Friday, July 19, 2013

It Happened Before...!

Looks like the government is trying to improve on something that's been going on for a while!

I have no idea what makes these jerks think that any of this is necessary or acceptable. It wasn't in the past, it isn't now, and hopefully it won't be acceptable in the future! Does that mean the PTB will stop trying things like this? Of course not! For some reason, they think it's their right to do anything they want to!

In June 2013, ex-NSA (National Security Agency) contractor Edward Snowden revealed the existence of PRISM, a spying program that allows the NSA to intercept the internet and telephone conversations of people all over the world.

However, Edward M Stanton—the Secretary of War during the presidency of Abraham Lincoln—was running a similar scheme during the American Civil War. In order to monitor the telegrams of journalists and government officials across the US, in 1862 he successfully petitioned President Lincoln to have the country’s telegraph lines re-directed through his office. Here, Stanton was able to read and censor massive amounts of information, including vital correspondence regarding the war. With the information that Stanton gathered, he was able to justify the imprisonment of dozens of journalists on falsified charges of spying, including one prominent reporter for the New York Times.

Eventually, such activities raised enough concern amongst the higher echelons of government that the House Judiciary Committee called for Stanton to exercise a higher level of restraint when censoring communications. Fortunately, with 1865 and the end of the war, Stanton’s powers were removed and the telegraph lines redirected out of his control, thereby allowing information to flow freely and without control.

Well, until recently anyway.

One would think that the folks that were elected to guard and protect our rights would shy away from this sort of thing, but evidently the need for power over-rides all else for some individuals! Pretty sad, don't you think?

Let's have our coffee out on the patio this morning. I have some freshly baked brownies I'll share!

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Never good when they go too far in search for information! They always say that it's safe for the common man/woman but we all know they will abuse this ssoner or later!

What I can't understand is why the European leaders are so unpset about this? We have the same thing over here, especially here in Sweden.Lots of the European internet traffic goes through this country and we have a huge organisation that do just waht the NSA does! But of course, the Swedish authorities wold never abuse that, would they :-) :-) :-)

Have a great day!
Christer.

HermitJim said...

Hey Christer...
I'm thinking that the abuse of power is present in many countries, and the folks in charge just don't like it being brought into the light!

One more case where the higher ups are doing things "for our own good!" We all believe that, right?

Thanks for coming over today!

Sixbears said...

Let's declare victory on terror and then get our country back. Coffee on the deck a bit later, with some local eggs and bacon.

HermitJim said...

Hey Sixbears...
Sounds like a very workable plan to me! Count me in!

Thanks for coming by this morning!

Gorges Smythe said...

As first postmaster, Ben Franklin opened letters and read them. That's supposedly why he was ousted.

Chickenmom said...

I can't wait for the day the tables will be turned on them. I don't think there is enough tar and feathers to go around. Good friends and brownies! What could ever be better than that?

Pumice said...

The point for them is that this is a nanny state, they are the nannies and we are the children needing their protection.

Do you feel secure yet?

Grace and peace.

linda m said...

I think this spying has been going on for longer than we know. It is just now coming to light. And if enough people get really upset just maybe we can curtail it a little. However, it will never go away. And OF COURSE our government would NEVER abuse this power. Coffee and brownies on the patio sound good. Save me a seat on the swing. Have a great weekend.

JO said...

Why don't they control spammers and hackers with their spying, most of them use the phone these days.

Now coffee and brownies sounds like a great way to meet everyone at the patio today.

Mamahen said...

Sure makes me feel safer knowing they are ever present and aware of my every word and action....Wouldn't want them to MISS anything I had to say ;)) See everyone on the patio and thanks for the invite!!

Dizzy-Dick said...

Big Brother has to keep close watch on its slaves, I mean citizens.