Friday, January 17, 2014

National Security v. Civil Liberties: The Debate Intensifies

The seal of the U.S. National Security Agency....
The seal of the U.S. National Security Agency. The first use was in September 1966, replacing an older seal which was used briefly. For more information, see here and here. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
President Obama is scheduled to make a pronouncement today on future NSA activities, especially as they realtor to surveillance of American citizens.  The Snowden revelations started the national discussion of the issue and it's unlikely whatever Obama says will end it.  A recent poll reveals that more Americans currently claim they are more concerned  about civil liberties than national security.  This is not so surprising, since only the 2009 Ford Hood Massacre and last year's Boston Marathon bombing have marred an otherwise perfect record of for American counter terrorism efforts since September 11, 2001.

Those efforts reportedly include activities by US military and para-military forces in no fewer than 134 countries in 2013.
http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175794/tomgram:_nick_turse,_secret_wars_and_black_ops_blowback/


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