(06-01-2017 02:24 AM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(05-31-2017 10:21 PM)tanqtonic Wrote:  

(05-31-2017 08:56 PM)OldOwlNewHeel2 Wrote:  

(05-31-2017 04:47 PM)tanqtonic Wrote:  New Heel is implying in his cute, snide, snuggly, way that the only news source that anyone who might disagree with his worldview takes a gander at is a place called Infowars that seems to believe the black helicopter type stuff.

Im somewhat embarassed to even post the link. But it'll make NewHeel kind of antsy so I guess I will....

https://www.infowars.com/

"Snuggly" is a new one. I kind of like it. Infowars doesn't make me antsy, just depressed.

In all seriousness, though, I regretted the snark fairly soon after I posted it. Nothing like charged political discussions coupled with internet anonymity to bring the best out of me. I apologize for that.

Fair enough. All's good.

Quote:I don't quite have the time to make it through all 99 pages of the judge's order, but I read the Circa article (the Fox page had Baier's preview video, but I couldn't find the actual panel discussion). Believe it or not, I was never a fan of Obama's expansion of the intelligence state, and I'm sorry to say that I'm not particularly surprised by the report.

On a side note, I was never a particularly big fan of most of Obama's government expansion. Not that I didn't agree with most of his domestic goals, but I do wish they could have been accomplished legislatively, preserving the balance of powers. Half of my angst about Trump has to do with him inheriting an enlarged administrative state combined with his erratic temperament and tendency to hold very specific grudges. A dangerous combination, in my mind.

So you are saying that you are sad that Trump inherited the Executive branch that has been further broadened, emboldened and weaponized. Me too.

Glad to see someone from that side of the fence acknowledge the Obama era expansion of power *and* weaponization of the the executive branch and administrative power.

There is a reason I compared Obama to Nixon, and that is the main facet of that comparison.

And, to be blunt, I too am not happy with Trump inheriting that power base and structure.

I don't think the amount of people on the liberal side of the spectrum that believe there were issues with Obama's use of power (either in expansion of executive via increase use in executive order or, as you say, the increase use of drones in air strikes overseas) is not as small as you may suggest. For those on the left, I think that is the one aspect of his presidency that is most resoundingly criticized by people within the party. However, those who feel that way certainly aren't in the majority.

I, like Heel, read the Circa article, and too am not surprised that the Obama security apparatus was not as observant about following internal reforms that were supposed to be in place starting in 2011. Nor that they waited until Oct 2016 to slap themselves on the wrist (what better way to avoid bad publicity than waiting until one foot is out the door?).

Not an excuse, but I was surprised when the % of violations maxed out around 5% of all queries. But based on the report, that could reach into the hundreds of violations pretty easily.

Actually the weaponization of the Executive branch I was referring to using the power of that branch in political efforts.

There was an effort by the administration (not known by explicitly whom so I will not pin a name) to use the IRS as a political weapon, much like Nixon tried to do.

There is a parallel in the air about using that same function with intelligence intercepts, that it looks like Rice, Brennan, and Power will finally be asked about in a manner that requires a definite answer.

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/44...telligence

This issue actually has interesting overlaps with the links yesterday when you read and digest them.

To be crass: give a Chicago pol that type of access and that type of 'police' power, I really shouldnt be surprised at that type of 'weaponization'.

And to be blunt, that is precisely why I did not vote for either Hillary or Trump; neither in my opinion can/should be trusted with those now-weaponized levers of power. Trump exhibits this to me every day with his methodology of the Presidency --- Madame pantsuit exhibited it to me with her utter disdain for both the Open Records Act and classified information with her jury-rigged server set up to shield her communications from any embarrassing disclosures.

And, by the way, 5 per cent probably represents thousands or tens of thousands based on the volumes of stuff that is thought to be analyzed.