Repealing the Patriot Act.

Tulsi Gabbard just introduced a bill to repeal the Patriot Act. Now that's something I can get behind. It'll go nowhere because of reasons, but at least she's making the effort.
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/530498-massie-gabbard-team-up-on-bill-to-repeal-the-patriot-act

So you can eliminate the deep state?

Storm liked the patriot act.
Nuff said.

I suggest you read the article linked.

@The Ghost of Crazy Horse why do you hate america !

(I agree, though. Patriot Act needs to diaf)

A week before this Congress ends and she's out of the House? Seems like a pre-book tour last gimmick. Oh yeah, this bill is going to go places.

Places like the trash can.

So, you would be willing to rescind all charges against Edward Snowden?

No. He's a traitor guilty of espionage.

He's guilty of providing YOU with information about what the government is doing.

Snowden is no Daniel Ellsberg.

Don't care. He still provided the American people with information about what their government is doing.

Edward Snowden may be one of the truest patriots that the United States has had since World War II.

EDIT: This was sarcasm, folks. My bad. Seemed obvious to me when I posted it, but you know what they say about text failing to convey nuance.

There's a right way and a wrong way to do that. is the wrong way.

I don't suppose there's any way to determine how many people's lives/livelihoods were affected by Snowden's self-aggrandizement. I do know it's cost the taxpayers billions to fix something that shouldn't have occurred in the first place, but anyone who believes intel-gathering in and of itself is evil probably needs help tying their shoes.

I don't pretend to be any kind of expert in intel gathering, nor would I have any idea about lives/livelihoods affected by either person's actions. But, the things that were reported by Snowden were a direct result of authority the Patriot Act provided the government. So, if the government repeals the patriot act, it continues with rescinding the charges against Snowden.

We've absolutely gotten our asses handed to us in cyberwarfare since Snowden.

He fled to Hong Kong, then to Russia. His plane fare there was paid by Assange, who we know was on the Russian payroll.

He says he was trying to make it to Latin America, but pretty odd that he went via Moscow.

US intelligence says he has been in regular contact with Russian intelligence.

And MI6 has stated that the Russians and Chinese both have the documents that he took - potentially up to 1.5 million classified documents, that required US and British spies to flee, opened up their informants to capture, and perhaps even more importantly, had information on US methods, including technical documentation. Which it is almost certain that the Russians now have.

Which leads us back to we've absolutely gotten our asses handed to us in cyberwarfare since Snowden.

Hell, Snowden quite possibly gave us Trump.

I don't give a shit if his motives were pure. Road to hell. We are there.

He deserves to be thrown in a deep, dark hole, and never seen again.

The PATRIOT Act should definitely be abolished. I'd go so far as to suggest it should never have been implemented in its existing form in the first place.

However, if you have no knowledge of the impact of Snowden's actions, I have to wonder why you brought him up.

The Patriot Act should definitely be repealed, but don't count on it happening any time soon.

I didn't say I didn't have knowledge of his actions. I said I didn't have knowlede of the lives/livelihoods he affected. If you do, or if you have a source, please share. I'd definitely be interested to know.

Either way, as I said before, Snowden revealed what the US government has been allowed to do because of the Patriot Act. If you're going to repeal the Patriot Act, then the charges against Snowden need to be rescinded.

If his actions caused damage to lives or livelihoods, then new charges should be brought against him. But, as it stands, it's like legalizing marijuana, but keeping past offenders in prison.

Same difference.

Do you have a source or not?

Yeesh. I guess sarcasm really does fail hard in text communication.

This was 100% sarcasm. I mean, it's so hyperbolic (and contrary to everything I've ever said on the subject) that I thought it would be obvious. My bad.

For your mental fulminations? Mercifully, no. But you brought up Snowden's name, which suggests you know something other than that he made headlines a few years ago. Maybe if you share what you know we'll have a place to start.

I got it. But next time use a "sarcasm" smilie.

Yes ma'am.

"my mental fulminations"? You implied Snowden's actions directly affected lives and livelihoods. If you do not have a source, just say so. No need to worry about my "mental fulminations". Unless, of course, you're trying to guess at what I may or may not say, but that couldn't be so as you've repeatedly said you do not do that.

Edward Snowden could've been Gavrilo Principe... If only there'd been a few more dominos.

Like if all of the G20 nations had one the same week.

It'd be terrifying and chaotic for a while, sure. But we've survived worse than finding out how much we really don't have each others' interests at heart.

I totally agree that snowden is a hero, and that the charges against him should be rescinded as he was informing on problems with our government acting unconstitutionally in the worst way.

That being said even I would wait for that call until after the vote to not give the traitorous supporters of the establishment right and left who love the patriot act less ammunition against it's repeal. The reason people hate snowden is because of pure propaganda and lies, and the fact that they are gullible dolts the media gins up against their own interests. As you can see trhe people who love their establishment overlords are more than happy to rely on their feelings over common sense to have a meltdown over something that we should all be appreciative of. Snowden has lost his life, career, and so much else to the fascist part of the US government which is the clear enemy of the people. Everyone who has and will support the patriot act are enemies of freedom and the people. I don't care if a murderous crack junkie working for Putin himself (AKA the trump family) gave us the truth that snowden did, they should not be charged for that particular action which never should have been a crime in the first place.

What do you imagine intel-gathering is about? Hint: It's not James Bond.

It's more George Smiley.

Exactly. It's a game of shadows, and there are no Good Guys, only operatives who have to make decisions that can affect people's lives. Last report I read on Snowden was two years ago, and apparently The Guardian and others only released a fraction of the stuff he dumped on them - stuff that could get innocent people killed, potentially destabilize governments, etc.

Should the amount of surveillance have been as pervasive? Hell, no. But Snowden's no White Knight.