any hidden cameras from detecting them.
Though that may sound like paranoia to some, Snowden has good reason for such fears. He worked in the US intelligence world for almost a decade. He knows that the biggest and most secretive surveillance organization in America, the NSA, along with the most powerful government on the planet, is looking for him.
Do you see me doin' thrill seeker liquor store hold-ups with a "Born To Lose" tattoo on my chest? - Bobby DeNiro, Heat
The 13 Hour Filibuster staged by Seantor Rand Paul a mere month ago was a dishonest sham staged only for theater. On a Faux Business Network Interview Rand stated,
"If someone comes out of a liquor store with a weapon and $50 in cash, I don’t care if a Drone kills him or a policeman kills him, but it’s different if they want to come fly over your hot tub, or your yard just because they want to do surveillance on everyone."
You see only those people rob liquor stores whilst the right people own Hot Tubs. I've also been informed that Hot Tub users have a high tendency of smoking pot, I wouldn't know I don't have a hot tub or smoke pot.
So, Rand is fine with using a Drone to kill a suspect of a Robbery, presumably an American, who hasn't had his Due Process. Please recall that on March 7, 2013, Senators Rand Paul and Ted Cruz introduced a Senate Bill: To prohibit the use of drones to kill citizens of the United States within the United States.
Now, I wonder if Glenn Greenwald will begin a campaign of lies and vitriol against Rand in the same manner he has against President Obama? Because according to Greenwald, President Obama is worse than Dick Cheney because he infringed on an American's Constitutional Rights by authorizing a Drone Strike on Anwar al-Awaki (and his son).
Rand Paul is a right-wing madman who would do away with all Civil Rights Laws and Unchain Business so they could put Americans back in chains.
Glenn Greenwald and Jeremy Scahill and all the neoliberal hipsters and self-satisfied libertarians who rushed to Stand With Rand and deified him to thwart the evil anti-chirst Obama got used by Conservatives like they always do. Conservatives never viewed the Drone issue as anything other than an opportunity to attack President Obama while getting some confused or ignorant lefties to aid them. Drones are valuable tools and weapons. It makes no difference if a person is killed by bullets, blood chokes, burning or drone strike. Dead is Dead. Drones simply fall under the Use of Force and the 4th Amendment. As for surveillance, using a Drone is no different than using binoculars or my eyes. If I observe a crime or contraband in plain sight or if I have a properly obtained Search Warrant then there is no issue. Update: Rand realized he upset the Gravy Train of his deluded followers who fund him. And Nothing so alarms a Grifter, like Rand Paul, as when his Grift is threatened:
"My comments last night left the mistaken impression that my position on drones had changed. Let me be clear: it has not."
Please consider sending $25 to Help Rand Fight the DroneZ!
"But I had somebody last week in Washington from either Georgia or Alabama that was saying, ‘Look, this goes back to we have got to have at least 50 rounds in our magazines because on average that’s about how many it takes to bring down a drone.’ I hope he was kidding, I don’t know for sure." - Representative Louie Gohmert, Confederate States of America on Drones.
Glenn Greenwald has declared that President Obama is worse than Dick Cheney. Because Obama, unlike Cheney, never infringed on an American's Constitutional Rights the way Obama did by authroizing a Drone Strike on Anwar al-Awaki (and his son).
What is this? Did the backlash against executive power take this long to foment in Greenwald? Does Glenn Greenwald feel frightened that Obama, who is worse than Cheney, is going to send a Drone Strike against him for speaking out?
What's actually happening is Glenn Greenwald is like John Wayne. Wayne chicken hawked his way out of World War II and in response became a jingoistic warmonger and arch-conservative. Greenwald supported the Phony GWoT and Iraq War Crime and now to make up for it he's become a lunatic anarcho-libertarian declaring all Government Action to be the illegal Use of Force.
Here is the text of what Greenwald, himself, relies upon to excuse his tacit support of the Phony GWoT and the Iraq War.
I did support the war in Afghanistan and, living in New York, believed the rhetoric about the threat of Islamic extremism.
At worst, I was guilty of apathy and passivity. I did nothing for or against it because I assumed that those in positions to exercise adversarial scrutiny – in journalism and politics – were doing that.
I had not abandoned my trust in the Bush administration. Between the president’s performance in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the swift removal of the Taliban in Afghanistan, and the fact that I wanted the president to succeed, because my loyalty is to my country and he was the leader of my country, I still gave the administration the benefit of the doubt.
I believed then that the president was entitled to have his national security judgment deferred to, and to the extent that I was able to develop a definitive view, I accepted his judgment that American security really would be enhanced by the invasion of this sovereign country.
The swift removal of the Taliban? He assumed others were scrutinizing the Rush to War. Loyalty to My Country! I deferred to Bush's Judgement.
As the 10 year mark of that bloody debacle hits home, it's amazing to watch those who participated in bilking the American People whitewash themselves of their guilt. I think that in order to prove himself, Greenwald will equate Obama's policies with Hitler at every opportunity. It's a powerful display. Hundreds of Thousands of Sunnis, Shias, Afghans, Pastuns, and others killed during the a Multi-Trillion Dollar Theft of Generations and Glenn will spare no effort over Drones?
Drones are tools and weapons. All the hand-wringing over their use in the Phony GWoT* is a mistake. Drones are a valuable tool which allows infiltration deep into hostile territory for targeted killings. Why send in a SEAL Team or conventional forces when a Drone can accomplish the task?
Drones for Domestic Use are also not a concern. Drones simply fall under the Use of Force and the 4th Amendment.
It makes no difference if a person is killed by bullets, blood chokes, burning or drone strike. Dead is Dead.
And under US Law (reviewed by multiple SCOTUS rulings and written into State Laws) Killing someone is considered the Ultimate Seizure under the 4th Amendment.
For Reference the applicable reviews of the 4th Amendment are:
Graham v. Conner (1989)
Tennessee v. Garner (1985)
Drones and their use gained massive blog-o-sphere attention after the Filibuster of the Director of the CIA by Senator Rand Paul. Couch-Borne Commandos and Self-Styled Champions of Liberty,as long as Liberty isn't Black people getting equal rights, like Senator Paul may have a problem with Drones but that's only because they've never been shot at or had to go hands on with a criminal.
Now, there may be arguments to be made against the Use of Drones. But, if you're mad that President Obama is using Drones in and of themselves you are wrong.
If there had been a Drone available to use against Christopher Dorner (Or against the Newest Second Amendment Hero Kurt Myers) then it should have been authorized and used.
Remember Dorner had already killed 4 people. He published a manifesto in which he stated he was going to kill as many people as possible. Some only tangentially connected. On the day of his death he shot two more Deputies, killing one, carjacked a couple and holed up in house firing numerous rounds at the surrounding officers.
Against a person, such as Dorner, does Glenn Greenwald or Senator Paul demand we send in single officers one at a time to face them man-o y man-o?
But, while Greenwald believed it to be a good thought experiment about "Due Process" and his belief that Drones represent a massive violation of civil liberties, it highlighted the misunderstanding of seizures under the 4th Amendment (again killing someone being the ultimate seizure) and the Use of Force.
Apparently, Greenwald believes "Due Process" entitles a person to this level of warning:
If you believe that a Government should not be killing it's citizens, ever, that's a legitimate debatable position. But, Drones aren't used for the killing of incarcerated persons.
If you're concerned about Drones being used for surveillance, well unless you are complaining about Cameras in high-crime areas, wire-taps, and police officers with binoculars then it seems an arbitrary concern.
If you believe the President does not have the authority to use Drones for targeted killings overseas then your complaint is with Congress. Force Congress to exert their constitutionally-mandated War Powers Role and have them vote to seize back that power by removing authorization.
There might be legitimate concerns about the Use of Drones and there should be oversight and legal guidelines but they are nothing more than a tool. Every tool can be misused.
*- The War on Terror has a War Crime of Epic Proportions and has lead to thousands of unnecessary deaths and criminal theft of Trillions. As such it should be ended. But, the Drone Strikes aren't the worst thing about it.
